Aug. 27, 2008

AMHERST, Mass. - University of Massachusetts women's lacrosse head coach Alexis Venechanos has announced the hiring of Acacia Walker and Kristin Blanchette. Walker, former assistant coach of three-time national champion Northwestern, will serve as the Minutewomen's associate head coach/offensive coordinator, while Blanchette will serve as the team's assistant coach/midfield coordinator. In all, the UMass coaching staff has had a hand in six of the last nine NCAA National Championships.

"We are absolutely ecstatic about bringing Acacia and Kristin into the UMass lacrosse family," said Venechanos. "Their experience in lacrosse reaches the highest levels and they will be true assets not only as coaches but as role models to our student-athletes as well."

Walker was a major factor in the building of Northwestern's three consecutive National Championship titles over the last three seasons (2006, 2007, 2008). While there Walker also worked with Venechanos before she assumed the head coaching job at UMass in August 2006. At Northwestern, Walker was responsible for team travel coordination, scouting, recruiting and served as Camp Director for the Amonte Sports Lacrosse Camps among her various coaching duties.

"I could not be more ecstatic to be working with Acacia again. She has one of the most creative and innovative minds in lacrosse and I am very eager for her to mold our attack into one of the best in the country," said Venechanos. "Alongside her coaching experience, she is one of the top players in the world and that knowledge of the game from both perspectives is going to be an asset for our program. She is a great person as well and that will benefit our student-athletes on and off the field."

Venechanos and Walker were also teammates during the 2002 and 2003 seasons at the University of Maryland where they won a pair of ACC Titles and had an NCAA Semifinal appearance (2003). As a senior, Walker was a 2005 First Team IWLCA/US Lacrosse All-American and a two-time All-ACC honoree. She helped the Terps to NCAA appearances all four years, including an 18-4 mark and a trip to the NCAA semifinals in 2003.

She finished her senior season with a career-high 33 goals and ranks tied for eighth on Maryland's all-time career assists list (77). She ended her career with 106 goals, 77 assists and 183 points.

Currently a member of the U.S. National Elite Team, the Annapolis, Md., native has extensive international playing experience. This past June she competed for the U.S. World Cup team in Praque and was a member of the World Champion U.S. Under-19 National Team in Perth, Australia in 1999.

Walker graduated from Maryland in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in American studies.

Blanchette joins the Minutewomen after serving at Brown as an assistant coach for the last two seasons. The native of Sudbury, Mass., was a standout four-year starting midfielder at the University of New Hampshire before joining the Bears.

"Kristin has a great passion and enthusiasm for lacrosse and that shows in how she teaches the game," said Venechanos. "We are very fortunate to have her on staff. She was certainly a leader at New Hampshire and learned a tremendous amount from her experience with the U.S. teams. Her energy and motivation is contagious and I think as a coach she conveys that to her players."

At Brown, Blanchette was responsible for travel coordination, recruiting, film breakdown, and day-to-day coaching management.

She has coached at several camps and clinics across the country, including US Lacrosse National Team Clinics, The UNH Lacrosse Camp, the Kelly Amonte Lacrosse Camp, and the Princeton Lacrosse Elite and Tiger Camp. Blanchette also served as a Director for Infinity Camps and also runs her own summer camp in her hometown.

During her career at UNH, Blanchette earned Second-Team Regional All-American honors following her senior year and was also selected to play in the North/South Senior All-Star game. Blanchette was named to the America East All-Rookie Team as a freshman in 2003 and First Team All-America East as a senior in 2006, while also earning a spot on the 2006 America East All-Tournament Team. In 2004, she helped the Wildcats to the America East Championship and an NCAA berth. She was also a former member of the United States Developmental Team (2005-2007).

As a Wildcat, Blanchette scored 112 goals and added 39 assists in 72 career games. She ranks eighth all-time at UNH in career goals and ninth in career points (151).

Blanchette graduated from New Hampshire in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in zoology and is no stranger to UMass as her father, Steve, was a member of the men's soccer team from 1968-71. She was also coached in high school by former UMass women's lacrosse goalkeeper Deb DeJesus who was a member of the 1982 National Championship team.

The Minutewomen are coming off a 2008 season where they were Atlantic 10 Championship Finalists - their first trip to the title game since 2003. UMass won four of the final six regular-season games en route to it's A-10 Tournament appearance.