Widener University Athletics

Julie La Zelle has Widener’s women’s lacrosse team on the verge of something very special as the team continues to fight for its first Commonwealth Conference title.  The team will get several players back from injury other key components back as La Zelle gets the squad ready for her four season.
 
The Pride in 2013 advanced to the Commonwealth Conference Tournament, its first league tournament since 2010, and reached eight victories for the fourth time in five seasons.  Three on the squad were named all-league, including sophomore Mackenzie Lindquist being tabbed second team.
 
La Zelle arrived after serving as the girls’ lacrosse coach and assistant athletic director at Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, NJ. She was responsible for all facets of the program as well as serving as an administrative representative for various home games, helping manage the daily operations of the athletics office and maintaining the school’s athletics web site.
 
She also was the head field hockey coach at Lehigh from 2003-10. During that span, the Mountain Hawks went to the Patriot League Tournament four times, had 20 all-league players, three all-region athletes, one conference Offensive Player of the Year and one Rookie of the Year. La Zelle also was responsible for handling all relationships with alumnae for the program.
 
La Zelle served as the field hockey and women’s lacrosse coach at Roanoke College from 1999-2003, helping lead the Maroons to the 2002 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Field Hockey title with an overall 14-6 record. The squad advanced to the ODAC semifinals in lacrosse from 2000-02.
 
From 1997-98, La Zelle was an assistant field hockey and lacrosse coach at William Smith College. She was part of the field hockey’s 1997 NCAA title squad and the 1998 women’s lacrosse team which played in the NCAA quarterfinals. She also was an assistant in field hockey and lacrosse at Swarthmore from 1998-99.
 
La Zelle coached with the Tri-State Lacrosse Club in Somerset, NJ and has coached in the Futures Program through the United States Field Hockey Association and has been on Coach-of-the-Year committees through the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
 
La Zelle competed in field hockey and lacrosse at West Chester University, where she was an Honorable Mention All-America in lacrosse. She graduated West Chester in 1994 with a degree in Health and Physical Education with a teacher certification.