Ward Joins Women's Lacrosse Staff as Volunteer Assistant Coach
8/19/2021 10:25:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- University of Michigan women's lacrosse head coach Hannah Nielsen announced Thursday (Aug. 19) the hiring of Emilia Ward as the 2021-22 volunteer assistant coach.
Ward comes to Ann Arbor after spending the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Marquette University, where she specialized in defense and goalies, while also carrying director of operation and video coordinator responsibilities.
While at Marquette, the Golden Eagles ranked second in the Big East in saves per game and save percentage in 2020, goalie Sophia Leva set the single-season program record for save percentage and Jules Horning broke the program's all-time saves record. Ward also helped Leva to All-Big East honors in 2021, marking the first Marquette goalie to earn the distinction, after she led the conference in saves, saves per game and save percentage.
Prior to her stint at Marquette, Ward started the Northern Michigan women's lacrosse team and was the head coach from 2015-19 with the team playing its first varsity contest in 2016-17. Ward led her team to a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament berth in her final season had two All-GLIAC honorable mention nods.
She also started the women's lacrosse team at Kalamazoo College and spent time as a head coach at Pfeiffer University, Alderson Broaddus University, while assisting at Winthrop University and Adrian College.
Ward was a four-year letterwinner at Manhattan College and graduated in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in communications. She earned her master's degree in sports science with an emphasis on coaching from the United States Sports Academy in 2013.
