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UCSB Hires Jillian Boyd as Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach

Aug. 13, 2009

Santa Barbara, CA – Jillian Boyd has been selected as Assistant Women’s Lacrosse Coach at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The Warrenton, Virginia native and Fauquier High School product is fresh off a year long stint as head coach at St. Margaret’s School near London, England. Boyd played her collegiate lacrosse at Virginia Wesleyan College. Her duties at UCSB will include being assistant coach for the UCSB ‘A’ Team and head coach for the UCSB ‘B’ Team. Boyd’s responsibilities with UCSB start September 1st.

Boyd graduated from Virginia Wesleyan in 2008 and was a four year starter in the midfield and two-year captain of the Marlins’ women's lacrosse team. During her 70 game career she was selected to play in the IWLCA / US Lacrosse North-South All-Star Game, was a three-time IWLCA / US Lacrosse Chesapeake All-Region Midfielder, a three-time Virginia SID All-State Midfielder, a four-time ODAC All-Conference Midfielder and twice selected to the ODAC All-Conference Tournament Team. She exited the program at Virginia Wesleyan ranked among the top ten all-time career leaders in the program in five statistical categories, including #1 in draw control wins (216), #3 in ground balls (265), #5 in shots (402), goals (192), assists (44), and points (236) and #9 in caused turnovers (50). 

Boyd earned a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences at Virginia Wesleyan. Following graduation she accepted a full-time position with the English Lacrosse Association as a School Coaching Officer and the Head Girl’s Lacrosse Coach at St. Margaret’s. During this time, she also continued her pursuit as an elite player in the Premier League with the West London Lacrosse Club and was selected member of the England East Territorial Team, which competed in the National Territorial Playoffs against the England World Cup Team and Territorial Teams from the North, South, West and Midlands.

After returning this summer from a year coaching in England, Boyd served as a coach at the Blue Diamond Lacrosse Showcase in Pennsylvania in June and for Coach Ramsey’s East West Sports Camps at UCSB in late July. Boyd’s coaching experience also includes having served as a coaching assistant at the Marlins School of Lacrosse annual training events for high school and junior high school players. During the off-season her sophomore and junior years she gained international playing experience competing in the Prague Invitational against the Czech National Team and in the Australian Senior Women’s National Championships against the Territorial Teams from South Australia, New South Wales and Victoria.

UCSB women’s lacrosse leadership is working to improve their program in a few different ways. Part of the improvement plan is committing some resources to an assistant coach position and Ramsey believes hiring Boyd is a great first step toward program goals.

“Jillian and I have been in touch for more than six months now, starting when she contacted me about coaching opportunities in California while she was still in England,” commented Ramsey.

“More and more she stood out as someone who would be a great asset for us here at UCSB with her knowledge and passion for lacrosse.”

“We are lucky to be able to retain her,” concludes Ramsey.

UCSB Women's Lacrosse is a Sports Club competing under the Department of Recreation at University of California, Santa Barbara. The program is a sport club but has an operating budget of approximately $110,000 per year. Approximately $26,000 comes from the Recreation Department in the form of regular season and post-season allocations as well as a fundraising matching allocation. The rest of the operating budget comes from donations and fundraising. UCSB is the two-time champion of the 32 member Western Women’s Lacrosse League (WWLL) and regularly finishes in the Top 5 in the nation in the Top 25 Poll of Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates (WDIA) of U.S. Lacrosse.