?

Sue Behme

 
Profile
Behme, who spent the last 10 seasons as head coach at the University of Rochester, has been named the women's lacrosse head coach at the Coast Guard Academy.

While at Rochester, after three years of getting her feet wet, UR tripled its win total from the previous season in 2014 before earning its first winning season at 9-8 in over a decade in 2015. Behme guided Rochester into the Liberty League playoffs that season, only UR's second ever appearance in the conference tournament.

In 2020, a promising start to the year saw UR earn wins over Thiel and Nazareth along with a close loss to nationally ranked SUNY Geneseo before the pandemic canceled the season. In the Thiel victory, Rochester broke team records for points and assists in a single-game. At the end of the abbreviated season, Rochester was ranked in the top-10 in Division III in shooting percentage and assists per game, while also ranking 23rd in scoring defense.

In 2017, Rochester posted a 9-6 overall record and 5-4 mark in Liberty League play, qualifying for the Liberty League playoffs for the second time in three seasons. The Yellowjackets also set a new school record allowing just 7.07 goals per game, also earning top-50 rankings in NCAA Division III in scoring defense, save percentage and fewest turnovers per game.

Academically, the team has carried on its tradition of academic excellence by being recognized in nine straight years (2011-19, 2021) as an IWLCA Academic Honor Squad. Over this time, 32 student-athletes have been named to the IWLCA Academic Squad earning a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher and countless players have been named to the Liberty League All-Academic Team.

She returned to Western New York after two-plus seasons building a Division I program at Fresno State. Before heading to the West Coast, Behme coached a total of 13 seasons at SUNY Geneseo and Nazareth College. She coached at Geneseo for a four-year period, then spent nine years on the sidelines at Nazareth. She compiled a 115-39 record, including a 52-3 conference record at Nazareth and led the Golden Flyers to six NCAA Division III tournament appearances.

Behme’s success as a coach has come both on and off the field. At Fresno State, the Bulldogs earned the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association team academic award in each of her first two seasons (2008-09, 2009-10). Eleven players earned Academic All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation honors in 2008-09 and three were named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll.