Katrina Dowd has been named the new head coach of the Australian women’s sixes team, Lacrosse Australia announced Sunday.
Dowd, a New York native, is currently coaching the women’s program of Brown University, which she just led to the Ivy League Tournament and its first NCAA Tournament in history.
Lacrosse Australia chair Abbie Burgess hailed the hiring of Dowd, who possesses a spectacular resume dating back to her playing days in college with Northwestern University, and said she’s “thrilled to have Katrina at the helm” for Australia.
“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 Burgess.
Dowd, on the other hand, expressed optimism after the appointment and emphasized an uptempo approach both on and off the field in helping Australia achieve the Olympic dream.
“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 wrapped her collegiate career with three consecutive national championships at Northwestern, then followed that up at the national team level with a World Championship with United States and All-World Team selection in 2013.
A stint as an offensive coordinator at North Carolina later yielded two national championships as well.
“Her most recent success in elevating the Brown University program to new heights is a testament to her ability,” Burgess explained. “I am thrilled to have Katrina at the helm as we boldly step into this Olympic era.”
Dowd’s first order of duty is to oversee the National Sixes Camp in Adelaide, then she will help form the squad representing Australia at the World Games in Chengdu, China in August, for which the schedule was recently announced by World Lacrosse.
