Lindsey Grundfast will be on the sideline for her third season as the head coach of the Earlham College women's lacrosse program in 2020-21, continuing toward her goal of building the Quakers into a conference champion and a player on the national stage.
Earlham's abbreviated 2020 campaign showed Grundfast had Earlham women's lacrosse well on that path, as the Quakers opened with a 4-1 record while outscoring their opponents by a 64 to 40 margin. Sophomore Claudette Roskamp was among NCAA Division III's top scorers at 12th in the nation in total goals (30) and fifth in goals per game (6.00).
In 2019, Grundfast's inaugural season as the Quakers' head coach, she guided Earlham women's lacrosse to a dramatic turnaround with a 11-6 overall record after the Quakers posted a 5-11 mark in the previous season. The Maroon and White went 5-1 in the Heartland Collegiate Lacrosse Conference (HCLC) in 2019, earning a berth in the HCLC Tournament as the no. 2 seed.
Seven players were recognized with All-HCLC honors, including first-year Claudette Roskamp who was also tabbed as the league's Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year. Roskamp finished the season ranked 15th among NCAA Division III leaders in total goals (83) and 14th in goals per game (4.88).
Grundfast was named Earlham's head women's lacrosse coach on August 15, 2018, after serving as the program's assistant during the 2017-18 season.
“Lindsey Grundfast played an integral role in the team’s development during its inaugural season, and I look forward to the program’s continued growth and development with Lindsey at the helm,” said Julie Kline, Earlham's senior director of athletics at the time of Grundfast's hiring. “There are always many challenges associated with getting a new program off the ground, but I know the search committee was impressed with how she approached those challenges over the past 12 months.
“That experience will serve Coach Grundfast well in this new role, and I look forward to working with her to ensure that the young women in our women’s lacrosse program enjoy a quality student-athlete experience at Earlham College,” said Kline.
During Earlham’s 2018 campaign, the Quakers’ first since 2003, Grundfast helped guide Earlham to a 5-11 overall record including a 4-7 mark in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference. However, the Quakers finished the season with three-straight victories, gaining some momentum they hope to carry into the 2019 slate.
A former goalie in her collegiate playing career, Grundfast was also responsible for mentoring first year Jordan Blackburne to a conference-leading 177 total saves in 2018. Blackburne, who was second in the ORLC with 11.06 saves per game, checked in at 31st and 38th respectively among NCAA Division III statistical leaders in those two categories.
The 2017-18 academic year marked Grundfast’s return to collegiate coaching, after previously serving as an assistant coach at SUNY New Paltz in 2011. More recently, she coached girls’ lacrosse at the Pinkerton Academy (Derry, N.H.) in 2016-17, while also coaching girls’ basketball at Bishop Guertin High School (Nashua, N.H.). Grundfast has also coached club lacrosse for several clubs since 2014, including the Bloomington (Ind.) Girls’ Lacrosse Club in 2014.
As a player, Grundfast started all four years at NCAA Division II Dominican College (N.Y.) as a goalie. She ranked among the top 10 in the nation in saves per game in 2008 and 2009. A three-year captain, Grundfast ranks first in career saves (629) at Dominican as well as second in career saves per game (12.84).
Grundfast graduated from Dominican in 2010 with a degree in mathematics and adolescence education. She went on to complete a Master of Science in Education from SUNY New Paltz in 2012.
Updated: April 22, 2020
