Judy O’Connell Lawes was a standout tennis and softball player at Shippensburg. A native of Exton and later a resident of Reading, Lawes helped Shippensburg win Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) tennis championships in 1983 and 1984 and finish second in the nation in softball in 1982.
In the sport of tennis Lawes was a tough competitor in PSAC tournament play. In the fall of 1981 Shippensburg went 11-0 in dual meets and finished second in the 13-team PSAC tournament. During the season the Lady Raiders defeated the eventual PSAC tourney champion Slippery Rock 5-4 in a dual match. That year Lawes set the team single season records for dual match singles and doubles victories by going 11-0 at number three singles and 11-0 at number two doubles.
The following season Shippensburg went 8-1 and Lawes placed second in the conference tournament at number two doubles. The Lady Raiders finished third in the team standings.
In the fall of 1983 Shippensburg won its first conference women’s tennis championship after going 8-3 in the regular season. Two of the losses were to NCAA Division I teams. Lawes played at number two singles and doubles and was conference champion at number two doubles and runnerup at number two singles. Her senior year Lawes was captain of the team as she led the Lady Raiders to the conference crown again. She started at number one singles and doubles and was conference runnerup in doubles play.
Lawes set the career record for victories with 84. She also had the records for most consecutive dual match singles and doubles victories with marks of 12 and 17, respectively. Her career record for wins held up until 1988.
In softball Lawes played second base for the Lady Raiders and lettered for four years. In her freshman season Shippensburg was 13-5-1 played in PSAC tournament. Lawes hit .370 and led the team in doubles with three.
As a sophomore Lawes helped Shippensburg earn national honors as the Lady Raiders finished second in the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) Division III national championship tournament. The Lady Raiders also finished second in the PSAC tournament. Shippensburg finished the season with a 26-7 overall record. O’Connell hit .295 that year.
In 1983 Shippensburg finished the season with a 16-4 record and played in the PSAC tournament. Lawes hit .302 and led the team in sacrifices with eight. In her senior year she batted .274 and set a new team record for sacrifice bunts with 10. The team went 20-6 and finished second in the PSAC tournament.
In her four seasons Lawes helped the team compile a .787 winning percentage with a record of 75-20-1. The team played in the PSAC tournament all four years. At the time of her graduation she held the team career records for sacrifices and stolen bases.
Lawes became the head softball coach at Kutztown University. In 2000 Lawes was named PSAC East Coach of the Year after leading KU to a 34-15-1 overall record and a 19-4-1 record in the PSAC East. Her squad tied for second-place in the conference standings and set a school record for wins in the division. She guided her team to the PSAC Playoffs and the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, finishing third at both tournanments. She also was PSAC East Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1994. The team was co-champ of the PSAC East in 1994 and her teams have played in the NCAA tournament four times.
In addition to her softball duties Lawes also served as head women’s tennis coach from 1987 to 1991 and assistant basketball coach from 1987 to 1990.
