Jen Lapicki completed her fifth season as the head softball coach at the College of the Holy Cross in 2020-21.
In a shortened 2021 season, Lapicki coached Kelly Nelson and Bella Jankowski to All-Patriot League second team selections, while Nelson also become the first Crusader ever to be named All-Region twice in her career with her NFCA All-Northeast Region second team selection.
Lapicki and the team saw their 2020 season canceled on March 12 due to COVID-19. In the 11-game abbreviated season, senior Katie Barbarick threw a no-hitter against St. Bonaventure on March 6, and Bailey Bates was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week on March 10.
In 2019, Lapicki led the Crusaders to their most wins in a single season in eight years. She presided over the program's first victories against Harvard since 1998 and Boston College since 1996. She also saw freshman pitcher Kelly Nelson set a program record for strikeouts in a single season (208), the fifth-most ever by a Patriot League pitcher. Nelson was named to the All-Patriot League second team and seniors Jackie Brewster and Taylor Wahler were both named to the Academic All-Patriot League team.
During the 2018 season, junior Jackie Brewster was named the 2018 Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year, which is the first time a Holy Cross softball player has received the award. Brewster was also named to the All-Patriot League first team. Senior Mandy McCarthy was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team along with Brewster.
In 2017, her first season at Holy Cross, Lapicki led the Crusadres to their first Patriot League Tournament appearance in six seasons. Junior Mandy McCarthy and sophomore Taylor Wahler were both named to the All-Patriot League second team. Senior Emily Kirsanda, along with McCarthy and Wahler, were all named to the Academic All-Patriot League team.
She joined the Crusaders after serving for one season as the head coach of the New Jersey Breakers in Farmingdale, N.J., leading program skill development for four age groups and seven teams.
Lapicki was previously an assistant coach at Princeton for three seasons from 2013-2015. During her time at Princeton, she helped lead the Tigers to three consecutive second place finishes in the Ivy League South Division. In 2013, Princeton posted an overall record of 27-19, good for its most victories since 2006.
Prior to her time at Princeton, Lapicki was an assistant coach at Iona during the 2012 season. During her one year with the Gaels, Iona posted an overall record of 35-26, won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association regular season and tournament titles, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Lapicki earned her bachelor’s degree in sports management from Florida State in 2011, and her master’s degree in business administration from Iona in 2013. She earned Academic All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors during both of her seasons with the Seminoles, in addition to being named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference second team and the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament team as a senior in 2011.
Lapicki previously attended Tennessee during her freshman and sophomore years, where she was named to the Southeastern Conference All-Freshman team in 2008 and the CoSIDA Academic All-America third team in 2009. She played in the NCAA Tournament during each of her four seasons in college.
