Lauren Hay enters her sixth season as the head coach of the George Mason University women's lacrosse team in the 2013-14 year. Hay is a familiar face, having played at Mason from 1998-01 before making a successful transition into head coaching at Iona, earning Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Coach of the Year honors during her final season with the Gaels in 2008.
During the 2013 season, Hay guided Allie Hilderbrandt and Rachel Obregon to All-CAA Second Team honors. Hilderbrandt led Mason offensively with 41 goals on the season, which included a career-high performance of six goals against William and Mary. Obregon, who recorded four hat tricks during the season, capped the year with 34 goals and six assists. Additionally, Obregon had 18 ground balls, 13 draw controls and 10 caused turnvovers.During the season, Caitlin Formato collected CAA Player of the Week honors, while freshman Erin Anderson earned a weekly CAA Rookie of the Week accolade.
In 2012, Hay guided two Patriots to All-CAA Second Team honors in Emily Ellisen and Kirsten Jauschnegg. Ellisen, a team captain, led the Patriots all season offensively, finishing the regular season ranked second in the league in goals per game (2.38). A CAA Player of the Week selection during the season, Ellisen set a new single season record at George Mason with a team-high 58 draw controls and became the program's all-time leader in career draw controls with 118 in four seasons. Jauschnegg led the Patriots with a team-best 27 caused turnovers and finished the season with 24 ground balls and four draw controls.
During her third season at the helm of the program, midfielder Chelsea Gamble grabbed All-CAA Second Team honors for the second consecutive season, while newcomer Anna Kopecka was named to the All-Rookie Team. Gamble was selected to play for the South Team in the IWLCA North-South All-Star game after leading the team with 14 caused turnovers and 41 draw controls. Gamble finished the season ranked fifth in the league and 57th in the nation in draw controls.
In 2010, Hay guided a Patriot team that saw both Madalyn Jamison and Chelsea Gamble earn Second-Team All-CAA honors, and Allie Hilderbrandt CAA All-Rookie honors. In her first season as the head coach at Mason, Hay helped guide defensive standout Maggie Bridges to her third consecutive First-Team All-CAA selection. Bridges was selected to play for the South Team in the IWLCA/Under Armour North-South Senior All-Star Game after leading the CAA and ranking third in the nation in ground balls per game with an average of 3.81. In addition to Bridges' honors, Jamison was a Second-Team All-CAA selection and Emily Ellisen was an All-Rookie selection.
Hay was hired as the first-ever women's lacrosse head coach at Iona on Sept. 3, 2003. Upon her hiring, Hay, 30, held the distinction of being the youngest NCAA Division I head coach in any sport at the age of 23. The Gaels quickly improved in their few years of existence. In the inaugural 2005 campaign, Iona went 3-13 and the following season, Hay guided the team to a 5-11 mark. In 2007, Hay led the Gaels to the first winning season in the history of the program with an 8-7 record. She followed up that success with a 2008 campaign that saw Iona earn its first-ever berth to the MAAC Championship Tournament after a fourth-place finish in the conference standings. Seniors Jaclyn O'Leary and Gail Zonghetti were selected to the All-MAAC Team for their performances during the 2008 season. O'Leary was named to the First Team while Zonghetti made the Second Team.
In addition to the success on the field, Iona's student-athletes also performed in the classroom under the tutelage of Hay. Iona tied Marist with the most student-athletes on the 2008 MAAC All-Academic Team, with 14 members of its 25-person roster named to the squad.
Hay came to Iona after a one-year stint of coaching at the English Lacrosse Association in Westmindlands, England. Having coached since high school at various programs, camps and clinics, Hay served as the W.T. Woodson High School girl's lacrosse junior varsity team head coach, as well as the defensive coach for the varsity squad that won the Virginia State Championship in the spring of 2002.
A native of Suffern, N.Y., Hay played four years for the Patriots as a defender. She was co-captain during her senior year in 2001, making 15 starts and finishing the season with 27 ground balls, 12 caused turnovers and seven draw controls. After helping George Mason achieve its first winning season in the history of the program during her freshman year in 1998, the Patriots were nationally ranked during each of Hay's final three seasons on the team, finishing 14th in 1999, 19th in 2000 and 18th in 2001.
A 2002 graduate of George Mason University, Hay earned her bachelor's degree in English. Hay, formerly Rywak, is married to George Mason Associate Head Baseball Coach, Stephen Hay. The couple welcomed their first child, son Ethan, on October 11, 2012.
