| Julie Myers |
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Virginia Head Coach Julie Myers, the IWLCA Coach of the Year in 2004, has taken her team to the NCAA finals in six of her ten years, winning the national title in 2004. She holds an 18-9 record in the NCAA tournament, ranking third all-time in tournament victories and games coached and she is fifth in winning percentage and semifinal appearances. With Virginia's victory in 2004, Myers became the first person in women's lacrosse history at the NCAA Division I level to win a title as a player and a head coach. Her trip to the title game in 2005 was her third consecutive trip, an achievement reached by only five other coaches in NCAA women's lacrosse history. In addition, Myers's win over Virginia Tech on April 15, 2005, was her 146th career win, giving her more wins than any other women's lacrosse coach at the University of Virginia.
A proven winner, Myers enters her eleventh year at Virginia as head coach with three NCAA titles, one as a player (1991), one as an assistant coach (1993), and one as a head coach (2004). In 1996, she became the first rookie coach to take her squad to the title game and also became the first person to play for the championship both as a player and as a head coach. In addition, Myers' 76.0% winning percentage already sits in the top-10 all time in winning percentage among coaches.
Yet Myers' contributions include much more than simply winning games. She has already produced three national players of the year, the national rookie of the year, and seven members of the United States National Lacrosse Squads. Myers is also a member of the Tewaaraton coaches' committee that selects the nation's top lacrosse player. Cavaliers under her direction have won NCAA Woman of the Year honors, led the nation in both scoring and in defense, and been honored as Tewaaraton Trophy finalists. Myers serves on a number of committees for the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Association and is an accomplished clinician who has made a number of appearances at camps and association meetings across the country.
Virginia's 2005 season saw the Cavaliers earn their tenth consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships, defeating 10 ranked teams along he way, including two wins over a top-10 Maryland team and three-top five teams. The Cavaliers again claimed a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist, and Virginia's offense ranked in the top-10 for a fourth consecutive season.
In 2004, the Cavaliers led the nation for the third consecutive season in scoring offense en route to two tournament championships. Virginia defeated eight top-ten and 13 top-20 teams, including two wins over Maryland while the Terps were ranked in the top three, and defeated four teams who were ranked in the top three at the time. The Cavaliers were led by Amy Appelt, who won the Honda Sports Award, the Tewaaraton Trophy, and was the consensus Player of the Year.
The 2003 Cavaliers advanced to the title game yet again, defeating four teams ranked in the top five and 11 top-20 teams in the course of the campaign. The Cavaliers led the nation for a second consecutive year in scoring and ranked second nationally in ground balls pickups. Virginia forged a six-game winning streak midway through the season in which they defeated three top-12 teams, including a victory over then-#2 and eventual national champion Princeton. Near the end of the season, the Cavaliers put together a five-game win streak that included a road win over the #1 team in the nation and then defeated the #5 and #2 teams in the NCAA tournament to advance to the final day.
In 2002, the Cavaliers once again led the nation, this time in scoring offense. Myers coached not only the ACC Rookie of the Year but also the national rookie of the year. Two of her players were Tewaaraton Trophy finalists, more than any other school. Virginia swept through the ACC regular season, going 3-0 and reaching the #3 spot in the nation. The Cavaliers notched victories over eight tournament-bound teams and once again found themselves playing a first-round NCAA game in the friendly confines of Klockner Stadium.
In 2001 Myers directed the team back into the NCAA tournament after five victories over tournament-bound teams and recorded at least eleven victories for the sixth consecutive year. For the sixth time, the Cavaliers earned the right to host a first-round NCAA playoff game at home, something only two other coaches have done in that span.
In 2000, the Cavaliers defeated 10 ranked teams and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive year after earning a home playoff game. Myers' 1999 squad played in a school record 21 games, including the ACC and the NCAA Championships. In 1998, the Cavaliers claimed the ACC women's lacrosse title with a thrilling come-from-behind 9-7 victory. The win was in the midst of a national-best 12-game winning streak that took Virginia to the national title game. The Cavaliers also claimed both the ACC Player of the Year and a National Player of the Year en route to a school-record 17 victories in 20 games, a school record at that time. At the conclusion of the season, four members of the 1998 squad were also named to the US National Squads and five also received All-American status.
Myers' 1997 team was ranked among the top five all season long and advanced to the finals of the inaugural ACC Championship. The 1997 Cavaliers defeated eight teams ranked in the top ten. Furthermore, the Cavalier defense ended the season ranked in the top four in scoring defense for the second consecutive year.
Myers guided her first team to a 14-4 record in 1996 and the number-two ranking at the end of the season. The Cavaliers returned to the post-season after a one-year hiatus in 1995, the first time in six years that Virginia did not participate in the NCAA tournament. Along the way, she coached the Cavaliers to a six-game winning streak and defeats of eight top-15 teams, including two teams ranked second at the time of the game.
Myers served as an assistant on the Cavalier coaching staff from 1992-1994 under Jane Miller. She earned a degree in sociology from Virginia in 1990 and competed as a graduate student in the championship year of 1991. While at UVa, the Bryn Mawr, Pa., native earned a total of seven letters and Regional All-America status in both field hockey and lacrosse. Playing in her final season as a graduate student, Myers was the starting center on the 1991 National Championship team and earned second-team All-America honors. She and her husband Ed are the proud parents of Kelsey Nicole, born January 15, 2001, Timothy William, born July 14, 2003, and John Patrick, born March 3, 2005.
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