After four years as the GPS Varsity Lacrosse Coach, Jay Watts will focus his efforts solely on his role as the Director of Athletics this spring. During his tenure, the Bruisers went to the state quarterfinals twice and the semi-finals in 2022, winning a school record 17 games last season. GPS also set a school record for goals scored in one season for the second year in a row.
Replacing Coach Watts as head coach is former Division II lacrosse standout Abby Fortner, who joins the coaching ranks at GPS after working for the last two seasons as the varsity coach at Signal Mountain High School.
Coach Fortner will be the fifth head coach in the history of the Bruisers’ program that started playing interscholastically in 2005.
Fortner played for four years at Lee University and was a starter on the Flames’ defense. During her senior year, Lee finished with a 6-2 record in a season cut short by COVID-19. While on campus at Lee, Fortner was a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, the Gulf South Conference Honor Roll, and the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse All-Academic Team. She played high school lacrosse at Gatlinburg-Pittman High School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
“I am so thankful for this opportunity to move into the GPS family,” says Fortner. “My time as Signal Mountain’s head coach has taught me a lot about the game and about coaching. I loved my time there, but I am excited to take on this challenge and lead the Bruisers in this next season and seasons to come.”
“We were fortunate to have someone like Abby in our own back yard," Watts says. "I have been impressed with the work that she has done at Signal Mountain, and I look forward to seeing what the Bruisers can accomplish on the field this spring."
"We are so grateful to Coach Watts for his commitment to growing our lacrosse program and are eager to see Coach Fortner take the helm and continue its success," says Megan Cover, Head of School.