Rachel Lasda of Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child (Summitt, N.J.) has been selected the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Girls Lacrosse Coach of the Year. The selection was made by 3d Rising in conjunction with the ALL-USA teams.
COACH PROFILE:
Name: Rachel Lasda
School: Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child; Summit, N.J.
Experience: First season
Record: 23-2
New Jersey Tournament of Champions winner
No. 7 final ranking in Super 25
Being a successful athlete does not always translate to being a successful coach. But in Rachel Lasda’s case, it certainly has.
Rachel Lasda is the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Girls Lacrosse Coach of the Year
A native of Camillus, N.Y., who played at West Genesee High School, Lasda was a high All-American and won a Section III title and later a New York State championship in her time as a Wildcat. She went on to play for a different group of Wildcats, taking her game to Villanova where she is among the school’s top 15 in scoring.
Upon graduating from Villanova, she started with Oak Knoll School as an assistant. After three years, she was named the head coach this season, and she quickly made her mark.
She adopted the philosophy that those who are best conditioned will win the games where skills are evenly matched. And her players bought in, as Oak Knoll went 23-2 overall and 5-0 in league play.
MORE
ALL-USA Girls Lacrosse Team and Photo Gallery
ALL-USA Player of the Year: Francesca Whitehurst, Roland Park
ALL-USA Team of the Year: McDonogh School
Oak Knoll won the New Jersey Tournament of Champions (Provided photo)
Along the way, Lasda tried to teach her players off-field lessons. She challenged her team to run one million yards for the One Love Foundation, which honors late Virginia women’s lacrosse player Yeardley Love and raises awareness of domestic violence. The team completed the challenge and showed their camaraderie by running the last 100 yards hand and hand.
That teamwork lead the Royals to the New Jersey Group 1 title and a 13-10 victory over Moorestown in the New Jersey Tournament of Champions semifinal. In a back-and-forth TOC finale against state powerhouse Summit, the Royals’ Ali Baiocco (Stanford) scored the game winner with 3:44 left to lift Oak Knoll to the 11-10 victory.
It is the first championship for the Oak Knoll program. But with Lasda at the helm, it might not be the last.