Two-time All-America honoree Julie Gardner has joined the James Madison women’s lacrosse coaching staff as an assistant coach, head coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe announced Monday.
The Severna Park, Md., native brings three years of collegiate coaching experience, following a successful playing career at the University of Virginia.
“I’m excited to be back on the east coast and closer to family,” Gardner said. “I’m very comfortable being back in Virginia, just one hour down the road from Charlottesville. I’ve known Shelley for a while. I was recruited by her and played JMU every year of my career. I respect her as a coach and I definitely respect the JMU program and what she has built in her time here.”
“We are excited to have Julie come in and lead our offensive unit,” Klaes-Bawcombe said. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and we’re looking to take advantage of the experiences she’s had coming in to our staff.”
Gardner spent the last two years as an assistant coach at Vanderbilt University where she was in charge of coordinating the offensive efforts for the Commodores. She was also the recruiting coordinator and oversaw the practice schedule and preparing film in preparation for upcoming opponents.
She was also an assistant for one season at William & Mary, where her primary responsibilities included coordinating the Tribe’s defense, recruiting, social media and alumni relations. Gardner also spent five summers as the head coach of the SPLax Club in her hometown of Severna Park, Md., which provided high school lacrosse players additional opportunities to play lacrosse during the offseason.
As a collegian, Gardner started every game of her four-year career at Virginia (2009-12), amassing 102 goals and 50 assists for 152 points. The midfielder was named to the Tewaaraton Trophy watch list in 2011 and 2012 and earned Third Team All-America honors by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association in both years. Gardner was also voted to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference women’s lacrosse team twice during her career.
“My coaches at Virginia taught me discipline as well as lacrosse IQ and game strategy,” Gardner said. “I hope to bring what I’ve learned to the program. I also hope to bring some consistency throughout a game, in terms of making the right plays and making smart plays.”
“Having played at Virginia and coached at William & Mary, Julie is familiar with our program and the programs we play, which will allow her to hit the ground running with our offensive and recruiting efforts,” Klaes-Bawcombe said. “She possesses a strong passion for the game and her enthusiasm and nurturing qualities will help build confidence all over the field for the Dukes.”
Gardner was the first recipient of Yeardley Reynolds Love Scholarship, presented to a deserving female student-athlete on the Virginia lacrosse team. She graduated from U.Va. in 2012 with a Bachelor’s degree in sociology.
For the last three years, Gardner has been a member of Team STX, which is a team of post-collegiate lacrosse players to help promote the sport of women’s lacrosse and the STX brand. The team competes in tournaments throughout the summer while playing collegiate teams during the fall.
She and her teammates will travel across the pond to Surrey, United Kingdom, from July 17-19 to take on Team England, the reigning Women’s European Lacrosse champions, as well as England’s developmental squad. Team STX will also host two girls lacrosse camps prior to the games.
Support AFP
Share
Chris Graham
