Feeney tabbed to take over Women's Lacrosse program at MCLA

NORTH ADAMS, MA-- MCLA's Athletics Department and Director of Athletics Laura Mooney have announced the hiring of Kaitlin Feeney as the new women's lacrosse coach.  Feeney will replace Maria Bartini, who led the Trailblazers during their first four seasons at the varsity level.

She will begin her duties at MCLA on August 1.

"Kaitlin's head coaching experience and recruiting ties in New England made her a strong candidate for the position," Mooney said.  "Her passion for the overall development of her athletes and her desire to build a competitive program aligns perfectly with the vision of the department." 

Feeney was selected after a nationwide search of candidates.  Last season, she served as the head coach at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Mass., where the Wildcats went 3-4 in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC).  She also served as the head coach for a season at Olivet College and West Virginia Wesleyan, a Division II school. 

Feeney played collegiately at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, for four seasons.  She was named captain during her senior season and was an All-Academic team selection in the Old Dominion Athletics Conference (ODAC).  After receiving her bachelor's degree in health sciences from Guilford, Feeney moved on to graduate school at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.  There, she earned her degree in sports and exercise science while also taking over the University's Women's Lacrosse club team. 

While at UCF, Feeney turned around the club program and in her final season as coach in 2015, she was named the Southeastern Women's Lacrosse League (SWLL) Coach of the Year. 

"I am incredibly excited to join the MCLA athletic department and am thrilled to be back in New England in the lacrosse culture that I remember as an athlete," Feeney said.  "I enjoy the atmosphere a small liberal arts college brings to both the athletic and academic experience for student-athletes, the success of the team off the field, in the classroom, and the community, will be a point of emphasis this year."

The veteran head coach inherits a Trailblazers squad looking to find some footing in the MASCAC.  MCLA returns a host of key players from the 2018 squad and is in search of their first conference victory.  The Trailblazers and Feeney will begin their season in March 2019.

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) is the Commonwealth's public liberal arts college and a campus of the Massachusetts state university system. MCLA promotes excellence in learning and teaching, innovative scholarship, intellectual creativity, public service, applied knowledge, and active and responsible citizenship. MCLA graduates are prepared to be practical problem solvers and engaged, resilient global citizens.

For more information, go to www.mcla.edu.