This weekend, William Smith Lacrosse Head Coach
Pat Genovese was one of eight college lacrosse legends inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
"The event was a great honor for Pat, and the recognition for her impact on the lacrosse community was felt throughout the evening," says William Smith Director of Athletics
Deb Steward. "The amount of support from the HWS community was outstanding. Seventy HWS community members attend the afternoon reception, 40 of whom attended evening celebration. Alumnae from the '70s through the '00s were there. That show of support was a small indication of the impact Pat has had on student athletes, families, coaches and assistant coaches."
A three-time NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year and only person to stand at the helm of the Heron lacrosse program, Genovese was introduced by Jenny Graap, a former William Smith lacrosse assistant coach and current Cornell University women's lacrosse coach. Genovese was praised for her many accomplishments, including her win record: no collegiate lacrosse coach (men's or women's) has more wins than Genovese, who boasts a career mark of 362-133-1 record (.731).
In addition to Graap, Genovese's many protégées include Colorado College Head Coach
Susan Stuart Elliott '89, Rensselaer Head Coach Leslie Khachadourian DeLano '00, and Smith College Head Coach Wendy Walker '98. Genovese has tutored 94 All-Americans, while seven of her charges have earned the prestigious National Player of the Year Award. She has led the Herons to 16 NCAA Tournament berths, advancing to the national semifinals 11 times and the national championship game five times. William Smith also has two ECAC regional tournament championships to its credit (1985, 2001).
"Title IX was passed in 1972," Steward says. "Pat started in 1971 and in the nearly 40 years since has made a huge impact on the growth of women's athletics. While her career win total is impressive, it's her mentorship of thousands of Heron student-athletes, on and off the field, and the positive influence she has had on their growth that defines her as a truly great coach."
This year's other inductees include Todd Curry (player), Jeffrey J. Long (player), Kevin Lowe (player), Mark Millon (player), Cherie Greer Brown (player), Jennifer Miller O'Donnell (official) and Jessica Wilk Strosberg (player).
Independent until 2001, Genovese's teams have won three Liberty League regular season championships and two Liberty League Tournament titles during the past eight years. Only once in that time has William Smith finished out of the top three in the league. Genovese was named the Liberty League Coach of the Year in 2003 and again in 2006. Her 2009 team was 11-4 overall (6-2 in the Liberty League) and ranked 13th in the nation.
A magna cum laude graduate of SUNY Cortland, Genovese earned a master's degree from Ithaca College. She was inducted into the Cortland "C" Club Hall of Fame in 1990, the Rochester/Western New York Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1998, the William Smith Athletics Hall of Honor in 1999, and the Green Mountain College Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2007, Genovese received the NYSWCAA Service Award for her contributions to women's athletics. She is a three-time Regional Coach of the Year, three-time NYSWCAA Coach of the Year and three-time North/South All-Star Game head coach. She was also an assistant coach for the U.S. women's national team program. Additionally, Pat and her husband's four children-Meghan, Lisa, Tracy and Rob-all graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, with Meghan and Tracy having both played lacrosse in college under their mother's leadership.