Northwestern Lacrosse Elevates Charlie Leonard to Assistant Coach
9/1/2023 2:48:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern lacrosse head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller announced the promotion of Charlie Leonard to assistant coach on Friday.
Leonard, who served as a volunteer coach for the Wildcats last season, worked extensively with the team on draw controls. Northwestern controlled the circle en route to its eighth national championship in program history, recording a .572 draw control percentage, which ranked 13th in the nation. The 'Cats tallied 359 draw controls in 2022 and averaged 16.32 draw controls per contest, marks which rank fourth and 11th in the country, respectively.
"We could not be more excited to welcome Charlie back to coach with us this season," said head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller. "Last year Charlie made an immediate impact on the program and was a tremendous mentor to all of our student-athletes. We are excited to elevate Charlie into a full time coaching position, which will allow him to increase his roles and responsibilities and undoubtedly make a huge impact on our program."
"Northwestern will always hold a special place in my heart and I couldn't be more excited to return," Leonard remarked. "Last year was one of the best years of my life thanks to the team, staff, fans and the Northwestern community. I am thankful to Kelly for giving me the opportunity to continue coaching this special team, and I'm beyond thrilled to run it back and be a member of the 2023-24 Lake Show."
His tutelage also saw Samantha Smith finish the 2023 campaign with 121 draw controls, the 16th-most in the nation and the seventh-most in a single-season in program history.
As a student-athlete, Leonard played five seasons at Notre Dame (2017-21) where he made 42 appearances for the Fighting Irish and was an All-ACC Team and All-ACC Tournament Team selection in 2019.
In his fifth year in South Bend, Leonard played in all 12 games as a face-off specialist. His 63.4-win percentage (78-of-123 face-offs) from the dot was the highest by an Irish player since 2004. He also scooped up 46 ground balls, which was the second most by a Notre Dame player in 2021.
As a junior, Leonard won 200-of-376 face-offs (.585). His 104 ground balls marked the second most by a Fighting Irish player in a single season in program history. He also led the ACC in ground balls per game, averaging 6.5 per contest.
Leonard is a two-time graduate of Notre Dame, completing his bachelor's in management consulting (2020) and his master's in business analytics (2021).
Leonard, who served as a volunteer coach for the Wildcats last season, worked extensively with the team on draw controls. Northwestern controlled the circle en route to its eighth national championship in program history, recording a .572 draw control percentage, which ranked 13th in the nation. The 'Cats tallied 359 draw controls in 2022 and averaged 16.32 draw controls per contest, marks which rank fourth and 11th in the country, respectively.
"We could not be more excited to welcome Charlie back to coach with us this season," said head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller. "Last year Charlie made an immediate impact on the program and was a tremendous mentor to all of our student-athletes. We are excited to elevate Charlie into a full time coaching position, which will allow him to increase his roles and responsibilities and undoubtedly make a huge impact on our program."
"Northwestern will always hold a special place in my heart and I couldn't be more excited to return," Leonard remarked. "Last year was one of the best years of my life thanks to the team, staff, fans and the Northwestern community. I am thankful to Kelly for giving me the opportunity to continue coaching this special team, and I'm beyond thrilled to run it back and be a member of the 2023-24 Lake Show."
Charlie's back, tell a friend.
— Northwestern Lax (@NULax) September 1, 2023
Charlie Leonard has been elevated to assistant coach ?? pic.twitter.com/wN0kX7tZtm
His tutelage also saw Samantha Smith finish the 2023 campaign with 121 draw controls, the 16th-most in the nation and the seventh-most in a single-season in program history.
As a student-athlete, Leonard played five seasons at Notre Dame (2017-21) where he made 42 appearances for the Fighting Irish and was an All-ACC Team and All-ACC Tournament Team selection in 2019.
In his fifth year in South Bend, Leonard played in all 12 games as a face-off specialist. His 63.4-win percentage (78-of-123 face-offs) from the dot was the highest by an Irish player since 2004. He also scooped up 46 ground balls, which was the second most by a Notre Dame player in 2021.
As a junior, Leonard won 200-of-376 face-offs (.585). His 104 ground balls marked the second most by a Fighting Irish player in a single season in program history. He also led the ACC in ground balls per game, averaging 6.5 per contest.
Leonard is a two-time graduate of Notre Dame, completing his bachelor's in management consulting (2020) and his master's in business analytics (2021).
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