UNC Lacrosse: Jenny Levy named to National Lacrosse Hall of Fame

Yesterday, the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame (an arm of USA Lacrosse) announced that eight new inductees would be enshrined in 2021. That list was highlighted by UNC women’s lacrosse head coach Jenny Levy:

Coach Levy is the first and only coach of UNC’s women’s lacrosse program. She was announced as head coach in 1994, leaving the Georgetown women’s program as an assistant coach. During her tenure in Chapel Hill, Coach Levy has led the nascent women’s lacrosse program to the top of the mountain, winning two national championships (2013 and 2016) and reaching 12 Final Fours. Her career record currently stands at an impressive 373-117 (88-33 in ACC play).

Carolina has a great chance at capturing Coach Levy’s third national championship, having already reached the Final Four as the tournament’s overall #1 seed. The Tar Heels will face a Boston College team in the semi-final that they already smashed 21-9 in March.

You’d be forgiven if you thought Coach Levy made it to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame strictly on the back of her coaching accomplishments. Don’t forget that she was an excellent player at the University of Virginia. She won a national championship in 1991 with the Cavaliers and was named Most Outstanding Attacker during that tournament, scoring three goals in the final.

On a personal note, I had the opportunity to work as a student volunteer on her 2005 team, filming scout footage. We had awesome matchups against Ohio State and Penn State at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and got to play at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore for the ACC Tournament. That season, UNC lost to Duke in both the ACC and NCAA Tournament. That’s not happening anymore.

Carolina’s tremendous fortune with its coaches in all sports is something other schools and fans dream of. Dean Smith and Roy Williams are held as the gold standard, but don’t forget about Anson Dorrance, Karen Shelton, and Jenny Levy. The wide variety of excellence in all athletic endeavors is mouth-watering, and with Mack Brown’s football revival and the promise and potential of Hubert Davis and Courtney Banghart’s basketball programs, now is an exciting time to be in Chapel Hill.