KENOSHA, Wis. - After taking the reins of the Carthage Firebirds women's lacrosse program midway through the year on an interim basis - guiding the team to a 6-5 record and an appearance in the 2023 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Women's Lacrosse Tournament - Rebecca Congel has accepted a position to become the fifth head coach in program history. 

"I would like to thank our director of athletics, Ryan Kane, and the hiring committee for giving me this opportunity to be the next head coach of Carthage women's lacrosse," beamed Congel, the newly-minted head women's lacrosse coach. "The fantastic academic resources, athletics facilities, and beautiful campus all position this program for great success in the years to come. I look forward to empowering these young women and continuing to grow this program."

"I am delighted to have Becca Congel join the Carthage community," said Carthage College director of athletics Ryan Kane. "Becca brings the right balance of expertise and passion to the program. She has been mentored by some of the best in the industry and will undoubtedly provide the quality leadership and competitive excellence that Carthage athletics expects."

Assuming the role of interim head women's lacrosse coach on March 21, 2023, Congel steadied the ship after the mid-season departure of then-head women's lacrosse coach John Sung. The Firebirds won six of their 11 contests under Congel's tutelage, averaging 14.8 goals per contest in that span. The Firebirds also secured a nine-goal victory over Lake Forest College, which earned a bid to the 2023 NCAA DIII Women's Lacrosse Championship. In addition, six Firebirds earned all-conference honors from the CCIW; program legend Rachel Harris earned a spot on the first team while Alessandra Almendarez, Sydney Kuyava, Piper LeFevre, Kyleigh Higgins, and Elizabeth Oda were named to the second team. 

Statistically, Carthage sat near the top in a number of metrics within the CCIW. The Firebirds led the conference in draw controls (277), were second in ground balls (398), goals per game (14.61), assists (124) and points (387), and were third in both scoring margin (+4.6) and save percentage (.461). Additionally, Congel was on staff when the Firebirds went 16-3 and broke a myriad of single-season statistical records in 2022 - the strongest season in program history. 

"Becca demonstrated a tremendous ability to connect with the current roster and our prospective student-athletes during her interim role," Kane continued. "We are excited about all the qualities she brings to Carthage and are looking forward to having her hit the ground running."

Congel, who now sheds the interim label, has been a coach on the women's lacrosse staff since October of 2021. Prior to joining the Firebirds as an assistant coach, Congel spent two seasons as the head coach of the Summit Crimson Team at Summit Lacrosse club. Coach Congel also spent time serving as an assistant field hockey and lacrosse coach at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, and is set to coach the 2024 National Team at Black Lax. 

The rising star spent her playing days in New York as a member of the field hockey (2013-2015) and lacrosse (2015-2017) teams at Syracuse University. While on the field hockey team, Congel's Orange made a pair of appearances in the NCAA and ACC tournaments - including a trip to the NCAA National Championship game in 2015. Congel's women's lacrosse team earned a bid to the NCAA and ACC tournaments as well. 

Carthage's new head women's lacrosse coach graduated from her hometown school of Syracuse with a Bachelors of Science in Child and Family Studies in 2017.