MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Allegheny College Director of Athletics and Recreation Bill Ross has announced the hiring of Jessica Smith as the Gators' new head women's lacrosse coach.

Smith, the 10th head coach in program history, joins the Blue and Gold after nearly a decade leading the Hornets of Kalamazoo College, a Division III member of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association.

"I am extremely pleased and excited to announce Jessica Smith as our head women's lacrosse coach," Ross said. "Her experience as a head coach, combined with her commitment to developing individuals on and off the field, make her an excellent fit for our women's lacrosse program. I am confident she has the necessary leadership experience to continue to build upon our women's lacrosse team as a championship-level program."

"I would like to thank Director of Athletics Bill Ross, Associate Athletics Director Kate Costanzo, and the entire search committee for the opportunity to be the next leader of the Gator women's Lacrosse program," Smith said. "The academic and athletic opportunities for student-athletes at Allegheny College are endless, and there is an excellent opportunity for success on the field in the Presidents' Athletic Conference. I could not be more excited to be a Gator, and can't wait to get to work with the team."

Smith took over the women's lacrosse program at Kalamazoo in its third varsity season in 2016. In nine seasons, she developed 18 All-MIAA selections, two Defensive Players of the Year, and two Rookies of the Year. This spring, she guided the Hornets to the best season in team history. Kalamazoo won a program-record 10 games, which included a 5-2 mark against MIAA opponents, while setting single-season records for goals (211) and assists (118). Among the four Hornets to earn All-MIAA recognition, two earned year-end awards as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.

The 2024 Hornets ranked among national leaders in many categories under Smith's tutelage. Kalamazoo was fourth in all of Division III in draw controls per game (18.71), 17th in assists per game (8.43), 23rd in points per game (23.50), and 42nd in scoring offense (15.07). It's not the first time a Smith-led Kalamazoo squad was positioned among the top draw control teams in the country; the Hornets were ranked 49th nationally in 2018, 22nd in the spring of 2019, and fifth in 2021. Recent success on the draw was fueled by the 2024 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, Hannah Hereren, who was fifth individually with 10.36 draw controls per game as a senior.

An active member of the lacrosse community, Smith was an NCAA site rep for the Division I tournament games hosted by University of Notre Dame this spring. Since 2022, she has been a member of the NCAA's Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) for Region VII. Smith has also helped up-and-coming coaches through the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association's (IWLCA) mentoring program.

Off the lacrosse field, Smith served on Kalamazoo's Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee and briefly led the women's soccer team as interim head coach at the end of the 2023 season.

Before joining the collegiate ranks, Smith spent 11 years as a high school lacrosse coach, educator, and administrator. She built the program at Patterson Mill High School in Bel Air, Maryland, and led the Huskies to three appearances in the state semifinals and one state finals berth. In addition to her role as a health education teacher, Smith also oversaw the entire Patterson Mill athletics program for two years as the school's athletics director from 2007-09.

Smith played club lacrosse at the University of Delaware before graduating magna cum laude in 2004 with a bachelor's in health and exercise science. In 2012, she completed a master's in health science at Towson University, and in 2017, she earned her MBA from the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School.