Former Red Bank Catholic Soccer Star To Lead Ranney Athletics

TINTON FALLS, NJ — A Monmouth County native and former soccer star at Red Bank Catholic High School has been named the new athletic director at the Ranney School, school officials announced Wednesday.

Natalie Gorman, who was Natalie Cocchi when she was in high school, is scheduled to take over the Ranney athletic program on July 1, according to a release from Ranney. Current athletic director Bobby Malone is leaving at the end of the school year "to pursue new opportunities in school athletics," the release said.

Gorman is a 2003 graduate of RBC and was a first-team All-Shore and All-State selection when she was at RBC, where she scored 53 goals and had 35 assists during her career for the Caseys. RBC won its first NJSIAA Parochial A championship during her senior year. From there, Gorman, an Ocean Township native, took her skills to West Virginia University, where she was ranked No. 7 in the nation at her position in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and a No. 1 ranking in the Mid-Atlantic Region. She led the Mountaineers to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, and won the Big East Conference championship in 2006 and 2007. She was named Big East Player of the Week six times. She also played in the professional women’s soccer league for the Pittsburgh Sparks while she was in college.

Gorman, who has a master's degree in sports leadership and administration from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, was soccer coach at Duquesne and most recently is the assistant women's soccer coach at Louisville. She also has coached at the U.S. Soccer Federation’s National Training Center and at the US Youth Soccer Association Region II Olympic Development program.

“Mrs. Gorman represents a positive new direction in athletic leadership for Ranney,” said John W. Griffith, head of Ranney. “Not only does she bring a background in hiring and managing competitive coaches, but she also has experience in athletic marketing and in forging strong relationships with athletic conferences. Furthermore, we are proud to bring a woman into this role as athletic leadership at the regional and national conference level is largely dominated by men.”

“Natalie is a great hire for Ranney School," said Joe Montano, the athletic director at Red Bank Catholic who knew Natalie as a student-athlete. "She is an outstanding person with a solid work ethic. She will bring energy and passion to your programs. I am excited for your community and what a positive impact she will make.”

Ranney officials said Gorman's task is to "advance the mission of the school through the growth of sport, physical, and health development of students in all divisions," from elementary school through high school. "In addition to leading the middle, JV, and varsity athletic programs – which encompass 15 sports and
40 teams over 3 seasons — part of her charge will be to prepare middle school student athletes for competitive readiness, while also cultivating skill development and opportunities for healthy intramural and interscholastic competition in the elementary grades."

“Mrs. Gorman is committed to enhancing Ranney’s distinctive focus on student-life balance, and I am confident that she will strengthen our school’s sportsmanship and competitive edge across all grade
levels,” Griffith said.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Ranney community as the next director of athletics,” Gorman said. "I have been extremely lucky in my career … and (have learned) that any successful program is built on the people
and relationships that make it work. I will bring that very important piece of knowledge with me to Ranney. I want to thank the many parents, faculty, staff, coaches, and students I met while on Ranney’s campus—their love of Ranney and excitement for the future made me want to be a part of Panther Athletics … I am also
excited to be returning to my home to raise our family.”

Natalie Cocchi Gorman; photo courtesy of the Ranney School