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Kirkland Lewis
Kirkland Lewis is in her third season as head coach of the Furman women's lacrosse program. Lewis was announced as the second head coach in program history on November 16, 2021 by Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Jason Donnelly.
The Lansdale, Pa., native guided Furman to a 10-8 overall record, its sixth 10-plus win campaign in program history, while posting a second straight 7-2 record against Big South opponents. The Paladins made their second consecutive appearance in the Big South Women’s Lacrosse Championship semifinals after finishing the regular season on a three-game winning streak over Gardner-Webb, Wofford, and Presbyterian. Furman set a new program record with 269 draws, suprassing the old mark of 257 in 2017. Four Paladins earned postseason honors from the Big South in Meagan Beal (first team), Hannah Dintino (first team), Katelyn Sousa (first team), and Anna Roser (second team).
In her first season in Greenville, Lewis le Furman into its first season in the Big South Conference in 2022, guiding the Paladins to an 8-8 overall record and a tie for third place in the league standings with a 7-2 mark. Lewis led the Furman to a semifinal appearance in the Big South Women’s Lacrosse Championship after defeating Winthrop in the first round. She coached two first team All-Big South performers in Beal and Lauren Farber, as well as two second team selections in Dintino and Sousa.
The Paladins’ first-ever Big South win came on March 30, 2022 when they defeated rival Wofford 20-11 at Paladin Stadium. The 2022 squad set a new program mark with just over 15 draws per game led by Beal’s school record 99.
Furman has also excelled in the classroom under Lewis’ leadership, earning back-to-back IWLCA Academic Honor Squad citations in 2022 and 2023. The Paladins have also had 10 selections to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll. This past season, Beal, Dintino, and Lily Rathbun were selected to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
Lewis came to Greenville after serving as an assistant coach at Bucknell during the 2021 season, where she was the Bison’s defensive and recruiting coordinator. She coached defender Ella Payer to second team All-Patriot League honors last season while Bucknell recorded victories over American, Colgate, and Lafayette.
Prior to joining Bucknell, Lewis was the head coach at Division III Whitman College for three seasons. Only the second head coach in program history, she coached two IWLCA All-Region selections in Olivia Engle and Sage Ali. Her players also earned 11 All-Northwest Conference recognitions.
At Whitman, Lewis was also responsible for conducting camps and clinics, fundraising, and building a recruiting database. For two of her three seasons, she was the only coach on the Blues' staff.
Prior to being named head coach at Whitman, Lewis was an assistant coach for three seasons at Division II University of District of Columbia where she served as the defensive and recruiting coordinator. Lewis also oversaw the team’s academic program progress and community service projects.
She began her collegiate coaching career in 2014 as an assistant coach at Division III Randolph-Macon College. Lewis served as the program’s defensive coordinator and goalkeeper coach. She was instrumental in the Yellow Jackets’ community service efforts, social media initiatives, and off-season fitness programming.
Lewis played collegiately at Old Dominion, where she was coached by former United States National Team head coach Sue Stahl. Following her graduation in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, she obtained her master's degree in sports administration from Delaware State. In 2013, she captained the inaugural varsity lacrosse team.
She graduated from North Penn High School where she was a two-sport athlete in lacrosse and swimming. Lewis played three years on defense and in goal for lacrosse, while winning two consecutive district titles in swimming.
Lewis also has experience coaching at the club level. Over the course of her career, she has worked for Ultimate Lacrosse Club (2008-12, 2015), Storm Lacrosse Club (2013-14), Elevate Lacrosse Club (2016-17), and the Tenacity Project (2019).
She is heavily involved in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA), having served as an Outreach Committee Chair, a Northwest Conference Representative, and an All-Region Committee member. In addition, she is on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee and is a US Lacrosse Diversity and Inclusion Clinician.
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