GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. – Colorado Mesa Interim Director of Athletics Joan McDermott has officially announced the hiring of Ashley Delaney as the head coach of the Maverick women's lacrosse program.

Delaney assumes the head coach role after serving as the assistant coach at CMU since August 2019. She replaces former women's head coach Shannon McHale, who departed in July for the same position at Lenoir-Rhyne University.

In her four years as the assistant coach, Delaney was primarily responsible for running the midfield and defense for the Mavericks. Over the last couple of years, she helped develop defender Kelsey Viger into the second IWLCA First Team All-American in program history, as well as the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2023. The Mavericks had an 82 percent clear percentage, corralled 52.5 percent of draw controls and allowed fewer than 10 goals per game during the 2023 season.

Prior to her time at CMU, Delaney coached at NCAA Division III Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania and coached at the club level in Southern California. Delaney played college lacrosse at LIU Brooklyn from 2011-2014, accumulating 33 goals as a midfielder for the Division I Blackbirds. A native of Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania, Delaney left high school as her school's all-time leader in points and goals scored, garnering three First Team All-Area selections.

With Delaney on staff, the Mavericks finished last season at 11-6 overall with a 9-1 RMAC record and a share of the RMAC regular season conference championship, the first in program history. The Mavs also reached the finals of the RMAC Tournament for the third consecutive season. The spring 2024 schedule has yet to be announced, but visit CMUMavericks.com, download the CMU Mavs app or follow the program @CMUWomensLax on Twitter/X or @cmu_womenslax on Instagram to stay up to date.