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(LEBANON, Ill., June 2)- McKendree University Director of Athletics Chuck Brueggemann announced the hiring of Melissa Pearsall as women's lacrosse coach on Monday.
She replaces former head coach Brittany Poist, who resigned from her position in May after leading the program for the past two seasons.

"It's wonderful that we attracted someone of Melissa's caliber for the position," said Brueggemann. "She played the game at a high level and has a lot of experience coaching and recruiting at very strong academic institutions. She has an infectious passion as a coach and we welcome that to our department."

Pearsall joins the coaching staff after serving as head coach at NCAA Division I Siena College last season. In her only season at Siena, she had one All-Conference honoree, two players named to the league's All-Rookie team, and set a new program record with nine players earning Academic All-Conference honors.

"I want to thank McKendree University and Chuck Brueggemann for providing me with this tremendous opportunity," said Pearsall. "It was obvious to me from the beginning that a solid foundation for excellence has been built at McKendree, and I believe the lacrosse program can grow to become one of the elite NCAA Division II programs in the country. I'm honored and excited to join the department and become part of McKendree University and Bearcat athletics."

Prior to her one-year stint at Siena, Pearsall served as defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at NCAA Division I Colgate University for three seasons. In her time with the Raiders, she coached seven All-Conference players, the 2012 Colgate Female Athlete of the Year and Conference Midfielder of the Year and the 2011 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

From 2008-2010, Pearsall was an assistant coach at Rochester Institute of Technology. She helped turn around a one-win program into a team that won 13 games in 2009, leading her to being named the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division III National Outstanding Assistant Coach. Serving as defensive coordinator, Pearsall's Tiger defense ranked ninth in Division III in goals-against average. She also helped develop the 2009 Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and an IWLCA Second Team honoree.

Pearsall played lacrosse at Syracuse University from 2004-07, starting in 35 of her 63 games played. She helped lead the Orange to two NCAA tournament appearances, including a berth in the quarterfinals in 2007.

She received her B.S. in Psychology from Syracuse University, before earning her M.S. in School Psychology from Roberts Wesleyan University.