Starting with her first season in 2000, Jen Benway laid the foundation for what she has developed into a regional softball power as head softball coach at Lesley University. Her teams have won over 25 games four years in a row, which includes two NCAA Tournament appearances, four straight conference championships and a New England Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year award in 2011.

A 1998 graduate of Bentley College in Waltham, MA, Benway was a four-year starter at shortstop and lead-off batter, collecting numerous offensive records. In 1999, Benway made the switch from player to coach. 

Since her inaugural season in 2000, the Lynx softball team has significantly increased their wins and each spring challenges the conference championship.  This past season the softball team won the inaugural NECC, their second consecutive conference title after winning the North Atlantic Conference Championship in 2008.  The NAC Championship earned Benway and the Lynx an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament while last year's NECC Championship earned Lesley a trip to ECAC Tournament.  Benway owes her team's latest accomplishments to successful recruiting classes and hard work and dedication from the team both in and out of the season. 

Benway's dedication to bringing in committed and hard-working recruits has resulted in numerous academic and athletic accolades.  Benway has developed a conference Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, two Rookies of the Year, nine First Team All-Conference, and 11 Second Team All-Conference players.  Academically, Benway has had eight players named to the conference All-Academic Teams, an honor given to student-athletes who in their season of competition maintain a 3.40 GPA or higher. 

In 2006, Coach Benway was selected as the Head Softball Coach for the Robur 58' Softball Series in Holland. The team, comprised of college players around the U.S, took home the bronze medal in the series.  In 2004, Coach Benway served as the Head Softball Coach for the Tuscany Series in Italy.  The team played Holland and other Italian teams and went undefeated 10-0, winning both tournaments in Arezzo and San Casciano.  Coach Benway was also selected as an assistant coach for Coast to Coast Athletics. The team traveled to Australia to compete against Olympic Development teams in Brisbane and Sydney in the winter of 2002. 

In May of 2003, Coach Benway earned her Masters Degree at Lesley University in Interdisciplinary studies and created a mentoring program for rookie collegiate softball coaches as part of her thesis. Benway is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and completed the NFCA's Coaches College, becoming a 4 star Master Coach in July of 2007.

Vikki Guido joined Jen Benway's staff at Lesley University for the 2010 season.

Guido is a 2007 graduate of UMass-Lowell, where she was a four-year starting outfielder for the River Hawks.  During her collegiate career, Guido was twice named All-Northeast 10 Conference, earning a Second Team selection her junior season and First Team honors as a senior. She was the team captain in 2006 and 2007 and a finalist for the Laurie Mann Award given to UML's Female Student-Athlete of the Year.

Prior to college, Guido played on the Winchester (MA) High School varsity squad, earning  all-star honors and team Most Valuable Player awards all four years. The Boston Herald named her to its All-Scholastic Team after her junior season. 

In the spring of 2008, Guido served as the assistant varsity coach at Winchester High and later moved on to be the assistant coach for Regis College. Professionally, Guido currently works as a registered nurse at Winchester Hospital.

Jannelle Iaquinto joined Jen Benway's staff in the fall of 2012 after spending one season at Merrimack College, where she served as the Warriors pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. She brings to Lesley over five years of experience coaching and recruiting at the collegiate level, including working with many of the area’s top Division-II and Division-III pitchers.

Iaquinto was a four-year scholar-athlete at Division-I Siena College in Loudonville, New York. During her collegiate career, she fulfilled many roles on the Saints pitching staff as a starter, reliever and mentor. A freshman standout, Iaquinto made 12 starts in the circle for the Saints, posting an ERA of 3.22 and holding opponents to a .299 batting average. Sidelined by injury her junior year, Iaquinto immediately began assisting with the development of Siena’s pitching and catching staff.

Prior to her collegiate career, Iaquinto was a four-year varsity starter & two-year captain for Arlington (MA) Catholic High School, earning all-star and team MVP recognitions all four years. She remains the program's all-time leader in innings-pitched and strikeouts (647) and was honored as a Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic Athlete as a junior.

Professionally, Jannelle is the assistant director for annual giving/giving clubs at Lesley University. She is also a private instructor at At Bats Training Center in Boxborough, MA. She currently resides in Medford, MA.