MIDDLEBURY — Former Middlebury College All-American and three-sport Middlebury Union High School standout Kate Perine Livesay has been named Middlebury College’s new women’s lacrosse assistant coach.
Livesay’s hire, made public on May 29, came two days after longtime Panther head coach Missy Foote announced she would retire as the head coach of the program at the end of the 2015 season.
Livesay comes to Middlebury from NESCAC foe Trinity, where she served as the head coach for the past eight seasons, amassed a career record of 127-26, led her team to three consecutive NCAA Division III title games between 2012 and 2014, and saw the Bantams claim the 2012 crown.
The Middlebury native said she is excited to return to her roots.
“I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to return to Middlebury and start a new chapter in my coaching career,” said Livesay. “This move allows me to coach at my alma mater, and to be closer to my family, which is so important to me.”
Livesay arrived at Trinity as a graduate assistant coach for lacrosse and field hockey in the 2004-2005 school year and was appointed the school’s head women’s lacrosse coach in the summer of 2006. In her first season in 2007, Trinity won 12 games and returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1998 after a 5-9 mark the previous spring.
From 2010 to 2014, Trinity compiled an 84-10 record, including back-to-back 21-1 marks in 2012 and 2013. The Bantams won NESCAC crowns from 2011-2014.
Livesay was named NESCAC Coach of the Year four times, the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Regional Coach of the Year five times, and earned IWLCA National Coach of the Year honors in 2012.
Foote said she is happy Livesay will join her next season.
“I am thrilled that Kate has accepted the assistant coach position for this upcoming year,” said Foote. “I admired her work ethic and game intelligence when she was a Middlebury student-athlete and later when she became a formidable coaching opponent at Trinity. I am honored that we will stand together on the sidelines at Middlebury this year.”
Livesay earned a bachelor’s degree in American civilization at Middlebury, where she was a four-year starter in field hockey and lacrosse. She served as captain of both of those squads during her senior year, and was a member of the basketball team during her first two seasons. She earned her master’s degree in history from Trinity in 2007.
As a defender for the Middlebury lacrosse team, Livesay saw her team go 64-3 over her four seasons, while winning NCAA titles with perfect seasons in 2001 and 2002. The team won all three NESCAC Championships contested during her career and advanced to the NCAA final four in 2000 and the title game in 2003.
“I feel especially fortunate to have the opportunity to coach alongside Missy Foote in her final year on the sidelines,” said Livesay. “I’m eager to join such a prestigious athletic department, one that I have always respected and admired since my time as a student-athlete.”