Following in the footsteps of her predecessor, Carol Anne Beach will become the head women’s basketball coach at her alma mater, Colby College of Waterville, for the 1991-92 season.

Beach, a 1988 grad, was a four-year guard for the White Mules and captained the 1988 squad. She succeeds her former coach, Gene DeLorenzo, who has resigned to accept the head men’s basketball position at Oberlin College in Beach’s home state of Ohio.

A native of Columbus, Beach was serving as Colby’s sports information director. Beach will also be the assistant women’s soccer coach, working with ’79 Colby alum David LaLiberty.

Beach comes to her new positions with experience in both areas. She served as assistant women’s basketball and soccer coach at Brandeis University, and assistant women’s basketball coach at Trinity College prior to last fall when she arrived at Colby.

She still holds the Colby career assist record of 344 in women’s basketball. Colby won the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship her freshman year.

At Trinity for the 1988-89 season, she assisted Colby alum and former teammate, Mo Pine. That team qualified for the ECAC tourney for the first time.

Beach is very excited to have the opportunity to coach at Colby.

“I think it worked out really well, for three reasons,” she said. “First, is that I was already here; second is that I played here; and third is that I know the program from my work in sports information.”

She said she has a good feeling for the team even though she wasn’t on the sidelines last year.

“It’s a strong group coming back,” Beach said, “but there is always an added challenge when a team is a defending champion,” she said of Colby’s New England ECAC title.

“The important thing will be to prepare my team for that position, because everyone will be playing extra hard to knock off the defending champion. That will take a lot of mental preparation.”

Beach said it will be good for the program to have Jane Lee returning as an assistant. The two will get together shortly to discuss their philosophies and goals.

“It’s always hard on players when you’re changing coaches,” Beach said. “That’s why it will be nice to have Jane here. The kids are a great bunch, but it’s never easy for them. Kathie Pooler, for example, will be having her second coach in two years.

“But, the fact is, Gene coached me and taught me a lot of the basics. The team and I have a lot of the same fundamentals, so I don’t think it will be as hard on them as it could be.”

And while she comes from the same program, Beach will put he own stamp on this program. “There certainly will be changes,” she said. “We have different styles; we’re different people. It will have a a different look.”

A former soccer player at Colby as well, Beach has already met with LaLiberty and is looking forward to that assignment. A midfielder, she started playing soccer in Ohio in third grade.

“The sport got a jump in the Midwest before it got to New England,” Beach said. “But I saw it grow in Ohio, and now I’ve seen it grow in Maine and New England. It’s going to be very enjoyable working with David.”

In addition, Beach will serve as liason for soccer and basketball with Colby’s public information office.

Keeping an eye on current duties, Beach reported openings still exist for girls in Colby’s Pine Tree Basketball Camp for the weeks of July 7-12 and July 14-19.

The camp is directed by Dick Meader and Dick Whitmore. Interested individuals may request applications or information from Meader at 4 Westview Dr., Waterville, 04901, or call him at 872-7895.

No openings remain in Colby’s soccer camps.