The university’s longest tenured coach, Shannon LeBlanc continues her legacy in 2025, as she is in her 24th year at the helm of the UMass Lowell field hockey program. Backed by a resume that includes a pair of NCAA Division II Championships (2005, 2010) and eight Northeast-10 Conference Tournament titles (2003-07; 2010-12), LeBlanc led her alma mater through the transition to become a full-fledged Division I program and win a share of their first ever America East Regular-Season Championship with a 7-1 league mark in 2023. As the winningest multi-year coach in program history, she has amassed a career record of 297-166 (.641) with a final Division II record of 200-50 (.800).
LeBlanc has led her players to All-Conference honors a combined 99 times throughout her career and All-America recognition 41 times during the team’s dominant Division II era. At the Division I level, LeBlanc has coached 23 America East All-Conference and 19 All-Rookie Team selections, including Alissia de Vries and Marie Oliemans, who were named the 2023 America East Defensive Player and Rookie of the Year, respectively. de Vries also became LeBlanc’s first DI All-American in 2023. Her student-athletes have garnered NFHCA DI All-Region nods nine times. Her “excellence in all areas” vision has also included 20 America East All-Academic selections and 160 NFHCA National Academic Squad recipients. LeBlanc has coached several Hall of Fame athletes, as well, including the entire 2005 and 2010 squads, in addition to Patrice Mendoza, Joanna Daluze and Sammy Macy individually.
In 2015-16, LeBlanc coached Kelly Freitas to UMass Lowell’s first and only America East Woman of the Year title. She has also coached seven Chancellor’s Medalists, the highest honor bestowed at commencement, in Molly Clay (2010), Vanessa Kent (2014), Kelly Freitas (2016), Georgia Cowderoy (2017), Lindsey Kilpatrick (2022), Megan Salsinha (2023) and Cate Kleeman (2025). Clara Defourt '21 was also selected to attend the prestigious NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in April 2020.
LeBlanc has been committed to development during her tenure, as her program has raised the most money among UMass Lowell athletic programs in each of the last five years. Additionally, she has raised a total of $500,000 over the past 15 years, which has allowed her teams to travel to Bermuda twice in 2006 and 2011, and Portugal in the spring of 2023.
With 10 consecutive NCAA Division II Tournament bids, eight of which culminated in a championship game appearance, she was a four-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II Coach of the Year (2003, 2005, 2007, 2010), seven-time Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) Coach of the Year and six-time NFHCA Division II North Coach of the Year. Following unprecedented success in the 2023 season, LeBlanc and her staff were honored with America East Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the first time ever.
The River Hawks went an unprecedented, 9-0 at home in 2024 en route to a 10-8 overall record and a 3-3 America East mark. The team’s steadfast performance at home was highlighted by knocking off two Power Four opponents. LeBlanc led UMass Lowell into the DI National Rankings for the second consecutive year, as well. de Vries and Madison Leeper both garnered All-Region accolades for the second year in a row.
In 2023, the team set new Division I program records for total wins (14) and conference wins (7), and earned a share of the America East regular-season title for the first time ever. Other Division I program records set in 2023 include most home wins (11), longest home win streak (8), longest overall win streak (7) and wins against ranked opponents (2). UMass Lowell cracked the national rankings for the first time as a Division I program at No. 18 on September 26 and remained consistently ranked among the best in the nation (as high as No. 17) throughout the regular season.
The 2022 season was a decorated one, as well, as the squad finished 12-7 overall, marking the River Hawks’ third straight winning season. In conference play, the team set a new bar with a then-program-best 6-2 record in America East play to tie UAlbany for a historic second-place finish in the regular-season standings and clinch the No. 3 seed for the America East Championship for the first time ever. Six members of the team earned America East All-Conference honors for their efforts, including Jenna Berger, who was named to the First Team. Berger and de Vries also received 2022 NFHCA Division I All-Northeast Region accolades. Berger became the River Hawks’ first Division I All-Region First Team selection, while de Vries earned a spot on the Second Team.
In the fall of 2021, the program continued off the success they found in the spring, posting a record of 9-7, including a 7-1 record in non-conference play. Jenna Berger was named to the America East All-Conference First Team, while Maxine Van Havere was named to the All-Rookie team. Three River Hawks also earned a spot on the America East All-Academic team.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic moving the 2020 season to the spring of 2021, the program saw historic success, including a 7-5 overall record, which marked the team's best winning percentage (.583) since transitioning to Division I in 2013. The squad capped off the regular season with a thrilling, 3-2 win against No. 16 Stanford to finish the year with its most America East wins ever, going 5-3 in conference play. With that performance, UMass Lowell earned a berth into the postseason for the first time since 2017. Four River Hawks garnered All-Conference honors to close out the year, including Eleonore Boekhorst, who became the team's first major award winner at the DI level, as she was named America East Goalkeeper of the Year
LeBlanc’s squad went 8-10 overall in 2018 with a 2-5 mark in America East play. Under her leadership, goalkeeper Eva Berkhout logged the team’s first back-to-back shutouts since 2012. Katie Lynes was named to the league’s East Division All-Conference squad, while Jenna Berger earned an All-Rookie Team nod.
