Kelly McPartland enters her fourth season as an assistant coach for Columbia women’s lacrosse after joining the staff in September 2015.
Since her arrival to Morningside Heights, the Lions have continually improved each season, culminating in the program's first-ever trip to the Ivy League Tournament in 2018 after posting a three-win Ivy League record for the first time in school history.
"Kelly has been instrumental in guiding a young offensive unit each year," said Columbia head coach Andrea Cofrin. "She brings a wealth of knowledge to our program with her experience playing for the U.S. Team, Maryland and professionally. Kelly has a great eye for talent and has found us some phenomenal recruits to help elevate our program."
McPartland is currently a midfielder for the New York Fight in the Women's Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL). Prior to joining the WPLL for its inaugural season in 2018, she played for Long Island Sound in the United Women's Lacrosse League for two years.
In November 2018, McPartland was part of a 15-player team which traveled to Japan with the WPLL to help grow the sport around the world.
Prior to joining the Columbia program, McPartland spent the previous four years as a standout midfielder at the University of Maryland. As a Terrapin, she recorded 125 goals along with 62 assists, lifting Maryland to back-to-back National Championships in 2014 and 2015.
As a junior, she scored a goal in all but two games with a season-total of 61 and a team-leading 94 points en route to the 2014 national crown. As a senior, she served as team captain, leading the Terrapins in defending their national championship title. McPartland also earned a spot on the 2015 NCAA All-Tournament Team.
Along with two national championships, three ACC Conference Championships, a Big Ten Championship, and several individual honors, McPartland arrived at Columbia with a ton of experience mentoring from the sideline. From 2010-12, she coached and trained the Long Island Yellow Jackets, working with girls aged 10-16. The Farmingdale, New York native currently works as a 1-on-1 personal lacrosse trainer with high school girls, teaching them offensive and defensive fundamentals and skills.
In 2011, McPartland won a gold medal for Team USA at the FIL Women's U-19 World Lacrosse Championship in Hanover, Germany.
McPartland graduated from Maryland in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in hearing and speech sciences.
