Kelly Lickert-Orr was named Cortland’s women’s lacrosse head coach in September 2014. Last season, Lickert-Orr guided the Red Dragons to their six straight NCAA Div. III “Final Four” and 18th consecutive State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) crown. Cortland opened the season with a school-record 21 victories in a row before falling in the national semifinals. The team featured three first team All-Americans, the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Div. III Midfielder of the Year, as well as the SUNYAC Player of the Year and the Inside Lacrosse Div. III Co-Rookie of the Year.
In her first year at Cortland, Lickert-Orr led the Red Dragons to a 22-1 record and their first-ever NCAA Div. III national title, defeating top-ranked Trinity College (Conn.), 17-6, in the championship game at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. Lickert-Orr was named the SUNYAC Coach of the Year and the IWLCA Div. III National Coach of the Year. Two of her players earned All-America recognition, including the IWLCA Div. III Midfielder of the Year, and the Red Dragons boasted the SUNYAC Player of the Year.
Prior to Cortland, Lickert-Orr served as women’s lacrosse head coach from 2011-14 at Keuka College, where she posted a 52-11 overall record, including a 32-1 mark in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC). She earned NEAC Coach of the Year honors in both 2013 and 2014 after guiding Keuka to back-to-back league titles and NCAA Div. III tournament appearances. Keuka won a school-record 16 games in 2014 and was the NCAA Div. III leader in scoring defense at 5.47 goals per game allowed. She also was NEAC Coach of the Year in 2011 as the Storm won the NEAC title, although the league did not have an NCAA automatic berth that season.
In the summer of 2012, Lickert-Orr led a U.S. travel squad that finished in third place at the annual European Championships. Lickert-Orr served as an assistant coach at Nazareth College in 2011, and she has coached the Finger Lakes Flamingos club lacrosse team since 2012.
Lickert-Orr earned a bachelor’s degree in health and wellness from Limestone College (S.C.) in 2009 and is the school’s all-time scoring leader with 259 points (121 goals, 138 assists). A three-time All-America attacker, she helped the Saints win three Conference Carolinas titles and earn three trips to the NCAA Div. II Final Four.
A native of Penn Yan, N.Y., Lickert-Orr graduated from Penn Yan Academy in 2005 and helped the Mustangs win the 2004 New York State Class B girls lacrosse championship. She currently resides in Penn Yan with her husband, Jarrod.
