Lee University

Lee University Athletics
PO Box 3450 - 1120 North Ocoee St Cleveland, TN 37320

Division 2 Tennessee Southeast

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Coaches

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Derrel Martin

Coach Martin enters his six season as head coach of the Lady Flames. The 2023 squad compiled a regular season mark of 8-10 against a demanding schedule and was 3-3 against Gulf South Conference (GSC) opponents. For the second straight year post-season play ended with a loss to No.1 seeded Flagler College (Florida) in the semifinal round of the GSC tournament.

Martin coached the lacrosse program at Tennessee Wesleyan before starting Lee’s program. He owns an overall mark of 35-36 in leading his Lady Flames against a demanding schedule.

Senior Brittney White put the wraps on an outstanding four-year career for coach Martin and the Lady Flames. She was named to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association All-South Region Second Team. The IWLCA honors 128 student-athletes in Division II with the selection to one of the All-Region teams for 2023. For White it is the third straight season she has been named to the second team. For the third consecutive season, White earned First Team All-GSC honors, while newcomer Maggie Luzier and senior Kelsey McGowen were on the Second All-GSC Team.

Three Women’s lacrosse student athletes were named to the Gulf South Conference All-Academic Team. For the third straight season, Brittney White was named to the team. White had a 3.97 GPA in athletic training. She was a Second Team All-IWCLA South region member.

Kaleigh Bernard was named to the team for the second straight year. Bernard has a 3.94 GPA in human development/early childhood education. She started 17 games this year and had 110 saves. Her save percentage was .423%. Kelsey McGowen was the third member of the team. She had a 3.75 GPA in biology and 6-12 teaching licensure. She anchored the defense for Lee this season.

The 2022 squad compiled a regular season mark of 8-8 against a demanding schedule but were 5-1 against Gulf South Conference (GSC) opponents. Post-season play ended with a loss to Flagler College (Florida) in the semifinal round of the GSC tournament.

Brittney White was one of 128 student-athletes in Division II to be honored by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) with a selection to one of the All-Region teams for 2022. White was named to the 16-member South Region Second Team. Earlier the junior was named All-GSC as she continued to dominate in the draw circle and led the league in draws controls with 122 and is the all-time program leader with 315. She scored 39 goals and added 12 assists.

Dariana Blanton was awarded the prestigious Paul Conn Student Athlete of the Year Award. The award is presented to a top Lee athlete who has achieved success in their sport, in the classroom, in their faith and in service to the community. It is named in honor of Lee University Chancellor Dr. Paul Conn. Blanton is the all-time leader in program history in goals (151), assists (49), and points (200). She was selected to the Gulf South Conference First Team. Blanton, a senior captain, finished second in the GSC in goals with 54 and is the program's all-time leader in goals, points, and assists.

The Lady Flames received the prestigious 2022 IWLCA Division II Community Awareness Team Award. Martin’s team made significant efforts in supporting the Lee University campus community while also making a local impact through numerous acts of service.

Martin’s 2021 squad finished 9-4 overall and was a perfect 4-0 in capturing its first Gulf South Conference regular-season championship before falling in tournament semifinals to Young Harris College. Martin’s head coaching record at Lee stands at 19-18 overall and 8-12 in the GSC. After the 2021 season, Martin was named GSC Coach of the Year.

Sophomore Brittney White was second in the nation with 103 draw controls and third in goals scored with 60. Coach Martin said these two marks were the most important offensive statistics a player can have and showed their dominance on the field. White also made history by becoming the first Lee lacrosse player to earn (IWLCA) All-South Region second team honors. For the 2021 season, Brittney White was the GSC Player of the Year and Goalie Kaleigh Bernard was the Defender of the Year.

Lee’s 2021 team was one of 319 schools across the nation in Division I, II, III and NAIA selected as an IWLCA Academic Honor Squad and garnered an IWLCA Honor Roll Team. "Academic excellence is a part of our lacrosse team culture and mission. To that end, we dedicated a substantial amount of time and effort with each player to ensure they stayed on track academically. Our team's efforts resulted in a fantastic 3.64 GPA for our spring 2021 semester. We are excited to be recognized as an IWLCA Honor Squad and we will continue to pursue this as a team goal," said Coach Martin.

Dariana Blanton (Digital Media: Journalism/Public Relations) and Shayna Ryan (Advertising/Graphic Design) were among the 442 student-athletes from 73 different institutions on the 2021 IWLCA Division II Academic Honor Roll. To be eligible for the honor, student-athletes must be a junior, senior, or graduate student and have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or greater.

In 2020 the Lady Flames started strong and were 6-2 when the Covid-19 virus interrupted everyone’s spring. Brittney White was Lee’s first NCAA All-American. She was named to the third team and came in No. 2 in draw controls for all of Division II.

Martin previously served as head coach of the women's lacrosse team at Tennessee Wesleyan University where he led the Bulldogs to an 11-5 record with a roster that included 15 first-year students and just six returners. His ladies finished the year ranked No. 9 nationally in the NAIA and placed second in the Appalachian Athletic Conference regular-season standings.

He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Middle Tennessee State in 1986. He recently received his M.Ed. from Lee. He served in law enforcement for 29 years while coaching lacrosse at Cookeville High School (2007-2014) prior to taking over at TWU.

Prior to coaching, Martin was a special agent for the FBI, retiring in 2017 after a 21-year career investigating various criminal matters including fraud, violent crimes and terrorism. In 2009, he served a tour in Eastern Afghanistan embedded with the US Army. He finished his career as a terrorism and tactics instructor at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va. He received his Master of Education from Lee in 2021 and study Terrorism and Counterterrorism Operations at Duke University and the University of North Carolina in 2012 and 2013.

Martin and his wife, Jaimie have two children, Patrick Martin, and Caroline Martin Hampshire.

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Megan Smith

Megan Smith was hired as an assistant five years ago to help Coach Martin build a competitive program in the Gulf South Conference and the pair have combined their skills to do just that. Smith has been a vital part in establishing a zone defense for the Lady Flames as well as heading up the recruiting efforts. She was promoted to Associate Head Coach in July of 2023.

Under Smith's guidance, goalie Kaleigh Bernard was named the GSC Defender of the Year in 2021 as the Lady Flames won the program's first GSC Regular Season Title.

Smith was a standout player for Limestone College from 2011-15. She was a captain her senior year and helped lead the Saints to four straight Conference Carolinas regular-season titles, three league tournament titles, an appearance in the NCAA D2 Quarterfinals (2013 and 2015) and a berth in the national championship match in 2013.

After graduating from Limestone in 2015 she served on staff as an assistant coach working with the goalies while overseeing aspects of recruiting and player development. Smith then took over the Converse College women's lacrosse program for one season before joining the staff of Chowan University as an assistant coach for one year. Megan is also a Committee Chair for the IWLCA Annual Meetings.

Said Coach Martin: "Coach Smith works so very hard for this program. We had the talent on defense to run a zone and Coach Smith was able to install it during fall practices and fine tune it in the spring.”

Smith also helps lead the Student Athletic Advisory Committee for the Lee University Athletic Department and received the IWLCA Service Award in 2021 for her efforts in raising money and awareness for the One Love Foundation and Headstrong Foundation. Through her leadership the Lady Flames won the IWLCA Community Awareness Award in 2022.