Coaches
Head Coach Lauren Bruce
Lauren Bruce enters her eighth season as head coach of the SUNY Potsdam women's lacrosse program.
Bruce is committed to the development of the program and continues to build a strong foundation for the future of the team.
Last season, Bruce guided senior Kathleen Frear and junior Carly Richards to spots on the All-SUNYAC second team. Richards also became SUNY Potsdam's all-time leading scorer with 134 goals and 60 assists for 194 points.
After completing her bachelor's in studio art with a minor in Russian studies at Hamilton College, Bruce stepped in to become the school's assistant women's lacrosse coach. Previously, she was a three-year member of the women's lacrosse team at Hamilton, where she served as captain during her senior year. Bruce led her team to the Elite Eight for two years in a row, breaking school records as the first women’s team in Hamilton’s history to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. She was named a second team All-American, first team All-UCAA (now known as the Liberty League) and the New York State first team as a defender. Bruce also had the opportunity to play on the New York team over the National Tournament weekend in both 2000 and 2001.
Over the past six years, Bruce has coached at the All-American Lacrosse Camp in Colgate, N.Y. She also assists the Potsdam Youth Lacrosse girls' team. Bruce has spent numerous hours with inexperienced lacrosse players, including a season in 1998 as a high school freshman lacrosse coach back in her hometown of Wilton, Conn. She looks forward to her continued involvement with local youth lacrosse programs.
Assistant Coach Kelsey Shoen
Kelsey Shoen enters her first season as assistant women’s lacrosse coach at SUNY Potsdam.A Waddington, N.Y., native, Shoen was a two-sport athlete at SUNY Potsdam, participating in women’s basketball and women’s lacrosse.
As a member of the lacrosse team, Shoen was one of the team’s top offensive players over the course of her four-year career. She won team Rookie of the Year honors after totaling 12 goals, 33 groundballs and 15 draw controls as a freshman in 2006. The following year, Shoen was named Most Valuable Midfielder, and she received the Coaches’ Award as a senior.
A four-year member of the women’s basketball team, Shoen finished among team leaders in rebounds in her three years as a starter. As a senior in 2008-09, she averaged a team-high 7.5 rebounds to go along with 7.4 points per game as the Bears advanced to the State University of New York Athletic Conference Tournament championship game for the first time in school history.
Currently, Shoen is an assistant girls’ basketball coach at Madrid-Waddington High School, her alma mater, and is the head coach of the Madrid-Waddington Varsity Basketball AAU team. She is also a teacher’s assistant in an Applied Behavior Analysis classroom at Lawrence Avenue Elementary School in Potsdam.
Shoen earned her bachelor’s in history and secondary education. She plans to pursue a master’s in special education at SUNY Potsdam.