Jenny Graap is being nominated as an exceptional athlete and an outstanding collegiate coach. A graduate of West Chester East High School, Jenny played 3 years of basketball and starred on both the field hockey and lacrosse teams, captaining both in her senior year.

At Cornell she earned eight varsity letters, was a four-time captain and Red Key Society member and was named 2nd Team All-Ivy in field hockey, and a regional All-American in lacrosse.

Her coaching career began at the Oak Knoll School in Summit, NJ where she served as a girl’s lacrosse coach in the spring of 1989 before taking a field hockey and lacrosse intern position at William Smith College. While pursuing her master’s degree at Penn State, she was an assistant lacrosse coach helping lead the Nittany Lions to 3 NCAA tournaments. She was hired as the inaugural coach at George Mason and in four years built that Division I program into a top 20 contender. In 1997 she returned to her alma mater where she revitalized the Big Red program, leading Cornell to its first ever NCAA semi-final in 2002.

Her career at Cornell spans an impressive 29 years, and she has garnered many honors including two regular season Ivy League championships, an Ivy League Tournament Championship, 9 Ivy Tournaments and 5 NCAA appearances.

Numerous recognitions for her players include 19 All-Americans, 5 Ivy League Players of the Year, 3 Academic All-Americans and 1 national Player of the Year finalist. She has reached post-season play 15 times. Jenny was named IWLCA National Coach of the year in 2002, IWLCA Northeast Coach of the year in 2002, 2006 and 2016, Inside Lacrosse Magazine Coach of the Year in 2006, and Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2017.

Jenny’s service to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association is extensive. She has been Vice President, chaired the Northeast All-Region Committee, Coach of the Year Committee and Rules & Games Management Committee to name a few. She has served on the NCAA selection committee, was NCAA rep for Division III championships and is currently a member of the Tewaaraton Committee selecting the nation’s top collegiate player.