Karen MacCrate Henning, who won national titles as a player and coach, is in her 12th season as head coach of the women's lacrosse team in the 2018-19 academic year.
Henning led Colby to its third NESCAC title in the 2017 season. The Mules finished in a four-way tie for first place during the regular season. Colby beat Middlebury in the NESCAC semifinals and then Trinity in the championship game.
In her first 11 seasons, Henning has led the Mules to eight NCAA tournament appearances, including four national quarterfinal berths. She helped the Mules win the program's first New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) title in 2008, then led the team to another league title in 2009. The Mules also made the NESCAC title game in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. She earned the New England Pilgrim Region and NESCAC Coach of the Year honor in her first year. Colby is 144-54 in Henning's 11 seasons.
The Mules made the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history after a semifinal win over Middlebury and a title game victory against Trinity in the NESCAC tournament in 2008. She also earned New England Region coaching honors in her second year as the Mules once again made the national tournament. Despite falling in the NESCAC title game in 2010 and 2011, the Mules made it further in the NCAA tournament than any Colby team in the past by reaching the NCAA quarterfinals.
Henning reached 200 career wins during the 2014 season and has a 247-75 overall record as a head coach. She has a staggering 77 percent winning percentage in her coaching career. Henning was inducted into the Long Island Metropolitan Lacrosse Foundation (LIMLF) in February 2011 for her playing and coaching career.
Henning was hired as C.W. Post's first women's lacrosse coach in June 1999. She was named the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II National Coach of the Year after the championship seasons in 2001 and 2007. Henning's teams made seven NCAA tournament appearances and wn an ECAC title in 2005. Henning had four Division II Players of the Year and 10 IWLCA All-Americans at C.W. Post.
Henning was a student assistant coach for Maryland in 1997 and helped the coaching staff lead the Terrapins to another national title. Henning moved on to Dartmouth College for two years as an assistant coach in 1998 and 1999. She helped the Big Green to two Ivy League titles, two NCAA appearances, and a record of 24-8.
Henning has achieved success throughout her lacrosse career. She was an attacker for the University of Maryland, which won national titles in 1995 and 1996 and finished unbeaten in both seasons. Henning was an NCAA Division I First Team All-American in 1995 and 1996 and finished her career with 78 goals and 76 assists for 154 points. Maryland had a 61-3 record during Henning's four seasons.
Henning was a member of the United State National and Development teams from 1995 to 1998.
In the summer of 2016, Henning worked as an assistant coach for the Boston Storm of the United Women's Lacrosse League, the first professional league for women's lacrosse in the U.S. In their first season, the Storm played for the league championship.
Renee Olsen enters her fourth year as an assistant coach for the Colby women's lacrosse team in the 2018-19 academic year.
Olsen helped the Mules win the NESCAC title in the 2017 season and make the NCAA tourney.
Olsen, a 2015 graduate of Trinity, played in four straight NCAA tourney championship games.
Olsen, a captain for last year's 2015 Trinity national runner-up team, won a national title as a first-year and then helped the Bantams finish second in the country her last three seasons. She finished her career with 52 goals and 15 assists, starting out as a midfielder before moving to attack.
Olsen has made mission trips to South Africa and the Dominican Republic. She also was part of a Habitat for Humanity building project in Argentina. Olsen was an inner-city lacrosse coach in Hartford during her four years at Trinity.
Kelsey Howard, a former two-sport athlete at Bentley University, is a new assistant coach for the Colby College women's lacrosse team for the 2018-19 academic year.
Howard played lacrosse and field hockey at Bentley, an NCAA Division II athletics program. Howard earned Intercollegiate Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Region honors, was a Northeast-10 Conference all-league selection, and earned conference all-academic honors during her time at Bentley. She was Bentley's NCAA Woman of the Year nominee and a captain for both teams.
"We are so excited to have Kelsey join our staff," Colby head coach Karen Henning said. "She was a competitive two-sport athlete in college and brings a wealth of experience both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. She is positive, energetic, and committed to making Colby women's lacrosse the best it can be."
Howard, who earned her bachelor's and master's degrees at Bentley, was part of the New England Lacrosse D1 Elite Team in 2017. The squad competed in the World Cup Lacrosse Festival in England. Howard also was invited to participate in the 2018 festival in Germany.
A native of Scarborough, Maine, Howard has been a lacrosse coach for the Maineiax youth team since 2012. She is the current coach for the 2020 and 2021 graduating classes. Howard coached the 2016 class in all facets of lacrosse through their graduation, with nine of the 15 players now playing at the collegiate level.
A midfielder at Scarborough High School, Howard played attacker, defender, and in the midfield at Bentley. She was a two-time high school All-American, twice earned all-state honors, and played on three state championship squads.