Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/25/22
From Press Release
One of the most decorated players in the history of University of North Carolina women’s lacrosse is returning to Chapel Hill, as head coach Jenny Levy announced the addition of Marie McCool (Moorestown) to her staff as an assistant coach ahead of the 2023 season.
“We are beyond excited to welcome back such an accomplished alumna of our program to join our coaching staff,” said Levy. “Marie is one of our all-time best players who loves the game, and her wealth of experience will benefit our student-athletes in countless ways. A proven winner, she has a great mind for the sport and will be able to coach our players at an elite level.”
McCool, a standout midfielder during her Tar Heel career from 2015-18, was the first two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist in UNC history and the first player in the Atlantic Coast Conference to be named the ACC Midfielder of the Year twice. She was tabbed the National Midfielder of the Year by IWLCA in 2018 and earned both first-team All-America and All-ACC honors three times.
A native of Moorestown, N.J., McCool owns Carolina’s single-season record for most draw controls with 165, also ranking fifth all-time with 246 career points. She was named the 2016 ACC Tournament MVP and twice landed on the All-NCAA Tournament team. She had a goal and two assists in the 2016 NCAA Tournament to help UNC win the national title and served as team captain during her senior campaign.
She was the recipient of the Patterson Medal in 2018, the most prestigious athletic honor awarded at North Carolina. The 2018 UNC graduate earned her bachelor’s degree in management and society and was tabbed the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2017 – the only Tar Heel in program history to win the accolade – and was a three-time All-ACC Academic Team honoree.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity to return to Chapel Hill as an assistant coach. Representing Carolina as a player was a dream come true and I’m excited to be back on campus to help maintain the success of the program,” said McCool, who also served as UNC’s volunteer assistant coach in 2021. “I’ve been lucky to have Jenny as a coach both at Carolina and on the U.S. national team, and am looking forward to coaching alongside her and continuing to learn from someone who has built a program that has achieved sustainable excellence in women’s lacrosse.”
McCool was one of just two college players on the United States’ roster for the 2017 World Cup prior to her senior year at UNC. She scored twice during the title game to help the U.S. win the gold medal before securing yet another gold at the 2017 World Games that summer.
This past July, McCool once again competed for Team USA at the 2022 World Championship and led the team to its fourth-consecutive title. She was named to the All-World Team after totaling 20 goals, four assists, 24 points and 17 draw controls throughout the 11-day championship.
McCool recently concluded her second season in the Athletes Unlimited professional women’s lacrosse league.
