Diane Geppi-Aikens
Encyclopedia
Diane Geppi-Aikens was an outstanding athlete, and later a women's lacrosse
coach at Loyola College in Maryland
. She is known for coaching Loyola College to national prominence, and later for her inspirational battle with cancer.
and baseball
on the local boys' teams.... She attended Parkville High School
, where she would earn Baltimore "All—Metro" honors in volleyball
, basketball
, and lacrosse. These athletic accolades led her to be recruited by several colleges, and was offered a number of scholarships to play collegiate basketball.
For college, Geppi decided to attend nearby Loyola College where she could remain close to her family. Although recruited to play three sports, Geppi decided to play only volleyball and lacrosse. In lacrosse, Geppi was usually an offensive player. However, in her sophomore year, she suffered a nerve injury which required her to change positions. Geppi converted to goalkeeper
. The conversion was a success, Geppi would go on to earn All American honors as a goalkeeper. After college, Geppi continued playing lacrosse, where she helped Team USA win two gold medals in international competition.
Geppi was named captain of both the volleyball and lacrosse teams during her playing career. In 1984, Geppi was inducted into the Loyola College Athletic Hall of Fame. She was the youngest person ever to be honored with this induction.
tournament ten times. She earned NCAA Division I "Coach of the Year" honors three times, in 1996, 1997, and 2003. Geppi-Aikens also served as Loyola's volleyball coach from 1984 to 1990, and was assistant athletic director for a time. In 2001, during a period a remission from her cancer, Geppi-Aikens was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter Hall of Fame.
After battling cancer since 1995, Geppi-Aikens learned prior to the 2003 season that the brain tumor had returned and this time it was inoperable. Despite being paralyzed by the cancer and using a wheelchair Geppi-Aikens continued to coach her team to the nation's # 1 ranking. The Greyhounds advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship tournament before their season ended with a 5–3 loss.
In 2003, the National Collegiate Athletic Association
(NCAA) awarded Geppi-Aikens with the Inspiration Award
. This award is presented to an individual who gives hope and inspiration to others.
article entitled No Time To Die that she wanted to see her son graduate high school, and to coach her team to play for the National Championship. She died on June 29, 2003, just one month after her son's graduation and coaching the Loyola women's lacrosse team to the NCAA Championship Final Four.
presentation, an award given to the nation's top male and female collegiate lacrosse players, the Diane Geppi-Aikens Scholarship is presented. This scholarship was created to honor the women’s college lacrosse player who displays the same leadership, character and perseverance as exhibited by Geppi-Aikens.
In 2004, Chip Silverman wrote a book called, Lucky Every Day: 20 Unforgettable Lessons from a Coach Who Made a Difference recalling stories and events of Geppi-Aikens' life and its effect on her players and those that surrounded her. In her honor, main athletic fields at Loyola College have been renamed the Diane Geppi-Aikens Field. In addition, the college holds the annual Diane Geppi-Aikens Memorial 5k Race.
in 1962 to John and Katherine Geppi. She was one of three children. She was a mother of four. She had one son, Michael, and three daughters, Jessica, Melissa, and Shannon. A single mother, she raised her four children mostly on her own, after she divorced in 1995.
Women's lacrosse
Women's lacrosse, sometimes shortened to wlax or lax, is a sport played with twelve players on each team. Originally played by the indigenous peoples of the Americas, the first tribe to play it was the Hauser tribe, of the Great Plains. The modern women's game was introduced in 1890 at the St...
coach at Loyola College in Maryland
Loyola College in Maryland
Loyola University Maryland is a Roman Catholic, Jesuit private university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early and eight other members of the Society of Jesus in 1852, it is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges...
. She is known for coaching Loyola College to national prominence, and later for her inspirational battle with cancer.
Athletic career
Beginning at a young age, Geppi was driven athletically. As a youth, she was one of 2 young girls playing footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
on the local boys' teams.... She attended Parkville High School
Parkville High School
Parkville High School is a four-year public high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The school was originally opened in 1953 on what has become the current location of Parkville Middle School.-About the School:...
, where she would earn Baltimore "All—Metro" honors in volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and lacrosse. These athletic accolades led her to be recruited by several colleges, and was offered a number of scholarships to play collegiate basketball.