The veteran coach guided the River Hawks to a 9-11 overall record in 2017. The squad also put together a 3-5 showing in America East Conference play to match its then-best performance in the league rankings. The 2017 season featured a program-high seven overtime games, as the River Hawks came out on top in five of those decisions, including their first ever victory against a nationally ranked DI opponent with a 2-1 upset against then-No. 18 UAlbany on September 29. The team then hosted its first America East Championship at Wicked Blue Field. Christa Doiron, who earned AE All-Conference honors for the second consecutive year, became the program’s first Division I All-Region selection. She was joined by Anouk Lalande on the East Division All-Conference Team, while Sophie Gehrels and Katie Lynes garnered All-Rookie Team recognition.
In 2016, LeBlanc led her squad to an 8-11 finish, including a program-best, 3-5 mark in league games, which earned the team a berth into its first ever America East Championship. Anouk Lalande was named to the East Division All-Conference Team, as well as the All-Rookie Team. Christa Doiron joined Lalande on the All-Conference Team, while Eva Berkhout garnered an All-Rookie Team selection. Annie Villare became the first River Hawk to be named to the America East All-Championship Team, as well.
The River Hawks finished 5-14 in 2015, including the best start of the Division I era with four consecutive wins to open the season. Sophie Watt closed her career as the River Hawks’ first two-time America East All-Conference pick, garnering a Second Team nod.
The 2014 season was the squad’s final year of its two-year transition, during which UMass Lowell turned in a 6-13 overall record with three overtime victories and its first DI road win at Quinnipiac. Watt was named to the All-America East First Team, good for another program first, while the team’s leading scorer, Bianca Jones earned a spot on the Second Team. Kelsey Federico, who led the league with 143 saves, also received AE All-Rookie Team honors. In 2013 (2-16, 1-4), the squad’s inaugural DI year, two of LeBlanc’s student-athletes were named to the conference’s All-Rookie Team.
UMass Lowell concluded its Division II membership with a 19-4 campaign in 2012, including its third consecutive NE-10 Tournament title and sixth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance. Two members of LeBlanc's 2012 squad were honored as All-Americans.
Named head coach in December of 2001, LeBlanc led the River Hawks to a 9-9 clip in 2002 and into the NE-10 Tournament – the team’s first-ever postseason bid. Just one year later, UMass Lowell went 15-8, captured the NE-10 Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Championship game where it fell to Bloomsburg University (4-1).
The 2003 NCAA Championship game was the first of eight title game appearances in 10 years, coupled with semifinal showings in 2004 and 2006. On the eve of the 2003 NE-10 Tournament Championship, LeBlanc became the third field hockey player inducted into the UMass Lowell Athletic Hall of Fame.
Outside of coaching, LeBlanc served on the NFHCA Hall of Fame Committee from 2008-10 and was formerly Northeast Region chair of the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Committee and the NFHCA Division II All-American Committee. She also served two years on the NFHCA North-South All-Star Game Committee and was named head coach of the North Region squad in 2004 and 2005.
LeBlanc served as the director of the Northeast Field Hockey Camp at The Governor's Academy in Newbury, Mass. for 16 years. She is now the co-director of the Wild Hawk Academy in Chelmsford, Mass.
Over the span of her collegiate playing career (1994-98), LeBlanc amassed 33 goals and 29 assists (formerly a school record), putting her eighth on the River Hawks’ all-time scoring list. She played an integral role in helping her squad improve to a 15-4 record in 1997, up from a 5-15 clip the previous year. That year, she totaled 19 assists in 19 matches (1.00), which still stands as a Division II record for assists per game.
A two-year captain, LeBlanc was twice named to the NFHCA All-America Team and was named the 1997-98 NCAA Woman of the Year for the state of Massachusetts.
LeBlanc's prowess carried over to the classroom as she earned a spot on the NFHCA National Academic Squad three times. She was also named a GTE Academic All-American and was co-chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
LeBlanc moved on to earn her master's degree in higher education at Arizona State in 2000 where she served as a graduate assistant for student-athlete development.
She was appointed to an assistant athletic director role at UMass Lowell from 2011-13 until the institution began its Division I transition period.
