First Named Varsity Women’s Assistant Coaching Position Endowed at Colby
A gift to the Dare Northward campaign creates the McVey Family Women’s Lacrosse Assistant Coach position in perpetuity
Colby will create its first named varsity assistant coaching position in women’s athletics thanks to a generous donation to the Dare Northward campaign.
With a $1-million gift from Trustee Emeritus Rick McVey, the McVey Family Women’s Lacrosse Fund will create and support the endowed coaching position for women’s lacrosse. In recognition, Colby will name the assistant women’s lacrosse coach in honor of the McVey family as the McVey Family Women’s Lacrosse Assistant Coach. It will be named in perpetuity and celebrated as the first endowed varsity women’s assistant coaching position at Colby.
Amanda DeMartino, the Harold Alfond Director of Athletics, thanked the McVey family for the gift and said it will allow Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach Karen Henning to sustain the success she has built over her 18-year career at Colby.
“This is an important and groundbreaking gift for Colby, and we are so grateful to the McVey family for their generosity in supporting the student-athlete experience,” DeMartino said. “First and foremost, this gift allows us to always be able to recruit and retain the highest quality coaches to support Karen and her efforts to teach and mentor student athletes. It represents the kind of culture that Coach Henning has built and will continue to build, and it provides a level of support that allows us to sustain the position for years to come.”
McVey, whose daughters played lacrosse at Colby, established the fund to ensure the program has resources for continued excellence and growth. Lane McVey Goggin ’12 and Grace McVey McIvor ’16 both had excellent experiences as student athletes at Colby. Goggin was the recipient of the Patty Valavanis Award for the Colby senior women’s athlete who demonstrates the qualities of academic and athletic excellence, personal leadership, and sportsmanship.
‘Karen Henning’s leadership of the Colby women’s lacrosse team has created a winning tradition and a recent NCAA Final Four appearance for the Mules. We are thrilled to support Karen and the Colby women’s lacrosse program to ensure she has the coaching staff required to continue this record of excellence.’
Trustee Emeritus Rick McVey
Women’s lacrosse has been consistently successful over time, compiling a record of 301-125 since 2000. The team, which set a program record for wins with 17, finished ranked No. 4 in the country last season and advanced to the NCAA Final Four. It has made it as far as the NCAA Elite Eight seven times since 2010 and won three NESCAC titles. Two of those conference titles came in 2008 and 2009, when Lane played on the team.
“Karen Henning’s leadership of the Colby women’s lacrosse team has created a winning tradition and a recent NCAA Final Four appearance for the Mules. We are thrilled to support Karen and the Colby women’s lacrosse program to ensure she has the coaching staff required to continue this record of excellence,” said McVey, who is the founder and former CEO of financial technology firm MarketAxess.
‘An incredible journey’
“Being a college athlete under Karen was an incredible journey that shaped me both on and off the field. I am grateful for every challenge, every victory, and every lesson learned along the way,” said Goggin. “I’m proud to have represented Colby and my team, and I look forward to supporting Karen and Colby women’s lacrosse for many years to come.”
Henning said the endowed assistant coaching position will strengthen the program on the field and in the locker room, and it will help her attract top student athletes and coaching candidates.
“Since I’ve been at Colby, our most valuable asset has been our strong assistant coaches. Their knowledge and the extra support they provide allow us to help more student athletes reach their potential and our team to compete at the highest level,” Henning said. “For over 15 years, the McVey family has made it possible to hire and retain some of the best assistants in the country, and because of this gift, their impact will now be felt for generations.”
The gift to establish the McVey Family Women’s Lacrosse Fund is the McVey family’s latest contribution to Colby’s long-term success in the classroom and on the field. In 2024 McVey made a $10-million gift to establish the McVey Center for Computational and Data Sciences. The center will speed scientific discovery, provide a leading-edge educational program, and support the use of computational tools and methods across the College’s curriculum.
