BROCKTON ENTERPRISE: "Coach Katie Conover strives to take Stonehill women’s lacrosse team where she has been"

By Glen Farley
STAFF WRITER

The Enterprise

"I hope it continues to grow," Katie (Lambert) Conover said of the program she took over as head coach in 2008, "and I hope that one day I can give these guys the same experience that I had."

An experience that culminated with the first of the program's two NCAA Div. 2 national championships, Stonehill claiming the 2003 title on its home turf.

"Winning a national championship on your home field your senior year," said Conover, whose Skyhawks will play reigning champion LIU Post in a national quarterfinal-round matchup in Brookville, N.Y., at 11 a.m. on Saturday, "it literally doesn't get better than that."

One decade after Conover played her final game, the mark she made on the Stonehill program as a player remains.

Conover was named to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association All-America first team in all four years of her career at the school, making her the first Stonehill student-athlete to become a four-time All-American in any sport. The Thayer Academy product followed her selection as the Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year in 2000 with three straight seasons in which she earned NE-10 Player of the Year.

Conover finished her career as the NCAA Div. 2 all-time leader in goals (220), assists (106), and total points (326) and remains in the top 10 in both goals and points.

"Those were some of the best days of my life," said Conover. "I was just so lucky to have such an awesome individual experience."

In hindsight, she could have been luckier.

A torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in Stonehill's regular-season finale forced Conover to watch from the sidelines as Colby Confer's goal with 11 seconds to play lifted the team to a 9-8 victory over Longwood University for the title.

"Especially someone as competitive as me, when I say this I'm sure people think it's kind of a crock, but I honestly couldn't have cared less. We won it. I'll take it," said Conover. "I feel like I was just as responsible for that win as anybody else, and I think if I had been out there some of the other kids may not have stepped up.

"Aside from my kids being born (Conover and her husband, Justin, reside in her hometown of Milton with their two children: 31/2-year-old son Justin Jr. and 1-year-old daughter Lila), that was the best day ever. I wouldn't change a single thing."

After graduating from Stonehill, Conover served as head coach at Merrimack College for four years, going 45-20 during that time, before returning to her alma mater in that role in 2008, succeeding Michael Daly, who guided the program to its national championships in 2003 and 2005.

In six seasons at Stonehill, Conover has compiled an overall record of 79-28 for a winning percentage of .738, earning NCAA tournament berths with the Skyhawks in 2010 and this year.

Still, she strives to take the program where she has been.

"Coaching is really emotional," said Conover, "and maybe it's the person that I am and the type of competitor that I am, but unless you're winning a national championship you're feeling like you're not doing your best."

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market.

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