FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Medeiros, a Stonehill Graduate, Returns to the NE10.
MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Southern New Hampshire Department of Athletics announced Monday that Carissa Medeiros has been hired as the fourth women's lacrosse head coach in program history, bringing with her head coaching experience at all three NCAA levels, including a decade in the Northeast-10 as both a head coach and assistant. She will begin her duties with the Penmen in early July.
"We are extremely excited to have Carissa Medeiros take over our women's lacrosse program," said Associate Athletic Director and search committee chair Tom Wilkins. "Her credentials jumped off the page, but we were even more impressed with her energy and passion for SNHU and NE10 lacrosse. Carissa's proven success as a player and coach at this level is exactly what we were looking for and we are thrilled for what she will bring to our program. I would like to thank the search committee, especially our interim coach, Nicole Ham, for their time and hard work in this search, which was particularly challenging during the pandemic. The group was instrumental in helping us secure the right candidate for SNHU women's lacrosse."
Medeiros comes to Southern New Hampshire after spending the 2021 season as the interim head women's lacrosse coach at SUNY Cortland in Cortland, N.Y., where she guided the Red Dragons to a 14-2 record, a State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) title and a spot in the NCAA Division III Sweet 16. For her efforts Medeiros and her staff received SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year honors, while nine of her players received All-Conference accolades, including two that would go on to be tabbed Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Americans. Medeiros arrived at Cortland as an assistant coach in August of 2019 before taking over the program on an interim basis in January of this year.
"I first would like to thank the Southern New Hampshire Athletics Department, particularly Tom Wilkins and Nicole Ham, for this exciting opportunity," Medeiros said. "I am thrilled to come home to Division II and the Northeast-10. As soon as I walked on campus I felt a connection with the school, the students and the staff that greeted me. The facilities and amenities afforded to the SNHU student-athletes can be compared to those of many mid-major Division I schools, and it was clear that the intention and aim of the department is to provide a competitive, winning environment for their teams. I immediately knew I could recruit and create a competitive squad here and am eager to get to work."
Prior to Cortland, Medeiros served as the head women's lacrosse coach at the University of Massachusetts Lowell for six seasons. Medeiros joined the Division I River Hawks in August of 2013 and built the program from scratch before playing the inaugural season in 2015, and eventually making a six-win jump in the 2017 campaign.
Medeiros also spent six years at the helm of the Bentley University women's lacrosse program, posting a 68-47 overall record that still has her as the Falcons' all-time leader in coaching victories. Medeiros' Bentley squads produced a total mark of 46-21 in NE10 play and earned NE10 Championship berths in five of six seasons.
Medeiros began her coaching career as an assistant coach with the powerhouse Stonehill women's lacrosse program from 2004-06. During that time with her alma mater, Medeiros and the Skyhawks captured three NE10 crowns and made three trips to the NCAA postseason, including in 2005 when they went a perfect 21-0 and won the NCAA Division II National Championship. Over the course of those three seasons, the program was 51-6, including 30-0 in NE10 play.
Medeiros played for Stonehill from 2001-03 and developed into one of the top goalkeepers in NCAA Division II history during that time. The 2003 IWLCA Division II Goalkeeper of the Year and first team All-American was a three-time NE10 All-Conference selection over her career, helping to lead the Skyhawks to a 45-15 record, three NE10 titles, a trio of NCAA tournament appearances, a national runner-up showing in 2002 and the program's first National Championship in 2003. The New Bedford, Mass., native, still ranks second in program history with 448 career saves and a .587 career save percentage, while her 6.37 career goals-against average also places her second and stands as the fourth best mark in NCAA Division II history. Medeiros was inducted into the Stonehill Athletics Hall of Fame as a player in 2019, after previously going in as a coach in 2011 with the '05 squad.
A psychology major and criminal justice minor, Medeiros graduated from Stonehill cum laude in 2003. She earned her Master's degree in general psychology from Boston University in 2005 and previously was an adjunct professor of psychology at Endicott College and Salem State University.
-Release provided by SNHU athletic communications-
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