NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – The IWLCA is proud to announce the graduation of 17 assistant and associate head coaches from the inaugural IWLCA Aspire Program. This newly created professional development program targeted growing both the personal and professional elements of coaching in an intensive nine-month course. Stevenson women's lacrosse Assistant Coach,
McKenna Blick, was one of the 17 inaugural gradautes.
"It was very exciting to participate in the virtual graduation ceremony for the Aspire participants and hear them reflect upon the experience they had as part of the inaugural cohort for the program," said Kelly Gallagher, IWLCA President and head coach at the University of Tampa. "One of the IWLCA's primary objectives is to support, engage, and educate our members, and the Aspire program did that and more. The pilot program was undoubtedly a success, and we can turn our focus to how we can expand the program to impact more coaches in upcoming years. On behalf of the Board of Directors and staff, I'd like to extend our gratitude to Sarah and Julie from e.t.c. Coaching Consultants, who took the lead in devising and delivering the curriculum, and also to each of the participants in the program that put in the time and effort to not only better themselves professionally, but also to build a collaborative community that allowed them all to flourish."
Approved by the Board of Directors in June of 2024, programming for Aspire was led by Sarah McQuade and Julie Muller from
e.t.c. coaching consultants. The duo served as the lead facilitators and guided the initial cohort of 17 coaches through a hybrid curriculum consisting of online courses, live webinars, in-person sessions at the 2024 IWLCA Convention, and individual mentoring session throughout the academic year. The goal of the Aspire program aimed to enhance coaches' professional knowledge, harness personal reflective practices and build on the critical interpersonal skills needed to thrive in collegiate coaching.
"My experience as part of the inaugural cohort in the Aspire program was immensely valuable to my personal and professional development. It was special to be a part of a community that was made up of only assistant coaches, said Kelsey Howard, an assistant coach at Stanford University, who also serves as the IWLCA Treasurer. "There are challenges in any area of the coaching profession, but being with a group that faces similar challenges allowed us to bond in new and unique ways that I had never experienced before. I am grateful for the community that we have created to be able to continue to support each other as we keep working to improve our own coaching skillsets. I am also grateful for the tools and mentors that we were provided along the way, and I feel that I am now even more prepared and supported to continue my career path."
The inaugural class of 2025 consists of the following individuals:
| Clara |
Bissell |
Wesleyan University |
Division III |
Associate Head Coach |
| Jordan |
Blackburne |
The University of Virginia's College at Wise |
Division II |
Assistant Coach |
| Avery |
Blackmon |
Washington and Lee University |
Division III |
Assistant Coach |
| McKenna |
Blick |
Stevenson University |
Division III |
Assistant Coach |
| Taylor |
Blick |
Dickinson College |
Division III |
Assistant Coach |
| Ariana |
Cambio |
Colby College |
Division III |
Assistant Coach |
| Erica |
Erb |
Amherst College |
Division III |
Assistant Coach |
| Sean |
Hansen |
University of Redlands |
Division III |
Assistant Coach |
| Allyson |
Heavens |
Rutgers University |
Division I |
Assistant Coach |
| Kelsey |
Howard |
Stanford |
Division I |
Assistant Coach |
| McKenna |
Kincaid |
Saint Leo University |
Division II |
Graduate Assistant Coach |
| MacKenzie |
Plaskey |
Florida State University |
Division I |
Associate Head Coach |
| Sharn |
Muffett |
University of South Florida |
Division I |
Assistant Coach |
| Madison |
Mulligan |
Ithaca College |
Division III |
Assistant Coach |
| Leah |
Peppelman |
George Washington University |
Division I |
Assistant Coach |
| Tatiana |
Samuel |
Kenyon College |
Division III |
Assistant Coach |
| Katherine |
Yarusso |
Widener University |
Division III |
Assistant Coach |
Contact: Tiffany Taylor // ttaylor@iwlca.org // 713-856-8006
