USC Names First Coach of Women’s Lacrosse
Lindsey Munday, an All-World member of the U.S. lacrosse women’s national team who helped lead Northwestern to five NCAA championships as a player and assistant coach, has been named the head coach of the new USC women’s lacrosse team, USC athletic director Pat Haden announced.
Last month, USC announced that women’s lacrosse will be added to the athletic program beginning in the 2012-13 season, becoming the 21st NCAA sport – and 12th women’s sport – sponsored by the university.
“It was imperative that we hire a coach with the energy, experience and plan to build a premier women’s lacrosse program,” Haden said. “Lindsey Munday embodies all that we are looking for as we take on this exciting endeavor. Her background both as an elite player and an elite coach who has been part of five national championships is a perfect match for a program that we hope will soon play at a championship level. We will support Lindsey and her program with all of the resources and support necessary to compete at the highest level.”
USC senior associate athletic director Mark Jackson, the administrator who oversees the sport, added: “It was obvious after a national search with many qualified candidates that Lindsey was the clear choice to build and lead our women’s lacrosse program to prominence.
“Her national championship experience at Northwestern both as a player and as a coach and her current status as a player on the United States national team has provided her with a wealth of experience that she is now ready to bring to USC.”
Munday, 26, comes to USC after serving as the head coach at Mount St. Mary’s University, an NCAA Division I program in Maryland.
Before that, she was the top assistant at her alma mater, Northwestern, for four years (2007-10). She served as the recruiting coordinator and offensive coach. Northwestern was 85-4 during her tenure, including 23-0 in 2009, and the Wildcats won the NCAA title in 2007, 2008 and 2009 while advancing to the NCAA championship game in 2010.
Munday is regarded as one of the greatest players in Northwestern history. A Tewaaraton Trophy semifinalist in 2005 and 2006, she finished her four-year career as the program’s all-time leader in assists, as well as third in points and fifth in goals.
She also set single-season records for points and assists in 2005. The Wildcats were 64-12 during her career, including winning NCAA crowns in 2005 and 2006 (the first school outside the Eastern time zone to do so) to become the first Northwestern program to win consecutive NCAA championships.
Munday was a two-time first-team All-American, All-Region and All-American Lacrosse Conference selection as a midfielder after earning All-Region second-team laurels in 2004 and All-Conference second-team notice in 2003 and 2004. She made the NCAA All-Tournament team in 2005.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in communications from Northwestern in 2006.
Munday recently was named to the 2010-11 U.S. women’s national team. She was on the U.S. team that won the 2009 FIL World Cup, where she earned All-World recognition after leading her team with 17 goals and 20 assists in seven games.
“I am honored and humbled to be named the first head women’s lacrosse coach at USC,” Munday said.
“USC is a unique university with premier academics and championship athletics. The university’s storied history, coupled with the support from its administration top to bottom, will provide the USC women’s lacrosse program with the resources to be nationally competitive. It is an incredibly special opportunity to begin a new program, and I cannot wait to recruit student-athletes who are passionate about lacrosse and about joining this amazing time in USC women’s lacrosse history.”
