UWM SPORTS AN ITALIAN SOCCER JOURNEY One of the best women’s soccer players in UWM history continued her career in one of history’s great soccer nations. Elaina LaMacchia signed a professional contract with Pink Bari CF, which spent its most recent season playing in Italy’s second-tier national league. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play in Italy,” says LaMacchia, who holds dual citizenship, thanks to her Italian paternal grandmother. LaMacchia earned that chance by breaking goalkeeping records for UWM, which won 55 of her 67 games. In 2021, she led the nation with her 0.42 goals-against average and finished second in NCAA Division I with her .882 save percentage. In 2019, she set a Horizon League record with a scoreless streak of 1,070 minutes, 12 seconds, the sixth-longest such streak in NCAA history. She holds the No. 2 (2019), 3 (2021) and 4 (2020) spots for goals-against average in UWM’s record books.
LaMacchia’s 2021 season earned firstteam All-League honors and the league’s Goalkeeper of the Year award, and she was named a second team All-American by College Soccer News. But her favorite moment that season was a 1-0 win against 14th-ranked Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It marked the second straight season UWM advanced past the tourney’s first round and was UWM’s fourthever victory against a nationally ranked team. It also gave UWM its 19th win of the season, which tied a program record. “No award could compare to the feeling of accomplishing something like that with your teammates,” LaMacchia says. LaMacchia started playing soccer as a youngster following in the footsteps of two of her older sisters. She’s the seventh of eight sisters and received her bachelor’s degree in secondary education. – Kathy Quirk
A MERGING OF SUCCESS STORIES Kevin Boyd joins UWM’s women’s soccer program at a time of transition for both the team and himself. The core of a UWM team that reached four straight NCAA Tournaments has moved on, including former head coach Troy Fabiano, who left for the challenge of coaching Kentucky in the Southeastern Conference. But Boyd arrives at UWM with a long legacy of accomplishment with power conference teams. He’s won more than 200 games and coached in 13 NCAA Tourneys as head coach at Pac 12 schools Arizona State and California-Berkeley. UWM hired Kevin Boyd him from his associate head coach role at Washington State. So why is a West Coast lifer now in Milwaukee? Because pairing a historically successful coach with a historically successful program makes for a pretty strong foundation. “I wanted to go somewhere I could win and recruit players. This is that place,” says Boyd, noting that he was intrigued by exploring soccer horizons beyond the West. “I have heard nothing but good things about Milwaukee.” Now, he gets to experience it for himself. “I am looking forward to getting on Engelmann,” Boyd says. “I want to see what the vibe is like. I want to see what the fan base is like. And hopefully, the local community comes out and supports us as well.” – Howie Magner 9
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UWM ALUMNI
SPRING 2022
Bart Lundy
LUNDY RETURNS TO MILWAUKEE AS HEAD COACH Bart Lundy sees so much promise in UWM’s men’s basketball program that he left behind a lifetime contract opportunity to become Milwaukee’s new head coach. UWM hired Lundy from Division II Queens University in North Carolina, where he’d led the Royals to six straight NCAA Tournaments. Queens had started exploring a move up to Division I and that lifetime coaching contract for Lundy, but the UWM move felt right. “We came on a leap of faith because we think this place can be great,” says Lundy, whose teams posted an .845 winning percentage over the past six seasons. Lundy arrives at UWM as a new basketball practice facility is under construction. He’s no stranger to Milwaukee after working at Marquette under then-head coach Buzz Williams from 2009-12. Lundy also was head coach at High Point from 2003-09 and an assistant at Winthrop and North Texas. At Queens, Lundy says, he “was an integral part of the campus, which is what I would like to be here.” He served on campuswide committees, including those focused on promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as outreach to the city. He’s also looking forward to getting UWM’s program back to its winning ways. “I’ve seen this city, and I’ve seen the excitement when there’s a winner,” Lundy says. “To me, that was the swing vote.” – Genaro C. Armas
