Kristen Waagbo Named First Army Women’s Lacrosse Head Coach

WEST POINT, N.Y.  – Kristen Waagbo has been named the Noto Family Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach at Army, Director of Athletics Boo Corrigan announced Friday. Waagbo will begin building her staff and recruiting cadet-athletes immediately in preparation for Army’s inaugural 2016 season.

“We are very pleased to welcome Kristen as our newest coach at Army West Point,” said Corrigan. “Her careers as both a player and a coach speak to her level of commitment to the game of women’s lacrosse and position her for success. I would also like to thank the search committee for doing a great job in finding what we believe to be the perfect fit for the Noto Family Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach. We have full confidence that Kristen will be able to hit the ground running and shape all aspects of Army women’s lacrosse moving forward.

“We would also like to acknowledge all those cadets who played in the club program and for head coach John Pellino,” Corrigan continued. “Without their dedication and hard work, we would never have been in the position to add women’s lacrosse as a Division I sport.”

Waagbo is the first hire for the women’s lacrosse program, which was unveiled as Army’s 26th NCAA Division I sport on Feb. 24.

“I am overwhelmed with gratitude for those who believe in me and my ability to serve as the head women’s lacrosse coach at the United States Military Academy,” said Waagbo. “I want to thank Boo Corrigan, Senior Woman Administrator Stephanie Menio, the search committee and the staff at West Point for presenting me with this life changing opportunity. I also want to recognize my support staff of family, friends and mentors who have always had confidence in me.

“I am excited to join to the tight knit community at West Point and be surrounded by others who strive to keep the standard of excellence that is synonymous with West Point. I have an amazing opportunity to serve as a mentor and help develop the complete cadet-athlete here. I look forward to building a team and staff that will represent the ideals of this Academy. The Academy’s focus to increase the opportunities for young women with the addition of this program is very exciting and it’s something I look forward to being a part of.”

 

A former standout attacker at Duke, Waagbo arrives at West Point after spending two seasons as an assistant coach at her alma mater under head coach Kerstin Kimel. During her two seasons in Durham, N.C., Waagbo helped lead the Blue Devils to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Quarterfinal appearances, along with producing four Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Americans.

As an assistant at Duke, Waagbo served in an offensive coordinator position where she was tasked with tracking player development and creating and implementing offensive strategy. She also handled recruiting responsibilities, helping in areas of talent evaluation and in the academic fit of student-athletes.

Before returning to Duke, Waagbo served as an assistant coach at Navy for two seasons, where she worked primarily with the Midshipmen offense. While in Annapolis, Md., Waagbo helped Navy to a combined 33-9 record, back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and Patriot League Championships in 2011 and 2012. Under Waagbo’s direction, the Midshipmen netted 275 goals during the 2011 campaign before setting a Patriot League standard with 306 goals in 2012.

Waagbo spent the 2010 season as an assistant coach with UC Davis’ women’s lacrosse program and helped dramatically increase the Aggies’ offensive production. Waagbo instructed a UC Davis offense that achieved 14.06 goals per contest in 2010 after netting 10.06 goals per game in 2009.

Prior to her time at UC Davis, Waagbo worked two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Navy, aiding the Midshipmen in their transition from the club level to Division I for the 2008 campaign.

In 2008, Waagbo served as the co-head coach of the Dutch national women’s lacrosse team, leading the squad in the 2008 European Lacrosse Championships in Lahti, Finland.

Waagbo completed an impressive four-year playing career at Duke in 2007, twice earning All-America honors. She graduated as the school’s career leader in assists (116) and ranks second with 277 points. Additionally, Waagbo is tied for fourth on the Blue Devils’ career goal scoring list with 161 markers.

During her senior campaign, Waagbo tallied a Duke-record 44 assists to go along with a career-high 90 points in 20 appearances. She earned three All-America citations following the season and was a semifinalist for the Tewaaraton Award.

In 2006, Waagbo notched a team-leading 32 assists and finished second on the squad with 46 goals, drawing Inside Lacrosse All-America Third Team recognition and being named a Tewaaraton Award nominee. During her four seasons at Duke, Waagbo led the Blue Devils to three NCAA Tournament Final Four appearances, four consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference regular season titles and one ACC Tournament championship.

Waagbo earned her bachelor’s degree in cultural anthropology with a concentration in markets and management studies from Duke in 2007.

A native of Ellicott City, Md., Waagbo will reside at West Point.

Those interested in playing for the Army women’s lacrosse program can begin the recruiting process by filling out a questionnaire on the women’s lacrosse page of goARMYsports.com.

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