Virginia's Julie Myers resigns after 28-year stint as women's lacrosse coach

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Virginia women’s lacrosse coach Julie Myers resigned Wednesday, ending a 28-year stint in which she guided the Cavaliers to the postseason every year except 2020, when NCAA spring championships were canceled because of the pandemic.

Myers led Virginia to the 2004 NCAA championship and to a total of eight championship weekend appearances. The Cavaliers also won five Atlantic Coast Conference titles and compiled a record of 349-181 under Myers' leadership.

Her win total ranks fifth among Division I women's lacrosse coaches.

“Julie Myers has established an amazing legacy at the University and her name is synonymous with UVA women’s lacrosse,” Virginia Athletic Director Carla Williams said in a release. “Her contributions to the University and the sport, as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach are enormous. ... Her impact on her players cannot be overstated as the women under her tutelage have gone on to ultra-successful careers and made an impact in their own communities."

Myers, who played field hockey and lacrosse at Virginia and was a member of the Cavaliers' 1991 lacrosse national champions and an assistant coach when they won it again in 1993, has been associated with the program for 37 years.

“While it is hard to leave a place and people that you love so deeply, I am excited to explore leadership opportunities outside of athletics," she said in a release from the school. “I am also looking forward to spending time being a parent cheering for my own kids from the college sidelines.”

Myers' daughter Kelsey was a senior on the Stanford women's lacrosse team this year, and her son Timmy was a freshman on Virginia's team.

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