Julia Decker was named the Skyhawks head women's lacrosse coach on July 14, 2014. The 2016-17 marks Decker's third year at the helm.
In her first year at the helm, Decker and the Skyhawks finished the RMAC season with a 4-2 league record (9-5 overall), placing them third in the RMAC tournament where they fell to the eventual tournament champion, Regis University.
The 2016 season saw the Skyhawks finish the season with an 8-6 overall record. They earned the fourth seed in the conference tournament with a 4-3 mark. The Skyhawks season ended with a 16-8 setback to RMAC champion Lindenwood.
Decker joins the Skyhawks program after serving as the assistant women’s lacrosse coach at California State University-Fresno since 2012. As the assistant coach, Decker primarily coached the attack while offering assistance to defense and goalies when needed. This past season, she helped the Bulldogs to their first ever win against conference rival St. Mary’s. In 2013, Fresno State recorded season highs for most points, goals, goals per game, assists, shots, shots on goal and saves. She also directed and created marketing tools for on-campus camps and clinics; utilized and administrated social media, and coordinated team travel.
In the 2011-12 season, Decker held the role as head women’s lacrosse coach and Hilbert College in Hamburg, New York. At Hilbert, she built a first-year NCAA DIII program; communicating with over 300 recruits and coaching contacts. Her responsibilities included creating marketing tools and utilizing social media to help build the program, and develop and plan fundraisers.
Decker’s first college coaching experience came at SUNY Geneseo where she was an assistant lacrosse and field hockey coach from 2009-2011. At SUNY Geneseo, Decker assisted in the recruiting efforts, practice plans, scouting reports, pre-season workouts and video breakdown. She helped coach seven all-conference selections and two all-region selections.
Decker graduated cum laude from SUNY Brockport in December 2008 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. In 2012, she graduated from SUNY Brockport with a Master of Science degree in Physical Education-Athletic Administration. She was a member of the varsity women’s lacrosse team from 2005-2009 where she guided the team to the 2008 ECAC championship title. She also helped the Golden Eagles to the 2007 ECAC championship game, and to the SUNYAC finals in 2007 and 2008.
A team captain in 2009, Decker left SUNY Brockport second all-time in career points (204) and third all-time in goals (141) while adding 104 career draw controls. Decker earned All-SUNYAC honors in 2008 as an attacker, and she was named to the SUNYAC Commissioner’s Academic List in 2008 and the SUNYAC all-academic team in 2008 and 2009, while earning the 2009 Brockport women’s lacrosse Offensive Player of the Year honor.
Decker becomes the third head coach since Fort Lewis added women’s lacrosse as a varsity sport in 2009 (Kelley Queisser McPeak – 2009, 2010), Kelsey MacDonald (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014).
