Search

University of Akron

University of Akron Dept of I/C Athletics
 James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, OH 44325
Division 1 Ohio Midwest
Public Large National competitor
I'm interested in this program!

Coaches

Email coach

Elaine Jones

Elaine Jones is in her first season as Akron's head women’s lacrosse coach after being named to the position in June of 2023.


Jones’ hiring is pending approval by the University's Board of Trustees.


Jones will usher in the fifth season of Akron Zips lacrosse during her inaugural campaign on the sidelines in 2024.


Jones came to Akron with 22 seasons of head coaching experience at the NCAA I and II levels. She spent the 2023 campaign at the University of Indianapolis, where the Greyhounds, posted an 18-3 record en route to advancing to the second round of the NCAA Championships, while capturing the Great Lakes Valley Conference regular and postseason titles.


A trio of her athletes garnered All-America status this past season, while a pair of Greyhounds were recognized with Academic All-America accolades.


Jones came to UIndy after leading Longwood for 10 seasons, earning Big South Coach of the Year honors in 2019. Jones mentored a pair of Big South Scholar-Athletes of the Year (2015, 2021), one Big South Co-Defensive Player of the Year (2016) and 23 Big South All-Conference players.


During her tenure, Longwood earned the IWLCA Team Academic Honor Squad recognition eight times, while also placing multiple student-athletes on the IWLCA Honor Roll.


Prior to Longwood, Jones became the winningest head coach at the University of California, Davis, where the Aggies earned 97 victories in 11 seasons. After leading the UC Davis to multiple top-four rankings at the NCAA Division II level en route to garnering Warrior/Inside Lacrosse Coach of the Year distinction, Jones successfully transitioned the program to DI. UC Davis was named LaxPower's most improved DI program in the United States following the 2010 campaign.


Jones’ student-athletes collected multiple awards on and off the field, including: DII Woman of the Year honoree, two UC Davis Hall of Fame inductees, DII Rookie of the Year, two-time DII Academic All-America, eight DII All-Americans, 15 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) all-league players, and 38 MPSF Academic student-athletes.


Jones also worked at the University of Southern California from 1998-2001, where she helped coordinate and implement all monitoring systems of the athletics compliance office. During her time at USC, she coached seven Western Women's Lacrosse League All-Star selections as the head club lacrosse coach.


While obtaining her master’s degree in sport management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst from 1993-95, Jones was an assistant coach for the women's lacrosse program. Jones later earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami.


A two-time All-America honoree, Jones earned her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Virginia in 1992. She was a member of the USA Elite Team in 1992 and 1993. Jones was inducted into the Greater Baltimore U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2015, as well as becoming the first female athlete welcomed as part of the inaugural class for Friends School of Baltimore's Athletics Hall of Fame.

show more
Email coach

Maddie Wilson

Maddie Wilson is in her first season as an assistant coach with the Akron Lacrosse program after being named to Elaine Jones’ staff in July 2023.


Wilson comes to Akron after working with the Longwood lacrosse staff for the past two seasons.


"I'm excited to welcome Maddie to Akron and our lacrosse family," Akron head coach Elaine Jones said. "We share the same vision and goals for the growth of the program and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to coach with her again. She is a wonderful person with a high level of enthusiasm, competiveness, and passion for the game, along with a desire to mentor and develop student leaders. In addition, Maddie brings a wealth of experience and knowledge that will have a positive impact on our student-athletes both on and off the field."


She served as an assistant coach at Ursuline College, an NCAA Division II institution in Pepper Pike, Ohio, from 2017-2021, including being elevated to the team’s interim head coach in 2018.


A four-time all-conference selection at Capital University, including being named a first-team honoree twice, Wilson was honored as the Ohio Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman. She twice garnered recognition on the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Great Lakes Team.


She posted a 37-12 record in goal over her four seasons and finished with a .525 save percentage and a 6.79 goals against average. She racked up 427 saves in 60 games along with 132 ground balls and 74 turnovers.


Following her career as an all-conference at Capital, she played in the 2017 Division 1 US Elite All Star USA Team at the World Cup Lacrosse Festival in Surrey Park, England where her earned a silver medal. In addition, the Chagrin Falls, Ohio native played as both a goalkeeper and midfielder in 2019 with the US Elite Team that captured a gold medal at the European Championship in Netanya, Israel.


Wilson was named a First-Team All-America honoree as a senior at Chagrin Falls High School.


Wilson earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and sport coaching from Capital in 2017 before completing a master’s degree in business administration from Longwood in 2023.

show more

College Bound Athletes

Showcase Tips

Are you ready for your next college showcase?
This site helped me establish communications with several colleges. The ability to contact colleges that interested me and research information about them was very helpful.
- Dylan MorenoWhat are others saying?