For college, Geppi decided to attend nearby Loyola College where she could remain close to her family. Although recruited to play three sports, Geppi decided to play only volleyball and lacrosse. In lacrosse, Geppi was usually an offensive player. However, in her sophomore year, she suffered a nerve injury which required her to change positions. Geppi converted to goalkeeper
Goalkeeper (field lacrosse)
In field lacrosse the goaltender, also referred to as goalkeeper, goalie, or keeper but most often referred to as the Goalie, is the last line of defense between the opposing offense and his team's goal. The primary role of the goaltender is to defend opposing team's shots on goal. The other main...
. The conversion was a success, Geppi would go on to earn All American honors as a goalkeeper. After college, Geppi continued playing lacrosse, where she helped Team USA win two gold medals in international competition.
Geppi was named captain of both the volleyball and lacrosse teams during her playing career. In 1984, Geppi was inducted into the Loyola College Athletic Hall of Fame. She was the youngest person ever to be honored with this induction.
Coaching career
Geppi-Aikens became the head coach of the Loyola Greyhounds women's lacrosse team in 1989. During her career she amassed a 197–71 record and led the team to the NCAA Women's Lacrosse ChampionshipNCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship
The annual NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship tournament determines the top women's lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III....
tournament ten times. She earned NCAA Division I "Coach of the Year" honors three times, in 1996, 1997, and 2003. Geppi-Aikens also served as Loyola's volleyball coach from 1984 to 1990, and was assistant athletic director for a time. In 2001, during a period a remission from her cancer, Geppi-Aikens was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter Hall of Fame.
After battling cancer since 1995, Geppi-Aikens learned prior to the 2003 season that the brain tumor had returned and this time it was inoperable. Despite being paralyzed by the cancer and using a wheelchair Geppi-Aikens continued to coach her team to the nation's # 1 ranking. The Greyhounds advanced to the Final Four of the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championship tournament before their season ended with a 5–3 loss.
In 2003, the National Collegiate Athletic Association
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
(NCAA) awarded Geppi-Aikens with the Inspiration Award
NCAA Inspiration Award
The NCAA Inspiration Award is awarded to one of the following who is associated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association: a current or former varsity letter-winner, a coach, or an administrator...
. This award is presented to an individual who gives hope and inspiration to others.
Battle with cancer
Geppi-Aikens first learned that she had brain cancer in 1995. She had surgery to remove the tumor. Treatment did not prevent the tumor from coming back, and she again had surgery in 1997, 1998, and 2001. In December 2002, she learned that the cancer had again come back, and this time the tumor was inoperable. After the final diagnosis and being told she had only months to live, she stated that she had two goals. She wrote in a Sports IllustratedSports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
article entitled No Time To Die that she wanted to see her son graduate high school, and to coach her team to play for the National Championship. She died on June 29, 2003, just one month after her son's graduation and coaching the Loyola women's lacrosse team to the NCAA Championship Final Four.
Legacy
The Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) presents annually the Diane Geppi-Aikens Memorial Award recognizing lifetime achievement in contribution to women’s lacrosse. Also, annually at the Tewaaraton TrophyTewaaraton Trophy
The Tewaaraton Trophy is an award given annually, since 2001, to the most outstanding American college lacrosse player. It is the lacrosse equivalent of football's Heisman Trophy. The trophy is presented by the Greater Washington Sports Alliance and the University Club of Washington, D.C...
presentation, an award given to the nation's top male and female collegiate lacrosse players, the Diane Geppi-Aikens Scholarship is presented. This scholarship was created to honor the women’s college lacrosse player who displays the same leadership, character and perseverance as exhibited by Geppi-Aikens.
In 2004, Chip Silverman wrote a book called, Lucky Every Day: 20 Unforgettable Lessons from a Coach Who Made a Difference recalling stories and events of Geppi-Aikens' life and its effect on her players and those that surrounded her. In her honor, main athletic fields at Loyola College have been renamed the Diane Geppi-Aikens Field. In addition, the college holds the annual Diane Geppi-Aikens Memorial 5k Race.
Personal life
Geppi was born in Baltimore County, MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
in 1962 to John and Katherine Geppi. She was one of three children. She was a mother of four. She had one son, Michael, and three daughters, Jessica, Melissa, and Shannon. A single mother, she raised her four children mostly on her own, after she divorced in 1995.