TALLAHASSEE – Florida State lacrosse associate head coach MacKenzie Plaskey has graduated from the inaugural IWLCA Aspire Program. Plaskey was one of 17 assistant and associate head coaches around the country selected for the program and the only Division I associate head coach to graduate from the program.

This newly created professional development program targeted growing both the personal and professional elements of coaching in an intensive nine-month course. 

“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 sessions 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.

For more information on the Florida State lacrosse program, check Seminoles.com and follow us on social media at FSU_WLax  (IG and X) and Florida State Women’s Lacrosse (FB).