Written by Isaac Strand

Since Coach Russell Allen stepped foot on the Concordia University Chicago (CUC) campus as head coach of the Women’s Lacrosse team, the program has been a part of unprecedented success, knocking off countless records both as a team and in the individual box score. The team finished the season with a winning record, something that was yet to be seen by this team. In addition, four players were selected for post-season all-conference awards, and four seniors were nationally recognized for their success academically. Since Coach Allen has taken over the team at CUC, there has been a clear culture change for the program, and it may have started long before he first took this coaching job.

Russell Allen grew up in Connecticut, where he was successful soccer and lacrosse player through high school and into college. He was recruited for both soccer and lacrosse by Medaille College in Buffalo, despite only really looking to play lacrosse. Unfortunately, early in his career, he suffered a catastrophic knee injury that derailed his playing career, but he decided he couldn’t be done with the sport he loved. While watching from the sideline and learning from his soccer coach, he decided he wanted to coach, leading him to high school lacrosse.

However, while once again not particularly searching for a college coaching opportunity, he was recruited again by Medaille College, this time to coach the women’s lacrosse team. While at Medaille, he looked at his old college soccer coach as a mentor, especially in recruiting. Early on, because of his old coach, he realized that recruiting was a major strength of his and explained, “I learned from him that to recruit, you had to be relentless. I actually learned that when he was trying to recruit me, he called me all the time and kept in contact, so that’s kind of what I try to do when I really want someone to play for me.”

He experienced a lot of success coaching at Medaille College, leaving with an overall record of 44-22 and was named the 2018 Conference Coach of the Year. Despite his great success at Medaille College, Allen said, “I really wanted to start up a program and create a great thing myself, and I saw that opportunity here at Concordia (CUC).” With a new opportunity at CUC, he wasted no time getting to work.

In Coach Allen’s first season as head coach, the women’s lacrosse team at CUC finished 9-6, breaking the previous record for wins in a season, which previously sat at six.

Seniors Anna Kellar, Sydney Fuller, and Margaret Doane led the way for this team, and when he asked what it was like coaching them, Allen simply said, “Those girls really were here from the very beginning, and went through a lot before seeing success last season.”

With many new faces this season, and many familiar faces having graduated, Allen is embracing this coming season, knowing that for many players, they have to start at ground zero. Of his new players, he stated, “It definitely comes with its challenges, both for me and the girls, but they’re really been working hard to get better each day.”

With players like Kellar, Fuller, and Doane no longer on the roster, Allen feels like there are players that are looking to step up in their former role, and believes that they can absolutely fill those shoes, saying, “The Cyrwus sisters have really stepped up among others, and I’m expecting a huge year from both of them.”

The Women’s Lacrosse team begins their season Spring 2020, where they look to continue to build off of their historic campaign.