April 18, 2007

Lynnette Buffington Named New Women’s Soccer Coach

Lynnette Buffington

Pacific Lutheran University has hired Tacoma native Lynnette Buffington, 33, as women’s soccer head coach, director of athletics Laurie Turner announced today.

"We are pleased to have Lynnette join our athletic program," said Turner. "She has proven winning experience as a women's soccer coach at the collegiate level and also brings excellent administrative skills to PLU."

In addition to coaching, Buffington will give administrative oversight of the school's women's and men's soccer programs, in addition to assuming other administrative duties within the PLU athletic department.

Buffington brings four years of college coaching experience at the NCAA Division III level to PLU. From 2003-06, she served as women's soccer head coach at Villa Julie College in Baltimore, Md. In those four years she improved the winning percentage of the program from .139 to .714, as well as winning two conference championships and leading her 2006 team to the round of 32 in the NCAA Division III national tournament.

Prior to coaching at Villa Julie, Buffington was the women's soccer head coach at Tacoma Community College where she compiled a 35-5-4 overall record from 1999-2001. She led the Titans to two Southwest Division championships and three NWAACC tournament appearances, taking two of the teams to the quarterfinals and one to the semifinals.

Buffington, who graduated from Tacoma's Stadium High School in 1992 and from Gonzaga University in 1996, becomes the fourth coach in the program's history. She replaces Jerrod Fleury, who stepped down this past fall after compiling a 47-43-7 record from 2002-06.

Women's soccer started at Pacific Lutheran in 1981 under the guidance of head coach Colleen Hacker. She led the program to three NAIA national championships (1988, 1989, 1991) in five title-game appearances. Sue Shinafelt-Waters served as head coach from 1996-2001.

- PLU -