Noreen Herlihy - 2005 Hall of Fame Inductee

Former Mercyhurst College women's soccer player Noreen Herlihy was inducted into the Mercyhurst College Athletic Hall of Fame Saturday, May 21, 2005, during the Department's annual Senior Student Athlete Recognition Luncheon at the college's Egan Hall Dining Room.

Herlihy was a member of the Irish National Team from 1985-88. She played soccer for two years at Mercyhurst (1990, 1991) and was a two-time All-America, an Academic All-America, and an All-Region selection. She led Division II in assists in 1990 and was a member of the 1991 Mercyhurst College NCAA playoff team. She graduated from Mercyhurst in 1992 with a degree in Sports Medicine.

Following graduation, she remained at Mercyhurst as an assistant women's soccer coach and admissions counselor from 1992-94. She helped the 1993 and 1994 Lakers to the NCAA Division II final four before becoming the women's head coach at Slippery Rock in 1995.

Taking over a two-year old program, Noreen directed a team that blazed a significant trail and established a lofty mark for future teams to equal or better. The 1996 team finished with a 14-5 record and was led by the school's first female soccer all-conference, all-region, and All-America selection, Sonya Maher. For her efforts, Noreen was chosen Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Coach of the Year. In 1997, Herlihy became the first woman to lead a collegiate men's program when she accepted the dual role of men's and women's coach.

Four years later, she led SRU to its first-ever trip to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoffs. In 2001, Herlihy's women's team earned an NCAA regional tournament berth, scoring an opening round win and earning a spot in the regional final. Herlihy recorded her 100 th career win on September 16, 2001 , during The Rock's sweep of a women's/men's doubleheader against PSAC-rival Shippensburg. She led The Rock to a PSAC championship and the NCAA playoffs for the second time in the team's history in 2003 and was named Northeast Region "Coach of the Year". The Rock followed that with a PSAC-West title last fall. SRU finished 13-3-2 last season. Noreen owns a 10-year mark of 114-60-8 with the women.

She continued her education while at SRU and earned her master's in Sports Administration in 2004.