Carissa Medeiros will serve as interim head coach for Cortland’s women’s lacrosse program in 2021 after holding the position of assistant coach during the shortened 2020 season. Medeiros takes on the interim head coaching role as head coach Kelly Orr is on maternity leave.
Medeiros spent six years as head coach at Division I UMass Lowell from August 2013 through May 2019. She helped the program build from scratch and coached two America East all-conference players, seven conference all-rookie selections, five league all-academic honorees, and four Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Academic award winners. She also served as an assistant coach for the professional Boston Storm of the United Women's Lacrosse League (UWLX) in the summer of 2017.
From 2007-13, Medeiros was the head coach at Division II Bentley University. She led the program to a combined 68-47 record and holds the school record for career victories. She led the team to the NE-10 tournament semifinals in 2012 and the conference quarterfinals on four other occasions. Her players earned two All-America and six all-region honors, along with two NE-10 Goalie of the Year awards, one NE-10 Player of the Year award, 14 all-conference honors and five league all-rookie selections.
Medeiros graduated from Stonehill College in 2003 and was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019. In her senior year she was named the IWLCA Division II Goalkeeper of the Year and a first team All-American while helping the program capture the NCAA Division II title. Stonehill also was national runner-up during her junior season as well as an NCAA qualifier in her sophomore season. A three-time All-NE10 selection, Medeiros ranks second in program history with 448 career saves and a .587 career save percentage. She posted a 5.70 GAA as a junior, setting a program record at the time and currently third on the school charts. Medeiros was an assistant coach at Stonehill for three seasons following her graduation and helped the program win another national title in 2005.
A native of New Bedford, Mass., Medeiros graduated from New Bedford High School in 1999. She was a soccer goalkeeper for four years, a lacrosse goalkeeper for three seasons and played one year of basketball.
