Temple University Athletics
Championship Celebration Series: The 1982 Lacrosse Team
9.19.22 | Women's Lacrosse
This story was first posted on 07/1/2015
1982: Owls Win the AIAW Championship, Temple's First-Ever National Title in a Women's Sport
In the sport of women's lacrosse, Temple University was among the elite teams in the 1980's. Their dominance began in 1982 when the Owls captured the program's first-ever national title, beating out the rest in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).
In front of about 2,000 fans at West Chester State College in May of 1982, the Owls garnered their first national title with a 3-2 defeat of Maryland. For Temple, it was the first such title in the 63-year history of sponsoring women's sports.
Temple was coached to its AIAW Championship by the legendary Tina Sloan-Green. A member of five Halls of Fame, Sloan Green was the head coach from 1973 to 1992 and was the first African-American head coach in the history of women's intercollegiate lacrosse. She would go on to lead the Owls to a total of three National Championships, as they captured the NCAA title in 1984 and 1988.
Marie Schmucker, a two-sport All-American at Temple and a member of the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame, was a sophomore standout on the 1982 team and a senior leader in 1984.
"Back then, it was a dream come true," said Schmucker. "Anyone that plays a sport in college, it's always the dream and the goal to win a championship. To win just ONE is incredible, and to win two during my years at Temple really says something for our team. Tina recruited an unbelievable group of women and we just really connected and had great chemistry. It was never about any one individual. It was a total team effort."
The earlier rounds of the 1982 AIAW Tournament had the Owls beating Harvard by a score of 13-6 before pulling out a 6-5 overtime win against Penn State. For the season, Temple finished with a nation-best record of 16-2-1. The playoff victory against the Nittany Lions avenged one of the Owls' only two losses in the regular season.
Offensively, the Owls were led in 1982 by a freshman, Sue Yeager. She scored 57 goals and added 15 assists for 72 total points. Schmucker, who missed six games due to injury, was second on the team with 45 total points. She was named to the 1982 AIAW All-Tournament Team, and two years later went on to earn the title of Most Outstanding Player on the Owls' 1984 NCAA Championship team.Â
Goalkeeper Debbie Kelly, who starred for the program from 1978 to 1982, was a three-time All-American for the Owls. She owned four Temple records at the time of her graduation, and her outstanding goalkeeping abilities were key to Temple's first national championship. She was the team's MVP and a co-captain, and along with Schmucker, Chris Smith and Roni Pack, was named to the AIAW All-Tournament Team.
1982: Owls Win the AIAW Championship, Temple's First-Ever National Title in a Women's Sport
In the sport of women's lacrosse, Temple University was among the elite teams in the 1980's. Their dominance began in 1982 when the Owls captured the program's first-ever national title, beating out the rest in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW).
In front of about 2,000 fans at West Chester State College in May of 1982, the Owls garnered their first national title with a 3-2 defeat of Maryland. For Temple, it was the first such title in the 63-year history of sponsoring women's sports.
Temple was coached to its AIAW Championship by the legendary Tina Sloan-Green. A member of five Halls of Fame, Sloan Green was the head coach from 1973 to 1992 and was the first African-American head coach in the history of women's intercollegiate lacrosse. She would go on to lead the Owls to a total of three National Championships, as they captured the NCAA title in 1984 and 1988.
Marie Schmucker, a two-sport All-American at Temple and a member of the Temple Athletics Hall of Fame, was a sophomore standout on the 1982 team and a senior leader in 1984.
"Back then, it was a dream come true," said Schmucker. "Anyone that plays a sport in college, it's always the dream and the goal to win a championship. To win just ONE is incredible, and to win two during my years at Temple really says something for our team. Tina recruited an unbelievable group of women and we just really connected and had great chemistry. It was never about any one individual. It was a total team effort."
The earlier rounds of the 1982 AIAW Tournament had the Owls beating Harvard by a score of 13-6 before pulling out a 6-5 overtime win against Penn State. For the season, Temple finished with a nation-best record of 16-2-1. The playoff victory against the Nittany Lions avenged one of the Owls' only two losses in the regular season.
Offensively, the Owls were led in 1982 by a freshman, Sue Yeager. She scored 57 goals and added 15 assists for 72 total points. Schmucker, who missed six games due to injury, was second on the team with 45 total points. She was named to the 1982 AIAW All-Tournament Team, and two years later went on to earn the title of Most Outstanding Player on the Owls' 1984 NCAA Championship team.Â
Goalkeeper Debbie Kelly, who starred for the program from 1978 to 1982, was a three-time All-American for the Owls. She owned four Temple records at the time of her graduation, and her outstanding goalkeeping abilities were key to Temple's first national championship. She was the team's MVP and a co-captain, and along with Schmucker, Chris Smith and Roni Pack, was named to the AIAW All-Tournament Team.
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