By: Michelle Lewis

Women’s lacrosse head coach, Kellie Young, was named as a member of her Alma Mater’s First Hall of Fame class Wed. evening.

Young, an alumnus of Mount Holyoke College, earned two time All-Regional and All-Conference Accolades as a player. Her senior year she was a co-captain and received the Ruth C. Timm Award for the program’s most outstanding player.

“I am truly honored and humbled by this award,” Young said. “Mount Holyoke is a part of my fabric. It shaped who I am as a woman, as a coach, and as a leader.”

Young played soccer, softball, and basketball as well as lacrosse. She earned nine varsity letters across the four sports before graduating with a degree in politics and women’s studies. She has been in coaching for 18 years having spent time at division two and three schools before moving into division one 15 years ago. Among the schools Young has spent time at is former Big East conference foe Georgetown where she was an assistant before being recruited by Louisville Athletic Director Tom Jurich to start a program here.

Young is the only head coach Louisville Women’s Lacrosse has ever known. She arrived on campus seven years ago charged with building a lacrosse program from scratch. The first year was spent hiring a staff, recruiting players to come to Louisville, and setting up a schedule for the young program. She has lead the Cards to an overall record of 57-42 and double digit wins in five of the six seasons since the university added the sport. She’s also helped develop the program’s two All Americans, Bergan Foley, and Nikki Boltja.

Young had high praise for the opportunity Jurich has given her and is grateful for the support she and her team receive from the university as a whole. Last season the lacrosse match against Notre Dame set a record for the program’s highest attendance to date. Among those in the stands were members of the men’s basketball team and the school’s football team as well as both men’s and women’s soccer. Young pointed this out as an example of the camaraderie and sense of family at UofL. She is hopeful that as the team hosts more big matches this support will continue to grow and that lacrosse can become another top 10 team on campus.

Young and her fellow inductees will be honored with a formal induction ceremony on Oct. 19.