After spending the 2011-12 season as an assistant, Tracy Johnson has been named interim head coach at Amherst.
“Having already spent a year with the program, this is truly an amazing opportunity at such an outstanding place,” said Johnson in a news release. “The student-athletes and administration have made me feel so fortunate to be a part of the Amherst community.”
“Tracy did an outstanding job in her first year with the program and we’re thrilled to have her returning in a new role,” added Amherst athletics director Suzanne Coffey. “We were fortunate to interview outstanding finalists for the head coaching position, but we decided when all was said and done that Tracy was our best candidate. She knows our systems and our student-athletes and she has been recruiting tirelessly for months now.”
Johnson replaces Jim Plumer, who coached the Lord Jeffs for nine years before accepting the head coaching position at Vermont earlier this year. Plumer led Amherst to two national championships (2009, 2010) and a 158-69-19 record, including a dominant 127-30-14 (.784) mark in the past six years.
“I don’t think I can fully express how much I learned from coach Plumer over the past year,” said Johnson. “His commitment to the program and his constant pursuit of excellence were inspiring. He has built such an incredible culture here and I am committed to maintaining that. His are definitely big shoes to fill, but I am confident that I can steer the program in a direction that will build off of the phenomenal foundation he has built.”
Joining Johnson on the coaching staff will be Stephanie Clegg, a standout defenseman for the Lord Jeffs from 2009-12 and was part of the two national championship teams.
