Princess Livingston Zabel
(Lacrosse, 2008)
This 2024 Danbury High School Athletic Hall of Fame inductee was an impact
athlete in three major team sports, field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse. But it was in
lacrosse that Princess made her mark, leading the Number 5 Hatters (16-5) to a
Division II State Championship over Number 2 Suffield (17-2) in June of 2008. Eight of
the nine seniors on the Danbury High girls’ lacrosse team had never played the sport
until they tried out as freshmen. Three years later, they found themselves as Division II
State Champions. They had to beat the Number 1 seed, Northwest Catholic, in the
semi-final to get there. Princess was the MVP of the State Championship game. A four-
year starter, she was named All-State and All-FCIAC for two years. An Honorable
Mention All-American, Princess set the record for points in a season (126) and caused
turnovers (36) in a season.
Princess was a member of the DHS field hockey team for four years. During her
junior season, she started every game and was part of their first state tournament
appearance in ten years. Her 2006-07 junior basketball season was a memorable one
for Princess and the Hatters. Princess started all 22 games, led the team to a 15-3
record, which was second in the FCIAC, and ranked fourth in the state for free throw
percentage (77.8%). Princess was Vice-President of the Class of 2008.
After her graduation from Danbury High School, Princess continued her
academic and athletic career at Villanova University on a lacrosse scholarship. From
2009-2012, she was a member of the Villanova lacrosse team, a starter her last two
years. During her junior and senior seasons, she transitioned from a midfielder to a
defender. Princess became renowned for her clearing ability, going ten consecutive
games without a turnover. Her teammates called her the “Human Clear”. At Villanova
she became a force to be reckoned with and was placed on the Big East Weekly Honor
Roll.
After her Villanova graduation, Princess helped Mount Olive start their women’s
lacrosse program in 2013. During the first season, the team finished 9-7. It was only the
seventh time in NCAA Division II history a program posted a winning record during their
start-up year. Mount Olive also made an appearance in Conference Carolina’s
tournament that year. While at Mount Olive, Princess’s duties included recruiting
coordinator, film breakdown, and defense. Princess went on to be a graduate assistant
at Mercer University where she pursued a master’s degree in educational leadership.
Princess also coached at several universities including Villanova 2015-2016,
Central Connecticut State University 2017-2018, Bucknell 2019, and most recently at
the University of Saint Joseph in Hartford. In her first season at Saint Joseph, Princess
led her team to a 10-1 conference record and a 12-5 overall record, marking the team’s
first post-conference appearance in ten years.
She has coached 14 All-Conference players, 15 All-Academic players, 11 NCAA
statistical rankings, one Conference Player of the Year, one Rookie of the Year, a
Conference Sportsmanship Award winner, and three-time IWLCA All-Academic teams.
Princess is co-owner of Black Pirate Lacrosse, a lacrosse specific performance training
and youth consulting program from 2019 to present. A Danbury News-Times Top-25
Athlete of the Decade from Fairfield County.