Central's Mooney-Lazu named All-Suburban Coach of the Year
Coach turned program around in three years
Brookfield Central softball coach Dawn Mooney-Lazu is this season's NOW All-Suburban Coach of the Year. Photo By Peter Zuzga
It really shouldn't be a surprise that Brookfield Central softball coach Dawn Mooney-Lazu won the NOW Newspapers All-Suburban Softball Coach of the Year Award this season.
Considering what she has done in her first three years at the helm with a program that was in shambles it was bound to happen sooner than later.
The list of accomplishments for Mooney-Lazu's fun-loving Lancers is a long one.
They won the Greater Metro Conference Championship for the first time in 31 years, last winning in 1979 when they were in the Braveland Conference.
They finished with a 13-1 conference record and an 18-4 overall mark.
They won their first regional championship since 2005 and only their second in the last decade.
They put six players on different levels of the GMC all-conference team.
They beat defending champions Menomonee Falls not once, but twice in same season.
"It feels good," Mooney-Lazu said when told she was Coach of the Year. "But I could not do this on my own. If it wasn't for the girls to be so coachable, the fact that we all get along, it was just a family thing.
"It feels great, especially being an alumnus of Brookfield Central and a former player. This is home. I'm honored, but I didn't do this on my own. I couldn't have done this without the players and my assistant coach Chris Haralson."
The Lancers' success wasn't a surprise to Mooney-Lazu.
"I thought we would improve on last year because we only lost three starters," she said. "Our nucleus was still here. They believed in themselves from Day 1. We felt we could do it."
Watching the Lancers during pregame drills, you could tell that this team enjoyed each other's company.
"The chemistry has always been there," Mooney-Lazu said. "The girls felt that we could do it. The girls are more of a family this year from last year and I don't know what the difference was with that. It just seemed like we were more meshed together."
Mooney-Lazu was quick to give senior second baseman and team captain Lindsay Wille credit for that.
"A lot of that has to do with Lindsay Wille, "she said. "She was voted captain at the end of last season for a good reason. She is the catalyst. Every girl looks up to her. And she keeps them on task.
"She's like one of my assistant coaches and I don't have to babysit so to speak during the pregame. They know what to do. Lindsay keeps them focused and gets them ready for our games."
While Mooney-Lazu keeps deflecting credit like a World Cup goalkeeper, she had a lot to do with the Lancers' success.
"She's really dedicated," said Lancers' MVP Andrea Schneider. "She really gets into it. She wants us to do our best. She works hard at it in any way that she can so that we can succeed."
Looking back at the season, Mooney-Lazu was asked when did she begin getting a feeling that this team was something special.
"When we beat Menomonee Falls the first time around, 5-1, that was a defining moment where I was like 'Maybe,'" she said, "because they were the defending Greater Metro Champs. We've struggled against them in the past."
The Lancers then beat Falls the second time around, 1-0, in one of the most well-played softball games I have seen in the past few years.
"I'll always remember beating Menomonee Falls twice," Mooney-Lazu said. "The first time we beat them I cried. I was happy. I was happy for the girls. It was something we hadn't accomplished for a long time."
Central's season ended on a down note, losing 17-7 in six innings to Germantown in the regional semi-finals. Afterwards, talking to her team in left field as she always did, Mooney-Lazu left a positive message with her squad.
"Yes we were all disappointed, but the first thing I said to them was 'Our heads need to be up right now, because this game did not define who we are and what our season was all about. We should be proud, because we accomplished many firsts.
"We had a great season; nobody expected us to be where we were. It was just great to have fun; to show what Lady Lancers softball was all about.
"That was the main thing. We had fun the whole season."
THE MOONEY-LAZU FILE
Family: Mary and Wes Mooney, who retired to Arizona. Oldest brother Michael lives in Virginia.
Youngest brother Wesley III lives in Glendale, Wisconsin. Her 18-year-old son, Damon, is a senior at Brookfield East.
Education: Attended Swanson Elementary, Pilgrim Park Junior High School and Brookfield Central, Class of 1986. Attended University of Wisconsin - Waukesha and UW-Milwaukee.
Playing Career: Played varsity softball for Lancers for four years as shortstop and catcher. Also played basketball for Central. Played women's fast pitch at Wilson Park in late teens through early 20's. Played basketball at UW-Waukesha.
Coaching Career: Coached JV softball at Central in 1987, her sophomore year in college. Currently in her 15th year with the Elmbrook School District. Coached softball at Central for the past 10 seasons - seven years as the JV coach and the past three as the head coach.
E-mail Newsletter
Your link to the biggest stories in the suburbs delivered Thursday mornings.
Enter your e-mail address above and click "Sign Up Now!" to begin receiving your e-mail newsletter
Get the Newsletter!
More from Sports
- Late rally lifts Brookfield East past Franklin boys, 64-61, in season opener
- West Allis Central boys take over first in GMC with win over Lancers
- Spartans lose to Hale, lose chance to end losing streak
- SKY'S TAKE
- East Prep Preview: Feb. 2-14
- Brookfield cagers come up empty
- McBain, Parker sign letters of intent
- East stuns sixth-ranked Bulldogs
- Carpenter sparks Red Raiders win over Spartans
- Lancers girls step up, whip Falls
.jpg)
0 COMMENTS