Aug. 11, 2005
Lizzy Lemire, the 2001 BIG EAST Player of the Year and former U.S. National Softball Team Member, has returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach for the University of Notre Dame softball team. Lemire joins Deanna Gumpf’s staff as the second assistant, as Kris Ganeff has moved into the first assistant position after former assistant coach Charmelle Green switches to a position in the University’s student-athlete development office.
Lemire, a 2001 Notre Dame graduate, was a team captain on the most successful squad in Irish softball history. As the BIG EAST Player of the Year in ’01, Lemire led the team to a 54-7 overall record, a No. 7 ranking in the national polls and the program’s first number-one seed in the NCAA Championship.
As a senior in ’01, Lemire hit .324 (including .383 in BIG EAST play) with 38 RBI, 10 stolen bases and three home runs. She currently shares the single-season record for doubles (hitting 17 in ’99) with current Irish sophomore Katie Laing. Lemire’s career numbers included a .332 average, 28 stolen bases, 126 RBI, nine home runs and 43 doubles, in addition to leaving a legacy as one of the best defensive outfielders in Notre Dame history.
Lemire’s senior class compiled a .738 winning percentage at Notre Dame (177-63) with two BIG EAST championships, four BIG EAST regular-season titles and three consecutive NCAA regional appearances.
After her graduation from Notre Dame (with a degree in sociology and computer applications) she earned a spot on the U.S. National Softball Team. Lemire was selected for the USA Red team, which participated in the 2001 U.S. Cup in Hawaii. The USA Red steamrolled the competition with four consecutive victories on the way to earning the tournament title, with significant help from the Irish alumnus. Lemire contributed an RBi and stolen base in the team’s victory over Australia (3-0) in the third round and also went one for two in the gold medal victory (4-0) over China.
The USA Red eventually met the USA Blue in the 2001 Canada Cup, getting the best of the split U.S. national team 3-2 in the semifinals. Former Irish players Jennifer Sharron and Jarrah Myers were members of the USA Blue.
After her time with the U.S. National Team, Lemire returned to Notre Dame as a compliance and business/legal affairs intern in the athletic department from August 2001 through July of 2002. She moved on to the University of Massachusetts as a compliance office graduate assistant, earning a master’s degree in sports management in September of 2003. While at UMass, she was a volunteer assistant for the varsity softball team, coordinating team travel and working with the team’s outfielders.
In June of 2003, Lemire moved on to Boston College as an intern in the athletic department office. After working through several different projects with the BC development office, Lemire was hired at Stanford University as an Annual Giving Associate in April of 2004.