Following the most successful season in Fort Lewis College women’s lacrosse history, questions surround the status of head coach Kelsey MacDonald.
The FLC Skyhawks went 10-7 during the spring season, finishing runner-up in the inaugural Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament, losing the championship game to Regis. It was the first winning season in FLC women’s lacrosse history, but MacDonald is scheduled to meet with FLC administrators regarding her possible termination or forced resignation Tuesday afternoon.
“We will discuss the matter further with coach MacDonald. We want to discuss the direction we all want to go with lacrosse, and that is onward and upward and continuing our success,” FLC athletic director Gary Hunter said in a phone interview with The Durango Herald on Monday afternoon. “It is a matter of policy that we don’t publicly discuss personnel matters.”
MacDonald inherited a program that was just 1-18 in its first two seasons of existence. In her first season, MacDonald finished with a 7-7 record, and she is 32-29 overall and 17-12 in league games in four years coaching the Skyhawks.
She also is the director of the Durango youth girls lacrosse program, which she started in an attempt to grow the sport and connect with the Durango community.
Hunter wouldn’t comment as to why MacDonald’s position has come under review, but several current players have met with Hunter and have cited personality differences as the main reason MacDonald has clashed with administrators.
Issues also arose this past season regarding senior players wishing to walk at the graduation ceremony rather than playing in the RMAC Tournament in Denver the same weekend.
“(Hunter) said that they disagree on philosophical issues in lacrosse, and her initial reactions to the graduation problem haven’t been along the line of the college and him; they just don’t agree on a lot of things,” said Ellie Carpenter, an FLC midfielder who will be a junior next season. “She knows her reactions are a little harsh, and she is fixing that. Some past graduates have put coach in a negative light, but she is just passionate about the sport.”
Carpenter said MacDonald has had to fight for time on practice fields and had to speak out about problems with statistics posted online.
“She has had to fight them about stats being inaccurate, which is something you can’t have at the Division-II level. We deserve to have accurate stats and priority when it comes to field time,” Carpenter said. “Having coach there to back us up and make sure we get priority with athletic trainers and everything else is really important.
“It is sad there is such disagreement. All of us players respect the side of the administrators and see their views and know we aren’t in the position they are, and we don’t know all the information, but we disagree with her being removed and think the positives she brings outweigh any negatives.”
Hunter said problems regarding the scheduling of conference tournaments the same weekend as commencement ceremonies is something he and fellow RMAC athletic directors hope to solve.
“Both softball and lacrosse are problematic for us at Fort Lewis College because there are conflicts with graduation. Obviously, the girls would like to do both,” he said. “We definitely will be talking to the RMAC regarding that.”
Tymbree Hawkins, a Durango High School senior who committed to play women’s lacrosse at FLC, said her commitment wouldn’t change if MacDonald was not retained, but said having MacDonald at the school was a big reason why she signed with FLC instead of other schools.
“I played with coach MacDonald at the high school clinics she has put on for us and at the Vail Shootout, and I went to her camp last summer, too. I’ve always had a fondness toward her because she is so passionate about lacrosse. I was excited to play for her and be part of her team, and it took me by surprise when I saw her job may be in jeopardy,” Hawkins said. “I’m still planning on going there, but it makes me nervous going up there not knowing who the coach might be.”
Players began rallying together last Thursday in support of MacDonald. Parents of players also have been active, emailing Hunter and President Dene Kay Thomas to voice their support of MacDonald.
“Since Thursday when we got the inkling that something was happening, we put together a comprehensive list to get everyone rallying around this. Parents of returning players and youth parents have all been showing their support,” said Lisa Longtain, the mother of FLC defender Megan Longtain, who will be a sophomore next season.
Lisa Longtain, who is the board secretary of the Oregon Girls Lacrosse Association, said there has been no response from administrators to the emails and phone calls of concerned parents.
“Our daughter chose Fort Lewis because of MacDonald. We were afraid she might not be there for four years because she would get scooped up by a Division I program, because she is a coach on the rise. It was a coup for Fort Lewis to get her to coach there in the first place,” Lisa Longtain said. “Based on her performance on the field and the academic achievements of the team, a difference of personality seems like a wrong reason for her to be terminated. We just want this to be fair.”
The Skyhawks had the second best team grade point average at FLC this season, and it was the best team GPA in FLC women’s lacrosse history. Seven players made the dean’s list in the spring semester, and 10 made it in the fall. The team’s fall semester GPA was 3.36.
“The atmosphere and program she has built at Fort Lewis have grown in such a positive way,” said FLC junior attacker Jozi Campbell, who led a group of players in an emotional meeting with Hunter. “Her attitude and willingness to better the players on and off the field are incredible.
“Since being here, I’ve seen how she started the youth program and how much she works with the high school and in recreational sports. She also does everything for us as far as fundraising by helping run the concession stand at basketball games and everything else. ... She can’t be replaced.”
Amanda Cawker, a recently graduated senior who played for MacDonald and was one of the seniors that chose the RMAC Tournament rather than walking at graduation, said the coach deserves credit for getting the team’s budget expanded to provide buses for travel as well as team uniforms.
“It would be extremely detrimental to the program if she isn’t the coach next year,” Cawker said. “They won’t get a coach that is as dedicated and passionate as she is. Our first coach obviously wasn’t the best. We got lucky getting (MacDonald), and I personally think the program will go down in flames without her. As an alumna, that is the last thing I want to see, and I’m nervous about it.”
Carpenter said she believes the players deserve to have MacDonald as their coach, and they anxiously await the decision Tuesday.
“(Hunter) did say we would be involved, which makes me think they don’t even have feelers out for a new coach,” Carpenter said. “I don’t want it to be a rushed decision. With everything (MacDonald) does with the youth program and fundraising, the new coach would fall short in something.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
