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Laura Field, who has helped Yale to a 79-36 (.687) overall record and a pair of NCAA tournament appearances as an assistant coach over the past seven seasons, has been named interim Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. Field will serve in the position for the 2007-08 academic year.
Field, a 2000 Princeton graduate, has a combined total of five NCAA appearances as a player and a coach in the last 10 years. The Bulldogs are 34-15 (.694) in Ivy League play during her time at Yale, which includes two NCAA tournament appearances, one Ivy title, a tie for the school record for wins in a season and nine IWLCA All-America selections. Last season the team went 13-4 and earned a No. 11 national ranking along with an NCAA bid. That was the third time in Field's tenure the team has won 12 or more games, including the 14-win 2003 season that tied the school record (set in 1978 and equaled in 1979, 1995 and 1999).
Field has worked with all aspects of the team in her time at Yale, specializing in defense and goalkeeping. The Bulldogs finished seventh in the country in scoring defense last season, allowing only 8.49 goals per game. Field, who also handled the majority of the team's recruiting, worked extensively with goalkeeper Ellen Cameron (Monkton, Md.) to help her develop into an All-American.
A Mystic, Conn., native who now lives in New Haven, Field has learned from two legendary coaches at the collegiate level. At Yale she worked for Amanda O'Leary, who coached the Bulldogs for 14 seasons before leaving to take the head coaching job at the University of Florida June 22. O'Leary's 162 wins at Yale are ninth among active Division I coaches. At Princeton Field played for Chris Sailer, whose 269 wins place her second.
Yale's ongoing string of consecutive winning seasons (14) is the third-longest such streak in NCAA history. The Bulldogs are 276-164-5 (.629) all-time, have produced 47 First Team All-Ivy selections and have made three NCAA Tournament appearances.
"Laura Field has been an integral part of the work done to establish Yale Women's Lacrosse as a nationally prominent program," said Yale Director of Athletics Tom Beckett. "She has assisted Mandee O'Leary in countless ways, both on the field and off. As a student-athlete and as a coach she has experienced Division I lacrosse at the highest level, including five NCAA tournament appearances. We are very confident in her as she assumes the position of interim head coach for the 2007-08 academic year."
Field's ability to teach the game has been honed at multiple levels. In addition to her work as an assistant coach at Yale, she is co-owner of the Nor'easter Lacrosse Club of Southeastern Connecticut, which currently includes 155 players from junior high through high school age. She also has directed numerous other camps and skill clinics throughout the country.
"I would like to thank Director of Athletics Tom Beckett, Senior Associate Director of Athletics Colleen Lim and Associate Director of Athletics Amy Backus for giving me this amazing opportunity," Field said. "I could not be more honored or excited that I am able to continue the tradition of Yale Lacrosse, following in the footsteps of a tremendous mentor in Mandee O'Leary. In my seven years at Yale I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the finest student-athletes and coaches in Division I, and I could not be more privileged than to have the opportunity to continue Yale's winning tradition."
Field graduated from Princeton with a bachelor's degree in English. She took part in the 2000 NCAA National Championship game as well as three NCAA Elite Eight games during her playing days. She also won an Ivy League championship in 1997 with the Tigers, who went 46-21 (.687) overall and 23-4 (.852) in Ivy play during her four years. Field earned All-Ivy recognition three times -- including a unanimous first-team selection in her freshman year -- and was selected to play in the 2000 IWLCA North-South Senior All-Star game. She is fifth all-time at Princeton with 449 career saves, and her 165 saves in 2000 are the seventh-most in a season in team history. Her 7.95 career goals-against average and .573 career save percentage are both eighth on the Tigers' lists.
Field also played two years of field hockey in college. She lettered in 1996, when the Tigers went 18-4 overall and 6-0 in the Ivy League, earning an Ivy League championship and advancing to the NCAA Championship game. She was part of an NCAA Final Four run as a sophomore.
Field attended the Taft School in Watertown, Conn., where she played field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse.
| Coaching Career | |||||
| Year | School | Title | Overall | Ivy League | Notes |
| 2001 | Yale | Asst. Coach | 10-6 | 5-2 (t-3rd) | |
| 2002 | Yale | Asst. Coach | 11-5 | 5-2 (3rd) | |
| 2003 | Yale | Asst. Coach | 14-4 | 6-1 (t-1st) | NCAA Quarterfinals, tied school wins record |
| 2004 | Yale | Asst. Coach | 12-4 | 5-2 (3rd) | |
| 2005 | Yale | Asst. Coach | 10-6 | 4-3 (3rd) | |
| 2006 | Yale | Asst. Coach | 9-7 | 3-4 (5th) | |
| 2007 | Yale | Asst. Coach | 13-4 | 6-1 (2nd) | NCAA First Round |
| TOTAL | 79-36 | 34-15 | |||
| Playing Career | |||||
| 1997 | Princeton | Player | 7-7 | 5-1 (t-1st) | |
| 1998 | Princeton | Player | 12-5 | 6-1 (2nd) | NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 1999 | Princeton | Player | 12-5 | 6-1 (2nd) | NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 2000 | Princeton | Player | 15-4 | 6-1 (2nd) | NCAA Runners-up |
| TOTAL | 46-21* | 23-4 | |||
* also played two years of field hockey, in which time her teams were 34-8 overall (13-0 Ivy) and made a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, including one appearance in the NCAA Championship game.
