Ruane Named Elms College Women’s Lacrosse Coach

CHICOPEE, Mass. – Elms College Athletic Director Peter Krasny recently announced the hiring of Maureen Ruane as the new head women's lacrosse coach and equipment manager. Coach Ruane will officially start on January 14, 2013.

Coach Ruane will take the reins of the Blazers who begin their first year of competition in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) in 2013. Elms previously competed in the New England Women's Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) and was one of the founding 11 members of the organization which began in 1998.

"I am very excited to welcome Maureen Ruane in to the Blazer community," Krasny stated. "Maureen brings a tremendous amount of energy to our program, and her experience as a former NCAA Division III student athlete combined with her coaching background will position the women's lacrosse team well for the future."

Coach Ruane joins the Blazers following a one-year stint as head varsity women's lacrosse coach at Wachusett Regional High School in Holden, Mass. during the 2009-10 season. Coach Ruane led the team to its first winning season in program history. As part of the day-to-day responsibilities, she oversaw and managed a team of 23 student athletes and an assistant coach, developed daily practice routines and introduced a plyometrics program as part of those practices.

Prior to Wachusett, Coach Ruane was an assistant coach at NCAA Division II Assumption College in Worcester, Mass. during the 2007-08 season.

Coach Ruane's playing career began at Wachusett in 1999 during the program's inaugural season. After a successful career in the high school ranks, Coach Ruane became the institution's first player to be recruited to play collegiate lacrosse.

Coach Ruane was a four-year starter at NCAA Division III Curry College from 2003-07 and competed in every game throughout her collegiate career. Elected team captain during her junior and senior seasons, Coach Ruane was a weekly Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) award winner, was named the CCC Defensive Player of the Year and was also selected to CCC all-conference teams during her time at Curry.

A native of Paxton, Mass., Coach Ruane graduated from Curry in 2007 with a degree in criminal justice with a  concentration in women's studies and psychology.