Ravens nab former DI student-athlete, DIII assistant coach

RINDGE, N.H. (June 12, 2015) – Franklin Pierce University Director of Athletics Bruce Kirsh has announced that Maud Lonergan has been named the fifth head coach of the University's women's lacrosse program. Lonergan comes to Franklin Pierce with a decade of coaching experience, both as a head coach at the high school level and as an assistant at the collegiate level.

"I would like to thank Bruce Kirsh and the interview committee for providing me with this incredible opportunity," said Lonergan. "Franklin Pierce is truly a unique University with a tradition of excellence in education and athletics, and I am honored to be a part of the staff. I cannot wait to work with these student-athletes who are passionate about lacrosse, and I am prepared to help them make great strides and reach their potential."

Rindge will be the first collegiate head-coaching stop for Lonergan, who spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Division III Amherst College in Amherst, Mass., where she assisted with all operations of the six-time national semifinalist program. While she was on the staff, the Lord Jeffs finished as the No. 4 nationally ranked program as a national semifinalist in 2014 and No. 16 in 2015. Lonergan helped produce three All-America and 15 Conference All-Academic selections while at Amherst.

Prior to her time in the Bay State, Lonergan spent eight years as the head coach of the girl's varsity team at Brattleboro (Vt.) Union High School. While overseeing the Colonels, she produced US Lacrosse All-America selections in both 2010 and 2013. Lonergan was recognized as the Marble Valley League Coach of the Year in both 2008 and 2010.

Lonergan also joins the crimson and grey with experience at the club level and as a camp instructor. Most notably, in conjunction with her time at Brattleboro Union, she founded and spent six years as the Camp Director of Brattleboro Lacrosse, which was geared toward teaching the game to girls between the ages of five and 14.

"We are very pleased to welcome Maud Lonergan to the Franklin Pierce family," Kirsh said. "Her background showcases her ability to teach the game to girls and young women of all ages, and she has 20 years of familiarity with the lacrosse landscape in New England. I am looking forward to her ushering our student-athletes to success at the college level and, ultimately, into their professional lives."

Lonergan is no stranger to the Granite State, as she is a 1995 graduate of the University of New Hampshire. A four-year starter for the Wildcats in the early-90s, she served as team captain as both a junior and a senior and was part of the team's run to the national semifinal in 1991. Lonergan is still tied for sixth all-time in UNH program history in assists (59). Her 27 assists in 1993 is tied for seventh in program history.

Prior to college, Lonergan was a part of four straight state title teams at Colorado Academy in Denver. A six-year letterwinner for the Mustangs, she was the school's first High School All-America selection and was nominated as the state's best high school athlete in 1990.

Lonergan will officially join the staff at Franklin Pierce on Monday and will embark on her debut season with the crimson and grey in spring 2016.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce women's lacrosse apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).