Washington Township High School Girls Lacrosse Coach Sandy Stockl Retiring after 31 Years at the Helm
For Immediate Release
June 12, 2024
Sandy Stockl and her team celebrate her 300th – and final – career victory on May 21st. Stockl will continue to work as a school counselor at WTHS.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – Washington Township High School’s only girls lacrosse coach has announced her decision to walk away from the turf. Sandy Stockl, who helped start the Minutemaids’ program 31 years ago, announced her retirement from coaching, marking the end of a career dedicated to the student-athletes at Washington Township High School and the sport of lacrosse in general in Southern New Jersey.
“Minutemaid lacrosse has been such a big part of my life,” said Stockl, whose final win was milestone victory No. 300 on May 21st. “It has been a true honor to work for and with this incredible school district, its leaders, fellow coaches, student-athletes and their families. I will always hold the memories near and dear to my heart. I am grateful to be a part of the bigger picture of Together with Pride.”
In 1994, Stockl helped start – and served as the first coach of – the girls lacrosse program at Washington Township High School. In 1997, she was named the Philadelphia Inquirer Coach of the Year for helping the program to its first winning season as well as its first postseason appearance. She garnered Courier Post Coach of the Year honors in 2005 and guided her teams to four straight Olympic Conference Championships from 2005-08. Her 2011 season, when her 17-3 squad won the Olympic Conference and South Jersey Group IV championships, earned her a number of coaching accolades, including Coach of the Year by the New Jersey State Coaches Association (NJSCA) and the NJSCA Northeastern Section (representing Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont). In 2019, she was named South Jersey Times Coach of the Year while leading her team to the Gloucester County Cup championship.
Stockl, a mathematics teacher at WTHS for 26.5 years before moving into a school counselor position on February 1, 2016, was inducted into the New Jersey Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame in 2006, the Foundation’s 10th induction class. She received the Bea Marwick Award in 2006 from the Lacrosse Club of South Jersey for her outstanding service and dedication to the sport of women’s lacrosse.
“Thank you for dedicating 31 years of your life to our Minutemaid lacrosse program,” WTHS Director of Athletics Kevin Murphy said. “While your decision to retire from serving as our head lacrosse coach is a sad moment, we look back at the memories and cherish your accomplishments on and off the field.
“We celebrate your commitment to education-based athletics,” Murphy continued. “Your senior student-athletes' comments during the 2024 end-of-season banquet will always resonate with me. You instilled in your student-athletes a sense of Township Pride, a commitment to be the best on the field and in the classroom, supported their dreams, creating memories and friendships for life.”
A goaltender at Shawnee High School from 1983-84 where she received Honorable Mention All-South Jersey honors, Stockl went on to become an Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) and Brine All-America and All-Region honoree at Trenton State College in 1987 and 1988. She was also a U.S. Women’s Lacrosse First Team All-America selection in 1988 helped the Lions to NCAA Division III championships in 1985, ’87 and ‘88. Stockl was also chosen to play for the North squad in the combined Division I/III North-South Senior All-Star game in 1988.
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