Jen Adams has become the first Australian inducted into the prestigious US Lacrosse National Hall of Fame — one of the sport’s highest honours. The honour was announced by the Australian Lacrosse Association at an induction ceremony last month.

The 33-year old was honoured for her outstanding contribution to lacrosse as both a player and coach.

The Australian-born Adams was honoured to enter the Hall of Fame.

‘Obviously, I know a lot of the names that have come through before me, and there's so much respect for those people as mentors of the game,’ Adams said.

‘Those people, in my eyes, are the lacrosse gurus. For me to be alongside them now is very, very humbling. Lacrosse, for me, has been and continues to be just the right fit.’

Mike Slattery, President of the Australian Lacrosse Association congratulated Adams.

‘I am sure that I speak for the whole of the Australian lacrosse fraternity in stating that Jen’s contributions to the game of lacrosse are exceptional, and we believe that this honour bestowed ... is absolutely fitting. It is a fantastic moment in your life and we are extremely proud of you with having achieved this accolade,’ Slattery said.

‘You are a remarkable role model for both girls and women and we can only hope that Australia will continue to develop players and coaches that follow your footsteps in the future.

‘Throughout your career in both the USA and Australia you have displayed a mindset which is attuned to those around you, be they fellow players, coaches, officials or supporters. You have led by example and you are now a well recognised member of the coaching fraternity in the USA while still maintaining your links with Australia in both coaching and as a player.’

Jen is currently head coach of Loyola University Maryland, which plays in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) women’s lacrosse competition. She was previously an assistant coach for Denver University and the University of Maryland.
She has also been assistant coach of the Australian under-19 women’s lacrosse team, which won the world championship in 1995 and in 2011.

In a distinguished career in the United States, Adams played for the University of Maryland Terrapins (1998-2001) and was the team’s leading scorer, which won four consecutive national titles. She is one of the NCAA’s all time leading scorers with a total 445 career points with 267 goals and 178 assists in 86 games.

She has also been member of the Australian lacrosse team since 2001 and captained the team that won the Women's Lacrosse World Cup title in 2005.

She will join the Australian team making preparations the FIL 2013 Women’s World Cup, to be held in July 2013 in Oshawa, Canada.

Adams was born in Adelaide and started playing the game at Brighton Lacrosse Club. She went on to represent Australia as a 15-year-old in the under-19 world championship winning team in 1995.

The Australian Sports Commission has a strong relationship with the Australian Lacrosse Association, and is supportive of its endeavours to grow the sport nationally and achieve continued success on the international stage.

The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, a program of US Lacrosse, was established in 1957 to honour men and women who by their deeds as players, coaches, officials and/or contributors, and by the example of their lives, personify the great contribution of lacrosse to our way of life. More than 370 lacrosse greats are honoured in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, which is located with the Lacrosse Museum at US Lacrosse Headquarters in Baltimore.