By Brian Logue | USA Lacrosse
USA Lacrosse has announced that two-time U.S. gold medalist Acacia Walker-Weinstein has been selected as the U.S. Women’s Senior National Team head coach. Walker-Weinstein’s appointment will run through the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship, which will be held in Japan.
Walker-Weinsten, the head women’s lacrosse coach at Boston College, was just 14 years old when she was tried out for the 1999 U.S. U19 team. She made the team and helped bring home a world championship from Perth, Australia. In 2009, she played on the U.S. women’s senior team that won the world championship in Prague, Czech Republic.
“Acacia brings a positive energy into every situation and has used that enthusiasm to take the Boston College program to new heights,” said USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio. “From being the youngest player on our 1999 U19 team, to being one of the final cuts from our 2005 senior team to winning gold in 2009, she’s had a long history with our national team program that will help her connect with the players.”
Walker-Weinstein knows the goal is to win a gold medal, but she also wants to make an impact on the sport with the way the U.S. team plays under her leadership, building on the success of the coaches who have come before her.
“I want it to be exciting to watch,” Walker-Weinstein said. “I want the players to feel liberated and free to play with their own personal brand. I want the lacrosse to be exciting to watch. I want it to be difficult for the opponents to stop. I want it to be a product that makes the fans say, ‘That is the way women’s lacrosse should be played.’”
Walker-Weinstein has been the head coach at Boston College since the 2013 season and has transformed the Eagles into one of the nation’s elite programs. Boston College has played in six straight NCAA championship games and won the school’s first national title in 2021.
Walker-Weinstein was the IWLCA National Coach of the Year in 2017 and 2021 and compiled 173 wins in her first 11 seasons, including a school-record 22 in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Three of her Boston College players – Sam Apuzzo, Dempsey Arsenault and Charlotte North – played on the 2022 U.S. women’s team that won the world championship and another, Kristin Igoe, played on the 2013 world championship team.
She first came to Boston College as the associate head coach and in 2011 helped the school reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. Prior to coming to BC, she spent two seasons as the associate head coach at the University of Massachusetts, helping the team win back-to-back Atlantic 10 championships. From 2005 through 2008 she was an assistant coach at Northwestern, helping the school win three national championships.
As a player, Walker-Weinstein was an All-American and captain at the University of Maryland, helping the Terps reach the NCAA tournament all four seasons. She spent a decade, from 2002 through 2012, as a member of the U.S. women’s senior team.
The U.S. women’s senior team has won a record nine world championships, including the four most recent. The U.S. won the inaugural championship in 1982, followed by Australia winning in 1986. The U.S. then won four straight championships before Australia beat the U.S. in the 2005 gold medal game. Walker-Weinstein was on the 2009 U.S. team that started the current string of four straight world titles, including the 2022 event which marked the first time the host nation had won the championship.
The U.S. Women’s National Team trains and plays using game-changing, high-performance equipment from Cascade Maverik, Gait Lacrosse and STX and best-in-class products from Enovis (sports bracing).
In addition to these partners, Gatorade, MedStar Health and Stryker are official sponsors of the U.S. National Team Program. Team training is also aided by products from Athletic Republic.
Funding for the national teams also comes from generous donors to the USA Lacrosse Foundation. Help support the team.