G
iving back. That’s what brought Katie O’Donnell back to the college game.
The former Penn State All-American, Big Ten champion and final four participant returns to Happy Valley on Saturday, but this time as a first-year Lehigh assistant coach.
“It’s always great to be back in Happy Valley,” O’Donnell said. “It’s my home away from home. I’ll be in brown and white instead of blue and white, but that place holds a very special place in my heart, and those people hold a very special place in my heart.
“Just getting to compete against them will be awesome. It’s going to be a really fun game. No matter the outcome, it will be a good day.”
Since graduating from Penn State in 2018, O’Donnell has remained active in the sport, playing both for the U.S. national team and Women’s Professional Lacrosse League for the Command.
After a year out of the college game, she was drawn right back.
“I think sometimes, you have to leave something to realize how much you love it and miss it,” O’Donnell said. “I took a year off, worked corporate and stayed in the game on the youth side. Then, when [Lehigh head coach] Jill Redfern called, it was a no-brainer. The game has given me so much, and now it’s my opportunity to give back.”
O’Donnell has a connection to Lehigh, having known Redfern — a 2017 Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee — and having worked camps at Lehigh.
“I had always said I would absolutely coach for Jill Redfern and when she called, I said, 'Sign me up,'” said O’Donnell. “It seemed like a good move and the right move. I couldn’t be happier to be here.”