One of the best young coaches in all of Division II, Mindy Richmond is hands down the greatest coach in IUP women’s lacrosse program history.
In 10 seasons on the sidelines with the Crimson Hawks, Richmond has a 105-67 (.610) overall record, and guided IUP to six straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) postseason appearances from 2012-17. Those appearances were the first in program history.
She has a 70-41 (.631) conference record in her 10 seasons, boasting a 52-19 (.732) mark over the last six. The Crimson Hawks have earned the third seed in the PSAC tournament three times (2013-14, 2016) under her watch, as Richmond led IUP to the conference semifinals four times in the last six years (2013-14, 2016-17).
Richmond coached the Crimson Hawks to the program’s eighth straight winning season in 2018 as IUP finished with a 9-6 overall record. IUP continued its strong performance at home, going 6-1 at Miller Stadium.
The Crimson Hawks extended their program record to 31 straight weeks ranked in the IWLCA Division II poll. That streak began March 21, 2016 and went until April 30, 2018. They opened the preseason ranked 19th by the IWLCA and stayed in the top 25 for 11 straight releases.
Ally Burrows was named a first team All-Atlantic Region and All-PSAC selection. Adriana Greco and Mollie Gallagher also earned region honors and Katie Martyn was an all-conference pick.
Burrows and Greco became the first teammates in IUP history to each score 50 goals, with Burrows getting 59 and Greco 57. Burrows also tied the program single game record of nine goals in a 22-14 win over Millersville. Martyn set a new single season program record with 113 draw controls.
Richmond took over a program in 2009 that had been through five head coaches in its first 11 years of existence. She became the program’s all-time winningest coach in just her second season, going a combined 14-19 in 2009 and 2010. She then led the Crimson Hawks to an 11-7 mark in 2011, a then-program record for victories in a season, while the winning record was just the second in program history and its first since 2001.
The Crimson Hawks continued their winning ways under Richmond in 2012, as IUP went 11-6 and earned the sixth seed in the PSAC tournament with a 7-4 conference record. IUP clinched its first-ever postseason berth with a thrilling 14-13 victory over national power Lock Haven on the final day of the regular season.
She helped IUP set and tie new victory marks with 13 wins each in 2013 and 2014, as the team advanced to the PSAC semifinals each season.
The program has seen a wealth of talent and individual success under Richmond’s tutelage, including eight All-Americans, three freshman All-Americans, 15 all-region picks, and 33 All-PSAC selections.
Former attacker Alexa Lodovici (2010-13) is possibly the best player in program history, ranking first all-time in points (292) and goals (167), while also earning the distinction of being IUP’s first ever first team All-American as a senior in 2013. Lodovici was also a three-time all-conference selection, being named the 2013 PSAC Athlete of the Year.
Also earning All-American status under Richmond has been Taylor Norwood (2013-14), Drew Hayden (2014), Amy Weinberg (2014-16) and Brenna Gallagher (2016)
Richmond was also named the 2013 PSAC Coach of the Year and was the head coach of the South squad in the 2010 IWLCA All-Star Game.
2013 was an historic year for IUP women’s lacrosse, as Richmond and the Crimson Hawks finished 13-3 and advanced to the semifinals of the PSAC championships, falling to West Chester on a late goal by a score of 7-6.
IUP started the year with a school record 11 straight wins and defeated Gannon and Mercyhurst for the first time in school history, propelling them into the IWLCA national poll. The Crimson Hawks remained in the rankings for the entire second half of the season topping at #12 in the nation. The IUP lacrosse team hosted and won its first postseason playoff game in school history, defeating Gannon by 9 goals.
Under Richmond's direction, the Crimson Hawks broke or tied 10 school single season records, including most goals scored (263), fewest goals allowed (131) and lowest goals against average (8.19). IUP led the PSAC with a +8.3 scoring margin, had the most caused turnovers (203), and currently ranks in the top 10 in the nation in seven different categories.
The Crimson Hawks boasted the largest number of post season honors ever seen by the program in 2013. IUP racked up four first team all-conference selections, more than any other conference school.
IUP swept the conference major awards marking the first time that any PSAC school has swept the athlete, freshman/rookie, and coach of the year awards as a part of the entire conference. Not only were the Hawks recognized in conference, but three Hawks were named to the IWLCA All-South Region team with two selected as IWLCA All-Americans. Alexa Lodovici and Taylor Norwood were the first IUP lacrosse players ever to be named All-American.
Before coming to IUP, Richmond spent the previous two seasons on the coaching staff at Gannon University, where the Golden Knights had a record of 23-8 over that span. Gannon was ranked in the Top 10 in the nation both seasons and had four players selected to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association All-America squad. With Richmond on the staff, the Golden Knight offense ranked eighth nationally in scoring in 2007 with an average of 14.75 goals per game.
She has spent summers working at the Winner's Edge lacrosse camp in Pittsburgh and the Nike Lacrosse Camp at St. Vincent. She is also head coach for the Intrepid Girl's Lacrosse Club, an elite travel club program in Western Pennsylvania. In 2010, Richmond was also selected to coach an elite U.S. team that traveled throughout Europe and participated in the Prague Cup National Lacrosse Tournament, Czech Republic.
Richmond also has worked with the Erie Youth Lacrosse Association, and the Indiana Middle and High schools helping to develop local lacrosse players, teaching them the basic concepts and skills of the sport.
Richmond was a volunteer assistant coach at Gannon during the 2006 season following a record-breaking four-year playing career with the Golden Knights. As a senior in 2005, Richmond led the nation with 88 goals, which were the most in school history and fourth highest single-season total in Division II history. Her average of 6.29 goals per game that season is the top mark for one season at the Division II level. Richmond also scored 63 goals the previous season to give her two of the top eight marks in Gannon history.
A native of Newark, N.Y., Richmond is third at Gannon and 15th in the country in career goals with 219. She also shares the school record with nine goals in a game against Saint Vincent in 2004, and scored seven or more goals in a game a total of 10 times. In addition to ranking third in career goals, Richmond also stands seventh in points with 242 and is second for game winning goals.
Richmond was named to the IWLCA All-American squad following her junior and senior seasons and served as team captain both years. She was nominated by Gannon for the 2005 NCAA Woman of the Year award.
She was selected to represent the United States as part of the Athletes International team at the Prague Cup in the Czech Republic in 2004, and was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player in the tournament after leading her team to a second place finish.
Richmond received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology from Gannon in 2005 and is currently studying for her master's in sport science at IUP.
Updated May 22, 2018
Richmond's Year-by-Year Record
| Year |
Ovr. Rec. |
Pct. |
PSAC Rec. |
Pct. |
| 2018 |
9-6 |
.600 |
6-6 |
.500 |
| 2017 |
11-7 |
.611 |
9-3 |
.750 |
| 2016 |
13-6 |
.684 |
10-2 |
.833 |
| 2015 |
10-8 |
.556 |
8-4 |
.667 |
| 2014 |
13-5 |
.722 |
10-2 |
.833 |
| 2013 |
13-3 |
.813 |
9-2 |
.818 |
| 2012 |
11-6 |
.647 |
7-4 |
.636 |
| 2011 |
11-7 |
.611 |
5-6 |
.455 |
| 2010 |
8-9 |
.471 |
4-6 |
.400 |
| 2009 |
6-10 |
.375 |
2-6 |
.250 |
| Total |
105-67 |
.610 |
70-41 |
.631 |
