Leclerc Named as next Head Field Hockey Coach

CHICOPEE, MA- The Elms College Athletic Department is pleased to announce Katelynn Leclerc as its next Head Field Hockey Coach. The former defensive standout STUDENT-athlete from American International College (AIC)  will make her debut in the fall. 

The Holyoke, MA native graduated from Holyoke High School in 2016 as a three-sport athlete and was a four-year varsity starter and a two-year captain for their field hockey program. Leclerc was the first field hockey athlete to collect 100 points and led Western Massachusetts in points for women's field hockey in her senior season. After high school, she joined the AIC athletic family and continued her field hockey career as a Yellow Jacket for four years.

During her time as a STUDENT-athlete at AIC, Leclerc graduated in 2020 with her undergraduate degree in Graphic Design and Communications with a double minor in Photography and Marketing. She finished out her field hockey career playing in 70 games, recording two goals and three assists. The defender left her mark on the field, finishing her career as third all-time in defensive saves at AIC. In her senior season, Leclerc was named the program's captain and helped lead her team to a winning season.  Other achievements include being named to the National Academic Squad 4 times, Second Team All-Conference in her senior season, National Defensive Player of the Week senior season, and was named the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Week to finish out her final season with the Yellow Jackets. Leclerc was also part of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Executive Board and was a nominee for the National Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2019. 

Prior to joining the Blazer Family, Leclerc stayed connected to the AIC field hockey program as a Graduate Assistant Coach for the 2021-22 academic year. That season was highly successful as the Yellow Jackets were nationally ranked in the fall of 2021. Leclerc graduated with her Masters in Business Administration in 2022. 

She is an experienced field hockey coach who has been a role model for club teams over 7 years of active coaching and worked various summer field hockey camps over the years.

"I would like to thank Athletic Director Dr. Michael Theulen along with the athletic staff for the opportunity to be the Head Field Hockey Coach at Elms. I am looking forward to maximizing the talent of this program and continuing to establish a culture of high academic and athletic excellence" - Leclerc

The Blazer athletic family and department is thrilled to have Leclerc join and to see all that she is going to add to our field hockey program in the coming 2023-24 academic year!

"The Elms College Blazer Athletic Family is proud to have added a coach of Katelynn's talent and energy to our highly-respected coaching staff.  Her STUDENT-athlete philosophy, teamwork approach, and work ethic is a great fit and she will undoubtedly hit the ground running!  Our STUDENT-athletes will benefit from having Katelynn as a role model, as evidenced by her own stellar career as a STUDENT-athlete leader." - Michael Theulen