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Teams: Women's Lacrosse: Team
Overview
 The Tufts University Women's Lacrosse program has earned a reputation as one of New England's most competitive teams since its inception in 1975. As members of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC), Tufts is among the best teams in the region year in and year out.
Carol Rappoli, who was inducted into the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2002, enters her 24th season as coach of the Tufts program. A 1978 graduate of Northeastern University, she was a member of the U.S. National Lacrosse Team from 1977-78 and in 1980.
Previously the coach at Colgate University and Wellesley College, she
reached career milestones during the 2007 season with the 250th victory of her
career overall and the 200th win of her tenure at Tufts. Since her
arrival as coach of Field Hockey and Lacrosse in 1985, Rappoli has built a winning tradition.
Her lacrosse teams have compiled a 210-99-1 record (67.9 winning percentage).
She has an impressive 265-131-4 career record for a 66.8 winning
percentage in 30 seasons. According to the NCAA record book, she was
just the eighth coach in NCAA history regardless of division to reach
the 250 victories milestone. The field hockey/lacrosse coaching position at Tufts was split in 2004, allowing Rappoli to give full-time attention to the lacrosse program.
Her success as field hockey coach until 2003 included two NCAA
Tournament appearances and two Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)
championships. Tufts Lacrosse has not finished with a losing record in any of Rappoli's 23 seasons.
Last year's team earned a #19 national ranking in the final poll and had
wins over #6 Middlebury, #8 Colby and #11 Babson, along with a one-goal
loss to #12 Trinity. Four team members were voted on to the
Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) All-Region team.
That marked the third straight season that the Jumbos have placed four
players on the All-Region squads. Tufts players regularly earn All-American
status, including 2007 honoree Jackie Thomas.
The Tufts program won six ECAC Championships, including five straight from 1985-89, before NESCAC discontinued participation in the tournament in 2001. Rappoli coached four straight ECAC Championship teams at Tufts from 1986-89, and her 1995 squad added another regional title. NESCAC teams were not allowed to play in the NCAA Tournament until 1993, but the Jumbo teams of the 1980s were among the best nationally. The program put together a 35-game winning streak from 1987-90 that was an NCAA record at the time.
As members of NESCAC, Tufts plays in the nation's most competitive small
college conference academically and athletically. Seven conference teams were ranked in the
final IWLCA national top 20 last season. Four conference teams earned NCAA Tournament berths in 2008. The NESCAC is a group of highly selective liberal arts colleges and universities that share an academics-first philosophy for intercollegiate athletics.
The Tufts program was honored by the IWLCA as a program with a
cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or greater in 2008, and three Jumbos earned
IWLCA Academic Honor Roll status. Located right outside of Boston, Tufts offers a well-rounded collegiate experience to student-athletes. Within its picturesque small-college campus, Tufts is a major university with "an unprecedented diversity of programs, exceptional faculty and staff, and bright and talented students," according to President Lawrence S. Bacow. The Athletics Department sponsors a varsity program of 28 sports that is among the most competitive in the NCAA's Division III. Tufts finished
15th in the 2008 U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup, the award presented annually to the best overall collegiate athletics programs in the country. The University's proximity to a world-class city renowned for its academic institutions is also a major draw.
The Jumbos bring plenty back in '08 to be a factor in the NESCAC race
again. All-Region selections Chrissie Attura and Amanda Roberts will
lead the squad. Roberts scored 39 goals with 13 assist in her first
season last spring. Attura is one of the region's better two-way
players, providing both scoring (19-18-37) and defensive effort (34
groundballs) to the team. Senior Courtney Thomas, a 30+ goal scorer in
each of the past two seasons, adds to the team's offensive talent, as
does junior Jenna Abelii, who has scored 56 goals in two seasons.return
to lead the Jumbos in 2009. Junior Alyssa Kopp emerged as one of the top
defensive players in the league last season and Lily Colahan showed
great promise at the position in her first year last spring. The Jumbos practice and play on Bello Field, a
field turf facility featuring lights for night play and a surface that withstands the elements during the spring season in New England.
The program also uses one of the best indoor facilities in New England,
perfect for winter practice in the pre-season. The area was recently
renovated and named in honor of long-time Tufts Athletics Directory
Rocky Carzo.
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