For the first time in school history, the EMU Athletics Department will add a Women’s Lacrosse program. The team is set to begin competing in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference in Spring of 2020.
EMU began searching for a women’s lacrosse head coach in June 2018, ultimately hiring Katie Russo. She is eager to make history by helping build the program.
Russo, a Baltimore native, began playing lacrosse at age eight and quickly fell in love with the sport. She explains, “Baltimore is known to be the heart of lacrosse, and I lived right outside of the city. Lacrosse is a big deal where I grew up.” As she continued playing, competition grew. In high school, Russo played two years on JV and two years on varsity.
“The funny part is that in high school, I was a benchwarmer,” Russo said. She participated in club lacrosse, where she was a part of the Ravens Club lacrosse team. Playing on this team allowed for possible college recruitment opportunities.
From a small town in Maryland, Russo committed to play at Randolph-Macon College, where she started all four years of her collegiate lacrosse career. In addition to being a starter, Russo was an All-ODAC recipient during her first two seasons as a Yellow Jacket. She served as team captain in her last two seasons. She also received All-Academic Awards in 2015 and 2016.
Receiving a major in Communications and a minor in Psychology from R-MC, Russo continued her education and graduated from the master’s program at Frostburg State University in Maryland. She chose to take a graduate assistant position because of the coaches at FSU. Russo explained, “I am so grateful for my time in Frostburg. This amazing opportunity allowed me to work with one of the top three conferences in the nation.”
After two years at FSU, Russo has been presented this first-time head coach opportunity. The decision came easy for her, because she loves the sense of community that EMU provides. She added, “Not many people can say they started a program on the collegiate level.” Russo is excited to be back in the ODAC and looks forward to coaching in this conference. EMU will be the 11th team of 13 ODAC schools that already offer this program to women.
New challenges come with the creation of a new program. Even though most ODAC schools already have a lacrosse program, the sport is not prominent in the Shenandoah Valley. However, in 2018, JMU’s women’s lacrosse team won the Division 1 National Championship. This accomplishment helped bring attention to the sport throughout surrounding areas.
Beginning in January 2019, Russo announced the addition of a co-ed indoor intramural lacrosse program. Russo explained, “I think it’s awesome to show the EMU community the general rules and game itself before it gets to campus.” She also plans on hosting Spring Lacrosse Day, where students will have the opportunity to learn about the sport.
