Hobart and William Smith Colleges

10 November 2009 Genovese Inducted to National LAX Hall

This weekend, William Smith Lacrosse Head Coach Pat Genovese was one of eight college lacrosse legends inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

The event was a great honor for Pat, and the recognition for her impact on the lacrosse community was felt throughout the evening, says William Smith Director of Athletics Deb Steward. The amount of support from the HWS community was outstanding. Seventy HWS community members attend the afternoon reception, 40 of whom attended the evening celebration. Alumnae from the 70s through the 00s were there. That show of support was a small indication of impact Pat has had on student athletes, families, coaches and assistant coaches.

A three-time NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year and only person to stand at the helm of the Heron lacrosse program, Genovese was introduced by Jenny Graap, former William Smith lacrosse assistant coach and current Cornell University womens lacrosse coach. Genovese was praised for her many accomplishments, including her win record: no collegiate lacrosse coach (mens or womens) has more wins than Genovese who boasts a career mark of 362-133-1 record (.731).

In addition to Graap, Genoveses many protegees include Colorado College Head Coach Susan Stuart Elliott 89, Rensselaer Head Coach Leslie Khachadourian DeLano 00, and Smith College Head Coach Wendy Walker 98. Genovese has tutored 94 All-Americans, while seven of her charges have earned the prestigious National Player of the Year Award. She has led the Herons to 16 NCAA Tournament berths, advancing to the national semifinals 11 times and the national championship game five times. William Smith also has two ECAC regional tournament championships to its credit (1985, 2001).

Title IX was passed in 1972, Steward says. Pat started in 1971 and in the nearly 40 years since has made a huge impact on the growth of womens athletics. While her career win total is impressive, its her mentorship of thousands of Heron student-athletes, on and off the field, and the positive influence she has had on their growth that defines her as a truly great coach.

This years other inductees include Todd Curry (player), Jeffrey J. Long (player), Kevin Lowe (player), Mark Millon (player), Cherie Greer Brown (player), Jennifer Miller ODonnell (official) and Jessica Wilk Strosberg (player).

Independent until 2001, Genoveses teams have won three Liberty League regular season championships and two Liberty League Tournament titles during the past eight years. Only once in that time has William Smith finished out of the top three in the league. Genovese was named the Liberty League Coach of the Year in 2003 and again in 2006. Her 2009 team was 11-4 overall (6-2 in the Liberty League) and ranked 13th in the nation.

A magna cum laude graduate of SUNY Cortland, Genovese earned a masters degree from Ithaca College. She was inducted into the Cortland C Club Hall of Fame in 1990, the Rochester/Western New York Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1998, the William Smith Athletics Hall of Honor in 1999, and the Green Mountain College Hall of Fame in 2008. In 2007, Genovese received the NYSWCAA Service Award for her contributions to womens athletics. She is a three-time Regional Coach of the Year, three-time NYSWCAA Coach of the Year and three-time North/South All-Star Game head coach. She was also an assistant coach for the U.S. womens national team program.

Additionally, Pat and her husbands four children-Meghan, Lisa, Tracy and Rob-all graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, withMeghan and Tracy having both played lacrosse in college under their mothers leadership.

In the photo above, Genovese is with Jenny Graap.