University of Massachusets Athletics
Four-Time National Champion Alexis Venechanos Named UMass Women's Lacrosse Head Coach
August 24, 2006 | Women's Lacrosse
Aug. 24, 2006
AMHERST, Mass. - A winner of four of the last seven NCAA Division I women's lacrosse championships, Alexis Venechanos, has been named as the new head coach of the University of Massachusetts women's lacrosse program, Director of Athletics John McCutcheon announced on Thursday. Venechanos comes to UMass after serving as the first assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Northwestern University for the last three seasons. The Wildcats captured their second consecutive national championship this past spring. Venechanos was an All-America goalie at the University of Maryland, where she captured two national championships in 2000 and 2001.
"We are extremely pleased to have Alexis join the UMass Athletics family," said McCutcheon. "Her energy and experience at one of the top programs in the country will be a tremendous asset to our women's lacrosse program."
Over her three years at Northwestern, the Wildcats posted an amazing 56-4 record, winning 93 percent of their games, including a 41-1 record in the last two years. The Wildcats went 20-1 this past season to earn their second straight national title in addition to capturing the American Lacrosse Conference championship for the third year in a row. In 2005, Northwestern posted a perfect 21-0 record on its way to the first national championship the in program's history. In her first year at NU, the team posted a 15-3 record and reached the NCAA Quarterfinals.
"I am extremely honored to be a part of University of Massachusetts family," said Venechanos. "I would like to thank Athletic Director John McCutcheon and Senior Associate Athletic Director Thorr Bjorn for this incredible opportunity. The support and vision of the Athletic Department, along with the rich tradition makes it a very special place to be involved with. I look forward to working hard to bring the UMass women's lacrosse team back to the national prominence. With my background as a coach at Northwestern and as a player at Maryland, I have experienced winning at the highest level and look forward to bringing my knowledge to UMass."
As the recruiting coordinator and top assistant at Northwestern, Venechanos administered and organized all aspects of recruiting. She was responsible for bringing in many of the Wildcats players including several from the New England area. On the field she coached the defense which has among the nation's best under her direction. This past season, Northwestern led the nation in scoring margin and was in the top five in scoring defense. Venechanos mentored freshman Morgan Lathrop in the nets to one of the nation's top goals against averages. In the perfect season of 2005, Venechanos tutored NU goalkeeper Ashley Gersuk as she posted the nation's best goals-against average and earned ALC Goalie of the Year. The Wildcats had the top team scoring defense that season in addition to the top scoring offense and best scoring margin in the nation.
"Alexis has done a tremendous job for us at Northwestern," said Northwestern Head Coach Kelly Amonte-Hiller, the 2005 national coach of the year. "Her taking the head coaching job at UMass is the next natural step for her, to move on a new challenge. She was a big key in our winning two national championships. Alexis is a great recruiter. On the field, she developed our goalkeepers. She was in charge of the defense and really molded a young team together by the time we reached the final four this year."
In 2004, Venechanos' first on the staff, the Wildcats finished with a 15-3 record overall, including a 13-game winning streak during the regular season; ranked as high as sixth in the IWLCA national coaches poll; and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the program was restored to varsity status in 2002. In addition, NU won a share of the ALC title with a 5-1 mark, with the only loss coming in overtime to co-champion Vanderbilt.
In addition to her coaching duties at Northwestern, she served as the co-director of Amonte Sports Camps from 2003-06. She has also been the club coach and co-director of the Wildcat Elite Club team for high school players.
Venechanos went to Northwestern from the winningest women's lacrosse program of all-time -- the University at Maryland, where she graduated in 2003 after a standout career in goal for the Terrapins. In her four years with Maryland, the Terps went 73-15, an 83 percent win mark. She was part of two national championship teams in College Park, backstopping the 2001 team that went 23-0. She was the back-up goalie on the 2000 squad as a freshman. She was the starting goalie of three ACC championship teams in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
"Alexis is a winner," said former Maryland head coach Cindy Timchal, who recent took over the women's lacrosse program at the United State Naval Academy. "I think it is awesome that she is getting this opportunity at UMass. From winning titles at Maryland to being a part of the best college team in the nation for the past two years, Alexis has learned what it means to be the best. I am so excited for her that she will get a chance to take the UMass program back to where it should be, a Division I contender, like the men's lacrosse program."
As a senior captain in 2003, Venechanos was the recipient of the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Award, given to the nation's top goalkeeper. She was also a consensus first-team All-American as well as first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and ACC Tournament MVP. Despite playing the second half of the season on a torn ACL, Venechanos posted 164 saves versus 121 goals allowed and was in the top 10 nationally in both save percentage (.575) and goals-against average (6.62).
The 25-year old Venechanos (born Feb. 25, 1981) is a native of Yorktown, New York where she was a three-sport athlete at Yorktown High School in lacrosse, basketball and soccer.
| VENECHANOS YEAR-BY-YEAR | ||||||
| Year | School | Position | Record | Pct. | NCAA Tournament | Notes |
| 2000 | Maryland | Goalie | 21-1 | .954 | NCAA Champions | |
| 2001 | Maryland | Starting Goalie | 22-0 | 1.000 | NCAA Champions | ACC Champions |
| 2002 | Maryland | Starting Goalie | 11-10 | .529 | NCAA Quarterfinals | ACC Champions |
| 2003 | Maryland | Starting Goalie | 18-4 | .818 | NCAA Semifinals | ACC Champs National Goalie of the Year |
| 2004 | Northwestern | Asst. Coach Recruit Coord. | 15-3 | .833 | NCAA Quarterfinals | ALC Champions |
| 2005 | Northwestern | Asst. Coach Recruit Coord. | 21-0 | 1.000 | NCAA Champions | ALC Champions No. 1 Def. in NCAA |
| 2006 | Northwestern | Asst. Coach Recruit Coord. | 20-1 | .954 | NCAA Champions | ALC Champions |
| TOTALS | ||||||
| | @ Maryland | | 73-15 | .830 | Two NCAA Titles | Three Conference Titles |
| | @ Northwestern | | 56-4 | .933 | Two NCAA Titles | Three Conference Titles |
| | Total | | 128-19 | .871 | Four NCAA Titles | Six Conference Titles |