William Smith College Lacrosse Head Coach
Pat Genovese was honored with the Diane Geppi-Aikens Memorial Award for lifetime achievement at the 2009 Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Honors Banquet on Dec. 5.
The award is one of the most prestigious honors the IWLCA presents. It was created in recognition of Diane Geppi-Aikens’ longtime commitment and contribution to women’s lacrosse, and her courageous battle with brain cancer.
“It was emotional for me to receive this award, because I knew Diane very well,” Genovese said. “It’s a tremendous honor to be recognized by the IWLCA and the Board of Directors, and it’s overwhelming to be grouped with the past recipients who have done so much for the game, not only at their own institutions, but also in spreading the sport of women’s lacrosse nationwide.”
Genovese, who was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in November of this year, boasts a 362-133-1 career record and tops the all-time list for games coached (496). No other collegiate lacrosse coach has won more games (men’s or women’s). A three-time NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year, three-time IWLCA Regional Coach of the Year, three-time NYSWCAA Coach of the Year and three-time North/South All-Star Game head coach, Genovese has also served as an assistant coach for the U.S. women’s national team. She was inducted into the US Lacrosse Greater Rochester Chapter Hall of Fame (1998) as well as the SUNY Cortland “C” Club Hall of Fame (1990), the William Smith Athletics Hall of Honor (1999), and the Green Mountain College Hall of Fame (2008).
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. Under her watch, William Smith has captured two ECAC regional tournament championships (1985, 2001), and since joining the Liberty League in 2001, has won two conference titles (2003, 2004). Genovese has also been voted the Liberty League Coach of the year twice.
In addition to Genovese, the IWLCA honored NCAA Coordinator of Officials Kim Basner with the President’s Cup award for outstanding service to the game, Immaculata’s Jennifer Wong with the 2009 IWLCA Service Award for providing exemplary service to the sport, and the teams from the University of Cincinnati, the University of New Haven, and the Catholic University of America for their Community Awareness. In addition, Vanderbilt’s Susan Ellis, Lock Haven’s Shannon Houck, and RIT’s Melissa Pearsall were named the 2009 Assistant Coaches of the Year.