WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Bowen Holden, an outstanding professional with 25 years of combined coaching experience at the national, collegiate and high school levels, has been named head coach of the Williams College women's lacrosse team and will begin her appointment on Monday, June 15, as announced by Ephs' Director and Chair of Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation Lisa Melendy.

Holden spent seven years from 2005-12 as the leading voice of the women's lacrosse program at NCAA Division I Boston College and also won a national championship as an assistant coach at NESCAC and Division III institution Middlebury during the 2026 season. Her passions center around program development, mentorship, recruitment and team performance. She has an abundance of experience in coaching championship teams, managing high-level lacrosse programs and fostering a holistic student-athlete experience on and off the field.

"I am pleased to announce Bowen Holden as the next women's lacrosse coach at Williams College," said Melendy. "She comes to us with a great depth of experience and lacrosse knowledge, coupled with an understanding of what it means to be a scholar-athlete. The committee was impressed with her thoughtful approach to coaching women's lacrosse in the academically challenging and competitive conference of the NESCAC."

Holden takes over an Ephs' squad that reached the NCAA Division III Tournament for the seventh time in program history and first time since 2014 under the guidance of interim head coach Alix Barrale '93 in 2026. The unit won three games on the national stage and earned a spot in the Elite Eight for the fourth time in team history.

This past spring, Middlebury went 23-0 overall and 10-0 in the NESCAC, defeating NESCAC-rivals Tufts, 10-9, in overtime and Wesleyan, 8-6, during the national semifinals and championship game, respectively. Holden was heavily involved in all facets of the program operations, including practice planning, player development, recruiting and game strategy execution.

"Thank you to Lisa Melendy and the entire hiring committee for the opportunity to lead the Williams women's lacrosse program," said Holden. "It became crystal clear in this process that Williams is committed to supporting the program in the right way and the student-athletes are eager to raise the bar. I also want to thank Kate Livesay, Amy Patton and Olivia Seymour at Middlebury for their incredible support over the last year. Lastly, thank you to my family, particularly my husband, three children and parents for being my biggest supporters and encouraging me to keep following my dreams. We all look forward to getting to know the Williams College community and, most of all, the young women who make up the team I now have the honor to lead."

At Boston College, she powered the program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in the 2011 season. During her final three years with the Eagles, the group recorded winning records and double-digit victories in every season. Holden coached three All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) award winners, including the first four-time honoree in ACC and BC history.

Furthermore, Holden served in roles as an associate head coach and assistant coach of the women's lacrosse program at Georgetown University from 2002-05. She enjoyed immense success, as the program earned four consecutive Big East titles and NCAA Tournament bids, while reaching two Final Fours and one national championship game in 2002.

Holden was an assistant coach for the United States Women's National Lacrosse Team from 2009-15, as the unit garnered the gold medal at the World Cup in 2013 and a silver medal at the world championship in 2015. From 2013-17, she was the head girls' lacrosse coach at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School where she graduated in 1997. She propelled the squad to a pair of Dual County League Championships and an East Division Finalist distinction in 2015.

She worked as the girls' head lacrosse coach (2021-25), head alpine skiing coach (2017-25) and in a variety of admissions roles (2018-24) at Green Mountain Valley School in Waitsfield, Vermont. Holden was the 2017 Waterville Valley Black & Blue Trail Smashers (WVBBTS) Alpine Coach of the Year, and during 2021 and 2025, the lacrosse program was Vermont state champions.

She was the general manager for the Boston Storm of the United Women's Lacrosse League (2015-16) and the head coach of girls' lacrosse at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (2012-13).

Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts in physics from Georgetown in 2001 and furthered her education with a Master of Public Policy in education, family and social policy from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute in 2006. She was a three-year member (1999-01) of the Georgetown women's lacrosse team and played one season at NESCAC institution Bowdoin (1998).

She was a United States Women's National Lacrosse Team member (1999-02), NCAA Division I Goalkeeper of the Year (2001), NCAA District of Columbia Woman of the Year (2001), two-time Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division I National All-American (2000-01), three-time IWLCA Division I Regional All-American (1999-01) and IWLCA Division III Regional All-American (1998).

During her senior year in 2001, she was a team captain and collected the Robert A. Duffey Scholar-Athlete honor, an award annually given to the one senior student-athlete who best embodies academic and athletic excellence at Georgetown. Holden was inducted into the Georgetown Hall of Fame in 2023.