VIDEO: YVONNE KAUFFMAN HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY
Yvonne E. "Yonnie" Kauffman came to Bridgewater in 1962 and proceeded to become a four-year letter-winner in field hockey, basketball and tennis - a total of 12 varsity letters. A star athlete at Manheim Central High School in Pennsylvania, she won an American Legion award as the most athletic girl in her graduating class.
As an Eagle athlete, she helped the field hockey squad to a 24-9-6 overall record, the basketball team to a 45-8 overall record and the tennis team to16 wins. Yonnie excelled in field hockey, where she participated on a Virginia Regional squad in 1962, and in national tournaments in Rochester, N.Y., in 1963, Philadelphia, Pa., in 1964, and in Northampton, Mass., in 1965. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bridgewater in 1966.
Yonnie has gone on to set standards in the NCAA coaching ranks, during a tremendously successful career at Elizabethtown (Pa.) College. As coach of the women's basketball team, she guided Elizabethtown to NCAA Division III national championships in 1982 and '89, and berths in the championship game in 1983 and '84. She helped coach seven first team All-Americans and two Division III players of the year. As the field hockey coach, she guided the team to a berth in the 1981 Final Four, and helped coach eight All-American players. As the women's tennis coach from 1970-83, she had four undefeated seasons and coached the 1982 NCAA Division III singles national champion. From 1968-97 at Elizabethtown, she had a combined record of 896-312-35 for a winning percentage of 73.9.
After the 1996-97 season concluded, she received the George W. Kirchner Memorial Award, given annually by the Lancaster County (Pa.) Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. In 1991, she was voted the 10th Anniversary honoree for Division III women's basketball.
Yvonne's athletic achievements at Bridgewater College and her ability to coach and positively shape the lives of student-athletes, coupled with a superior coaching record at Elizabethtown, distinguish her for induction into the Bridgewater College Athletic Hall of Fame.
