Jess Fugate joined the Colgate staff as an assistant women’s lacrosse coaching in July 2016.
Fugate arrived after serving the 2016 season in the same position at Vermont. She worked primarily with the Catamount attack, midfield and draw specialists, while also assisting with daily practice planning and implementation.
“We are very excited to welcome Jess to our Raider Family,” head coach Heather Young said. “Her knowledge, recruiting connections, work ethic and creative thinking are going to be great additions to our staff. We can't wait to get her on campus and settled in to Hamilton.”
Fugate jumped into the coaching profession in 2014 and spent two years as a graduate assistant at Edinboro. She was involved in all facets of the Fighting Scots program and also earned her master’s degree in the process.
“I am truly honored to be given the opportunity to work at an elite university and teach the sport I love to talented student-athletes,” Fugate said. “I look forward to helping Heather and Katie build their successful women's lacrosse program and achieve their goals.
“I am excited to be joining the Colgate community, and I’m eager to get started!”
The former Gannon women's lacrosse standout is a native of Wooster, Ohio. Fugate earned IWLCA All-America honors in 2012 and was a three-time All-Region performer for the Golden Knights. The PSAC Western Division Freshman of the Year in 2010, she went on to earn PSAC All-Conference honors over her final three seasons and was named Most Valuable Athlete of the 2013 IWLCA Div. II North-South Senior All-Star Game.
Fugate scored 182 goals in 73 games and finished her career at Gannon with 285 points. She graduated fifth among the Knight's all-time leaders in points, and was eighth in both goals and assists.
Gannon advanced to the playoffs all four years and went 46-26-1 during Fugate's playing career. She played in 73 games with 71 starts, adding 146 ground balls, 196 draw controls and 68 caused turnovers.
Fugate graduated from Gannon with a degree in sport management and marketing in 2013. She earned her master's in communication sciences from Edinboro in 2015.
