UMass Lowell Athletics

MEDIA
New Bedford Standard-Times: Medeiros Starting D1 Lacrosse Program at UMass Lowell

Carissa Medeiros is in her fifth season at the reigns of the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse program, which played its inagural season in 2015.

In her four years as the head coach, Medeiros has led the Mill City squad to a 17-67 program record, including 16 wins over the past three seasons. In America East play, the River Hawks have captured a 4-28 program record.

Under Medeiros' direction, goalkeeper Courtney Barrett was named to the America East All-Rookie Team (2015) and to the All-Conference Second Team (2017) most recently. Medeiros has also helped guide Samantha Blair (2019), Kristi King (2018), Hana Caster (2017) and Keeley Henry (2017) to the America East All-Rookie Team, while Gabby Torain (2019) was named to the AE Second Team and Laura Kender (2015-2016) and Taylor Sokol (2017-2018) have been named to the All-Academic Team, two times apiece.

Prior to taking the reins at Bentley, Medeiros was an assistant coach at her alma mater, Stonehill College (2005-07), where she helped the Skyhawks to the 2005 NCAA Championship as well as three-straight Northeast-10 titles. She also enjoyed a stellar three-year career where she helped her squad capture the 2003 NCAA title.

In six seasons at Bentley, Medeiros compiled an overall record of 60-47 and a 46-21 clip in the Northeast-10 Conference while coaching 10 NE-10 all-conference players and four all-rookie team standouts.

Her teams have also excelled in the classroom, having earned Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Academic honors in 2011 and 2012. More impressive, Bentley’s 2012 team was named an IWLCA Merit Squad for having one of the top three team grade point averages in Division II.

An All-American goalie as a senior at Stonehill, Medeiros was a walk-on who sat out her freshman year to concentrate on academics, but stepped into the starting lineup as a sophomore. She backstopped Stonehill to a three-year record of 45-15 which included the 2003 NCAA Championship as well as NE-10 Championships in all three years. She earned Tournament Most Valuable Player honors in 2003.

Additionally, Medeiros was named the IWLCA Goalie of the Year after ranking second in goals against average (6.17) and seventh in save percentage (.586) among Division II goalies. As a junior, she captured Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Goalie of the Year honors.

She was named to the NE-10 All-Conference Team and NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll all three years as well.

A psychology major/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.

Medeiros graduated from New Bedford H.S. in 1999 where she was a three-sport standout in soccer, basketball and lacrosse.

She lives in Wakefield, Mass.