Lafayette College Women's Softball

Kelliner Croushore begins her second season as the head coach of the Lafayette softball program. She was named the interim head coach on Jan. 26, 2025 for the 2025 season before being named the program's permanent head coach on May 16, 2025.  In 2025, Croushore led the team to its first Patriot League sweep since 2008, coincidentally over her alma mater Holy Cross, and guided the program on its longest win streak since 2017. The Leopards also posted their first conference mercy-rule win since 2018 and showed a four-game improvement in their Patriot League win total. Offensively, Croushore saw the team batting average jump 51 points from 2024 to 2025 and the team slugging percentage climb 98 points. In conference play, the numbers were even more impressive, as the team batting average increased by 109 points with slugging percentage (139 points) and on-base percentage (118 points) also rising significantly. Leading the way at the plate was senior Mary Grace O'Neill who was the program's first All-Patriot League First-Team honoree since 2013. O'Neill also garnered Academic All-Patriot League laurels and hit for a .423 season average (third best in a season in Lafayette history and second in the Patriot League in 2025) while also ascending to third on the career steals list. Croushore came to College Hill after spending the 2024 season as an assistant coach at Holy Cross. Prior to her time at Holy Cross, Croushore spent five years at Occidental College in Los Angeles, Calif. She initially began as an assistant coach in 2018, before being named the interim head coach ahead of the 2020 season. In March of 2021, Croushore was officially named the program’s head coach, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed her first season at the helm until 2022. At Occidental, Croushore coached a pair of Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) all-league honorees and 35 of her student-athletes were placed on the SCIAC All-Academic Team from 2020-24. Prior to Occidental, Croushore served as an assistant coach and assistant pitching coach at Georgetown University, helping guide three student-athletes to All-Big East Second-Team honors. From 2014-16, Croushore served in a similar role at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., coaching seven all-conference players, including two with all-region status. Croushore was a four-year letterwinner at Holy Cross, starting 117 of 157 games played. In the program record books, she is tied for third all-time in single-season home runs (5 in 2013) and ranks seventh in career home runs (8). A native of Claremont, Calif., Croushore graduated from Holy Cross in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology. She went on to earn a master’s degree in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown in 2018.   (updated 5/25)

Mike Rinde is in his second season as the assistant coach and Director of Program Development for the Lafayette swimming and diving program. In his first season with the Leopards, the team saw historic success, breaking a total of 22 school records, three pool records, and recording 81 new times in the all-time top 10. Rinde joined Lafayette after two seasons with Lehigh University’s swimming and diving team, where he first served as a volunteer assistant before transitioning into a full-time assistant coaching role. His responsibilities included designing and running workouts, recruiting, coordinating official visits, and overseeing underwater video analysis and review. Prior to Lehigh, Rinde was the Program Director and Head Coach at Parkland Swimming Club, where he played a key role in advancing the club’s mission and overall development. From 2013 to 2022, Rinde held coaching positions across the country, working with programs in New York, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. His experience includes roles with Blue Eagle Swim Team, Nazareth High School Swimming and Diving, SwimAtlanta, Tampa Bay Aquatics, and the Montgomery YMCA Barracudas. Rinde began his collegiate coaching career as a Graduate Assistant at Canisius University while earning his master’s degree from 2010 to 2013. At Canisius, he was instrumental in international recruitment, team operations, and technique development, specializing in distance training and coaching at Open Water Nationals. He also served as an assistant coach for the Town Wreckers Swim Team from 2009 to 2013. A native of Horseheads, N.Y., Rinde earned his bachelor of science degree in health and wellness from SUNY Buffalo State College in 2010 before completing his master’s degree in sports administration from Canisius University in 2013. He currently resides in Bethlehem, Pa., with his wife, Hayden, and their two dogs, Toots and Bodie.  

Bella Ayala is in her first season as an assistant coach for Lafayette softball. She spent the 2025 campaign as a graduate assistant coach at St. Francis.  Ayala spent four seasons playing for the Rams, where she made 132 appearances (112 starts) as an infielder. She hit .249 with 43 runs scored, 45 RBIs, 14 doubles and seven home runs. The Roseville, Calif. native had a fielding percentage of .931 in her career.   She was named to the Atlantic-10 Conference All-Rookie Team, honored as a 2024 NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete and selected to the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll twice. During her career, Fordham went 112-89-1 overall and 58-31 in conference games. The Rams were A-10 Champions in 2022 after defeating George Washington, the No. 1 seed, twice in the conference tournament. The Rams then advanced to the NCAA Tournament Regionals and drew No. 7-overall seeded Oklahoma State. Ayala earned her Bachelor of Science in Public Accounting and pursued a Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Sports Management at St. Francis. Updated (7/25)

Cary Lehman is in his second season as the diving coach of the Lafayette swimming and diving program. Lehman came to College Hill with over 25 years of coaching experience, most recently as head coach for the Parkland Diving Club and Parkland High School from 2001-2020. Prior to Parkland, Lehman coached at William Allen High School (1994-2001) and Baltimore Dive Club (1991-1994). He has coached at the national level and has had finalists at AAU and USA Diving national competitions. While coaching at Baltimore Dive Club, Lehman attended the University of Maryland Dental School, receiving his Doctor of Dental Surgery in 1994. The Orefield, Pa. resident graduated with a bachelor’s in biology from Kutztown University (1990) where he was on the swimming and diving team, competing in the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events.