Dowd appointed to lead Australian Women’s Lacrosse Sixes Program to LA28

Lacrosse Australia has today announced the appointment of Katrina Dowd as head coach of the Australian Women’s Sixes team.

The New York native, who is currently head coach of the women’s program at Ivy League institution Brown University, is one of the sport’s most decorated players.

Lacrosse Australia Chair Abbie Burgess, said regarding the key appointment, that in order to beat the best, the Australian team must have the best leading the way.

“We were fortunate to have a number of highly-credentialed candidates come forward through this process and we believe that Katrina can offer our program a new and exciting competitive edge,” said Ms Burgess.

“Katrina is a decorated athlete with a collegiate career that includes three consecutive national championships at Northwestern University, as well as a World Championship with the United States women’s national team in 2013, where she was also named to the All-World team for the tournament.

“Her coaching career is just as spectacular, including two national championships as the offensive coordinator at the University of North Carolina, and her most recent success in elevating the Brown University program to new heights is a testament to her ability.

“Katrina joins us next week and will be leading our women’s high performance athletes into their next camp. I am thrilled to have Katrina at the helm as we boldly step into this Olympic era.”

Dowd, fresh off leading Brown to the Ivy League Tournament and its first NCAA Tournament in program history, said that she was incredibly honoured to be named as the Australian Women’s Sixes head coach.

“My vision for this national team will be built on creating an exciting brand of lacrosse and pursuing the Olympic dream with passion, hard work and dedication,” said Dowd.

“We want to showcase the speed and creativity that makes the sport of lacrosse special, and our unique style of Australian athleticism and skill will be on display at the most elite level at the Olympics. The bond that is created by playing for your country, having fun doing it and achieving greatness will be at the core of the experience.

“The opportunity the lead Australia in the Olympic era is incredibly exciting and it is so special to be part of a team pushing for Olympic glory. I cannot wait for our first training session and the opportunity to compete in the green and gold.”

Dowd will officially take the reins next week where her immediate focus will be the National Sixes Camp in Adelaide, and selecting a squad to see Australia compete successfully at the World Games in Chengdu, China in August.