Hired in 2010, at 26, Kristi Lefebvre was one of the youngest coaches at the Division I level.

But age did not stop Lefebvre -— she is in her fifth season with the Catamounts.

Five seasons after hiring Lefebvre, the Catamounts have had the best start to their America East Conference season since 2001.

Lefebvre graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2006 and majored in coaching. She always knew coaching was something she wanted to pursue as a career, she said.

During her collegiate career, Lefebvre served as a captain and was named MVP her senior year.

Lefebvre, who is from Colchester, Vermont coached in Connecticut after graduating from UConn, but decided to return home.

There was an opening at UVM as a part-time assistant coach for the women’s team and Lefebvre pounced on it. “Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve been working my way up,” Lefebvre said.

Lefebvre said the day-to-day intensity of playing for a top DI program was one of the biggest elements she tried to bring to the UVM team.  “Once you step over that line, you have to be locked in,” she said. “Every practice is a battle, and you can never turn off that intensity. It must be on at all times.”

Lefebvre said competitions in practice has been the biggest tactic she has brought from UConn.

Before UConn, Lefebvre played for Colchester High School.

However, Lefebvre did not start playing soccer until she was 12. When she was 14, she began to consider college soccer.

At 14, she made the Region I Olympic Development Program team and was then chosen to be a National Team reserve player.

“I wasn’t allowed to play sports until I could keep my room clean,” Lefebvre said. “But once I started making these national teams, that was the turning point.”

Lefebvre committed to traveling to Bethesda, Maryland to play for the Bethesda Fury, a top club soccer program.

When she was first hired Lefebvre wasn’t “hurting for confidence.”

It was a matter of trial and error and adjusting and learning from her early mistakes.

“Age is not irrelevant, but if you have quality experiences to display your maturity, that can do a lot for you,” Lefebvre said.

Associate head coach Jason Russell said he admired Lefebvre for her confidence.

“She knows what she’s talking about and she passes that confidence onto the players,” he said.

Sarah Martin, a sophomore on the team, also said she respects Lefebvre for her confidence and athletic achievements.

“She pushes us to reach our potential and it’s easy to listen to her constructive criticism because she’s been in this position before,” Martin said.

Lefebvre does not shy away from her lack of experience.

“There is inexperience, that’s the bottom line,” Lefebvre said. “But it is a matter of how you adjust and learn from that inexperience.”