University of Chicago

University of Chicago Athletics
5530 South Ellis Ave Chicago, IL 60637

Division 3 Illinois Midwest

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Kate Robinson

UChicago women's lacrosse launched a new era with the hiring of Kate Robinson as the program's first head coach in May 2017. UChicago's newest varsity program began competition in spring 2019 as the school's 20th intercollegiate sport.

The 2022 season built upon the success of the previous year as UChicago qualified for the NCAA postseason for the second time. The Maroons posted an 18-2 overall record, reached the NCAA Round of 16 and finished the season ranked No. 16 in the IWLCA national poll. The team made a perfect run through the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW), going 8-0 against conference opponents to grab both the regular season and conference tournament titles. UChicago cleaned up in the conference awards: Lally Johnson was CCIW Offensive Player of the Year, Rachel Keefe was CCIW Newcomer of the Year and Robinson was voted CCIW Coach of the Year. Robinson was also selected as the IWLCA Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year. In total, the Maroons tallied nine All-CCIW selections and six All-Region honorees. The offense and defense were both nationally-elite units, ranking 10th in scoring offense (17.5 goals/game), seventh in scoring defense (6.55 goals/game), seventh in scoring margin (+10.95/game), fourth in assists (9.3/game), seventh in points (26.8/game), 15th in draw controls (17.3/game), 17th in shooting percentage (.502) and 14th in shots on goal (27.8/game).

2021 was a landmark campaign for UChicago. The Maroons were regular season co-champions in the CCIW, then won the CCIW Tournament to qualify for their first-ever NCAA postseason. UChicago advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals and finished with an 11-2 overall record. The squad was nationally elite on both sides of the field, ranking 16th in scoring (16.9 goals/game), seventh in scoring defense (5.69 goals/game), seventh in scoring margin (+11.2/game), 18th in shots on goal per game (27.8 SOG/game) and 21st in shots per game (35 shots/game). Goalkeeper Emily Feigen ranked fifth in the nation with a 6.16 goals against average. Midfielder Katie Large was named the first All-American in program history, achieving Third Team status. Eight Maroons were named All-CCIW, including Ali Sheehy as CCIW Offensive Player of the Year and Lulu Hardy as CCIW Newcomer of the Year. Four players secured All-Region status.

In her 2019 debut season, Robinson led the Maroons to a 15-3 record and a second-place finish in the CCIW. She was voted as the CCIW Co-Coach of the Year. Her squad posted elite numbers on a national scale, ranking 17th in scoring (16.44 goals/game), 16th in scoring margin (+8.28/game), 15th in draw controls (16.39/game), 21st in ground balls (26.44/game) and 21st in shots (34.4/game). Midfielder Karina Schulze was named the CCIW Offensive Player of the Year and CCIW Newcomer of the Year.

Robinson began her coaching career at Whitman, which competes at the NCAA Division III level within the Northwest Conference. She was also that program's first head coach as the Blues moved from club to varsity status under her guidance. Over her three years, Whitman doubled its win totals in each subsequent season. After posting two victories in 2015 and four in 2016, Robinson's squad peaked with a 9-6 record in 2017. The Blues also took second place in the NWC with a 6-2 conference record.

The continued ascent in the win column helped Robinson earn recognition as the NWC Coach of the Year in both 2016 and 2017. Her teams produced 12 All-NWC players during her tenure, including five this past season. Sophomore Lindsay Schwartz was named the NWC Player of the Year and Mary Noyes garnered NWC Freshman of the Year accolades. Schwartz was also picked as a First Team All-Region honoree by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA).

Before her arrival at Whitman, Robinson spent two years as assistant coach at Stevens Institute of Technology and one year as graduate assistant coach at her alma mater, The Catholic University of America.

Robinson was a record-setting lacrosse player for Catholic as an undergraduate and pulled in three All-American honors in the process. She was a four-time All-Region selection and a two-time Landmark Conference Player of the Year. Robinson ranks as Catholic's career leader in goals (268) and points (383), while also holding single-season records for goals (91), assists (44), points (121) and caused turnovers (45). Additionally, she was a two-time team captain on the basketball team.