California Lutheran University Athletics announced the hiring of MacEllen McDonough as the new womenโs lacrosse head coach on Nov. 18, 2024.
Previous coach and 2024 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Laura McIntyre stepped down following the 2024 season. According to Cal Lutheran Athletics, McIntyre had served as the teamโs head coach since the programโs inception in 2018.
According to Cal Lutheran Athletics, McDonough played Division I lacrosse at Jacksonville University, helping them secure three Atlantic Sun Conference titles during her time there.ย Following her collegiate career, McDonough served as captain of Israelโs national lacrosse team, as well as the Israel Lacrosse Associationโs director of womenโs lacrosse from 2019-2022.
McDonough said she has coached at varying levels of female lacrosse, from club teams in San Diego to the collegiate level at SCIAC opponent Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, yet Cal Lutheran will be her first head coaching position.
Cal Lutheran Director of Athletics Howard Davis said that McDonoughโs ability to coach at all levels, from beginners to elite-level players, stuck out to him during the interview process.
โWe just want, like, in all of our athletic programs, we want to see progression in terms of culture building, in terms of competitiveness, in terms of attractiveness for recruits to come in and so I think sheโs gonna be huge in all of those aspects,โ Davis said.
McDonough said her first goal this season is to build a strong culture amongst members of the team themselves and the coaching staff.
โMy goals mostly fall into the, maybe, like, things that wouldnโt show on the website,โ McDonough said.ย โWouldnโt show on the record especially coming in late into the fall. I think my goal is really just getting buy-in from the teamโs best, strongest, healthiest culture the team has ever had.โ
Malina Diaz, a senior captain, said the offseason was difficult for the Regals without having a coach to lead them, yet the team has already seen McDonoughโs benefit.
โWith the new coach here, it has helped so much even within just the first couple days of her being here so I believe it will only go up from here,โ Diaz said.
According to Cal Lutheran Athletics, the Regals set every record for in-game statistics during the 2024 season. These records included winning the first four games in Regals team history.
McDonough said that she believes the success found by the Regals in 2024 was earned over the three previous winless seasons. She wants to continue this culture of getting better every day.
โI donโt expect success to happen overnight, but weโre just going to keep chipping away and getting better and learning more, and then the results will prove that,โ McDonough said.
Davis said he has confidence that McDonough will position the Regals on a trajectory of continued improvement for many years to come.
โI could see her building a great program and being here 30 or 40 years,โ Davis said.
McDonough said she was drawn to Cal Lutheran due to the immediate connection she felt throughout the interview process and the growth of the program appealed to her.
โI love being the underdog, I love to live with a chip on my shoulder, to always get better and prove people wrong, prove people that I can do it, we can do it,โ McDonough said.
The Regals will begin their season with McDonough at the helm in Spring 2025.
