Dani Ellis is in her third year as assistant women's lacrosse coach at Washington and Lee. Over her first two seasons, the Generals have totaled a 23-4 overall record (.852).
The 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19, but the Blue and White held a 5-1 record and was ranked fourth by the IWLCA when the season was prematurely ended.
In her first season with the Generals, the team totaled the second-most wins in program history, finishing the year 18-3. W&L defeated four Top 20 teams during the season, advancing to the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals. The Blue and White led Division III with the fewest turnovers per game (11.86), and also set a new program single-season scoring record with 351 goals. The Generals claimed their 10th straight ODAC Championship, and notched 15 straight victories during the year, while going a perfect 11-0 at home. W&L also swept all five major ODAC honors, while putting nine players on All-ODAC teams.
Ellis came to W&L from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where she served for the past two seasons. She was the graduate assistant for the Rams' women's lacrosse team during the 2016-17 season, and then was promoted to Director of Player Development for the squad during the 2017-18 school year.
In her time at VCU, Ellis assisted with the offensive players and overall game strategy during practices and games, while developing new drills and offensive sets for the Rams. VCU went 3-14 the year before she arrived, and Ellis helped improve the team's win total to seven during her first season.
Ellis earned a bachelor of science in psychology at Winthrop and was a four-year letterwinner on the women's lacrosse team. She played in 75 career games and totaled 75 goals and 85 assists. She earned her master of education in sport leadership from VCU in 2017.
