FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Women's Lacrosse Head Coach Laura Field has announced the addition of Kelly Horning '21 as an Assistant Coach. Horning was the first All-American in program history and a four-time MAAC Champion as a student-athlete with the Stags.
 
"Kelly has two Fairfield degrees, was a standout student-athlete here for five seasons, and has coached alongside a Fairfield alumna for the past three years," said Field. "She is a terrific person and coach who has a genuine love for our university and our program. There are no better representatives of Fairfield Women's Lacrosse than Kelly and Caroline [Mangan '22] as players and as people, and I am thrilled to have them on staff."
 
Horning returns to Fairfield after beginning her coaching career at the Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart as an assistant for Kristen Coleman McDaniel '11 – a Fairfield Athletics Hall of Famer and the Stags' all-time leader in points (257) and goals (186). The duo led Stone Ridge School to three consecutive Independent School League Championships and multiple national rankings.
 
Horning was also an elementary school teacher in Bethesda, Md.
 
As a student-athlete from 2018-22, Horning graduated as Fairfield's all-time leader in ground balls (220) and caused turnovers (131). She also ranks third in career goals (146) and is tied for fifth in points (189) by a Stag. Horning was an IWLCA All-America Honorable Mention in 2022, a two-time IWLCA All-Region pick, a three-time All-MAAC First Team selection and the 2021 MAAC Midfielder of the Year.
 
Horning was 11-0 in MAAC postseason games in her career, leading Fairfield to four MAAC Championships. She was tabbed for the MAAC All-Championship Team in all four of those seasons, netting the overtime game-winner in the 2019 MAAC Championship Game and earning Championship MVP laurels in 2022.
 
A 2021 Fairfield graduate with a B.S. in Sociology, Horning also earned an M.A. in Elementary Education from Fairfield in 2022.