Keene State women's lacrosse coach Katie Arsenault begins her fourth season at the helm for the Owls and will have to mix-and-match a young KSC team with only two starters back from last season after their run to the NCAA Tournament.

After garnering the ECAC Championship in 2010, the Owls wanted more in 2011, and captured the program's second Little East Conference Championship, both under the direction of Arsenault, with a 15-8 victory on the road against Eastern Conn. State for the conferenec crown.

KSC, who finished 2010 with a program record 14 wins (5-1 LEC), earned the Little East Conference regular season crown for the first time in school history but was bounced out of the LEC Tournament in the semifinal round.

Arsenault welcomes back only three seniors after the departure of Lauren Sawyer and Jamie Albert. Sawyer and Albert combined for 172 points on 86 goals and 86 assists. Sawyer, a third team All-ECAC selection, finished the regular season with 23 goals, a school record 60 assists, and 83 points.  She broke her own mark with nine assists in a game against Colby-Sawyer and added to her record for assists (154) in a career. Her 60 assists tied her for the top spot in Division III while her 3.3 assists per game average was third-best in the country.

Arsenault couldn't have asked for a better first season as head coach of the Keene State women's lacrosse team in 2009. In addition to claiming its first-ever Little East crown and NCAA berth, the Owls established program records for consecutive wins (eight) and LEC victories in a season (five), while also setting enough school marks to fill the nets at Owl Athletic Complex.  

Arsenault, a native of Wayland, Mass., brought a strong playing and coaching background to her position.  Prior to joining the KSC program, she spent two seasons as an assistant at her alma mater, Colby-Sawyer College.  Arsenault was a three-time All-Conference defender for the Chargers.  Arsenault also played four varsity seasons at Wayland (Mass.) High School where she was selected as a conference All-Star and defensive MVP as a senior.

Setting about the task of putting her stamp on the program, Arsenault looks to build on the past three season's success and establish the Owls as perennial contenders for the conference championship.