Meet The Coaches

Coach Ray is from Stow where she graduated from Stow-Munroe Falls High School. She graduated from Hiram College as midfield, was awarded offensive MVP in the 2017 season and is a 2018 team captain.

A four year starter at Hiram College, she lead the Terriers in draw controls and ranked second in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Sierah holds school records for draw controls, caused turnovers, groundballs, and shots. Second all time in goals, assists, and points. Second Team All-NCAC. Voted overall MVP for the 2018 season. Sierah is also Assistant Varsity Coach at Stow-Munroe Falls High School as well as assitant coach at Hiram. She has also continued playing on a team in europe each summer. This will be her 8th season with Athena Lacrosse and the High School travel teams.

Megan Rea is a 2017 graduate of Jackson High School. While she was at Jackson, Megan played attack and was part of the 2016 and 2017 state runner-up teams. Megan has been volunteering at the youth and middle school levels of Jackson’s lacrosse program for over six years and runs the Jackson Girls Lacrosse summer camp. Megan was a member of the inaugural Athena Lacrosse high school team in 2016 and finished her club career with Athena in 2017. At Mount Union, Megan was a defender on the women’s lacrosse team. During Megan’s freshman year at Mount Union, the team won their 5th consecutive OAC championship and qualified for the NCAA Division 3 playoffs. Megan is an assistant speech and debate coach at Jackson High School. She is also now teaching and coaching at Glenoak High School. This will be Megan's 6th season with Athena. She is beyond excited for another summer with Athena!

Kenzie Pensyl is a 2016 graduate of Kent Roosevelt High School and currently playing lacrosse at the University of Mount Union as a midfielder. She began playing lacrosse in 4th grade. In high school she was awarded Academic All Ohio, First Team All Region, and team MVP my senior year. Kenzie had the opportunity to be a captain her junior and senior year for the Roosevelt lacrosse team. Kenzie is currently a junior Captain at Mount Union majoring in biology and psychology. She is excited to be a part of Athena lacrosse! This will be Kenzi's 5th year coaching with Athena

Hi! My name is Alli Phillips and I am a 2015 graduate from Medina High School and a 2019 graduate of Walsh University. I began playing lacrosse in the 5th grade and continued my lacrosse career at Walsh as a defensive player from 2015-2019. I played club/travel lacrosse for 7 years as well. Upon graduating from Walsh I was named the Heidelberg University's Graduate Assistant Women's Lacrosse Coach (2019-2020). In the Fall 2020, I joined the Athena coaching staff! In addition, last spring (2021) I had the opportunity to help start the Youth and Middle School Girls Lacrosse Programs for the Copley area and was named the Middle School Girls Lacrosse Head Coach (2021-present).

Hello! My name is Katie Mendenhall, and I am a 2020 graduate from Hoover High school. I am currently a starting sophomore goalie on Walsh University’s women’s lacrosse team.  During my freshman year I helped lead the team to a conference championship for the first time in program
history as well as earning The Great Midwest Defensive player of the week twice. I am currently majoring in clinical psychology with a minor in exercise science and business. I began playing lacrosse in the 5th grade at Jackson under the guidance of Athena Directors Keely Wigfield and Terri Merwin, who have shared their passion for the sport with me. I am also a former high school player for Athena Lacrosse travel team and can’t wait to give
back to the program that made me into the player I am today! I am excited to have the
opportunity to share my passion for the sport and the goalie position!

Hello! My name is Kennedy Norch. I graduated from Jackson High School in 2021, and am currently playing lacrosse as a freshman midfielder for Muskingum University. I am majoring in Nursing and minoring in coaching. I have been playing lacrosse for 10 years, and have been coaching for 2 years.

Hi! My name is Kendra Tripp, I am 2021 Walsh University Women’s Lacrosse alumni. During my career at Walsh as a freshman I played defense and was nominated as freshman of the year for our school. Years following that I’ve had the opportunity to move my way down then field playing midfield and taking the draw, then playing strictly attack by my senior year. Over this time, I’ve received second team all-conference 2019, first team all-conference 2021, while also being named captain for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. I began playing lacrosse in 7th grade for the Medina. . I am now currently the Walsh Lacrosse graduate assistant where I have been getting experience coaching while getting my master’s in healthcare management . Coaching has been a great experience so far and I can’t wait to continue this Summer for Athena.

Hi my name is Maggie Downard! I am a senior at Jackson High School and I am graduating this May. Next year I plan to attend Marietta College and play lacrosse there! I will be majoring in early childhood education and minoring in coaching. I have been playing lacrosse for about 10 years through the Jackson program. I also played Athena for about 5 years! I am so excited to have the opportunity to coach for Athena! 

Emily is a 2019 Graduate from Wooster High School. in 2020 she started all six games...Had six goals and four assists before remainder of season was postponed due to onset of COVID-19 pandemic. in 2021 she was awarded Second-team All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference performer. She is a Member of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Academic Excellence Team. This is Emily's 3rd year coaching with Athena Lacrosse.
 

Molly McGinnis is a 2017 graduate of Brunswick High School currently playing at the University of Mount Union. She has been a goalie since middle school, where she was a member of the inaugural Brunswick Youth Lacrosse Club girls’ team. During her High School years, she played with the Ohio Premier Lacrosse Club and at Brunswick High School. In her time on the Brunswick High School Team, she was a captain, a four-time varsity letterman, four-time defensive MVP and she holds multiple school records. In her 2017 season, she was named Academic All- American along with being named OSLA Academic All- Ohio all four years. In both 2016 and 2017 she was also named OSLA All-District Honorable Mention and GCC first team all-conference. Molly is  now in her Sophmore season as a goalie at the University of Mount Union. Last year Molly and her team won their fifth consecutive OAC championship. She has also spent time volunteer coaching with the middle school and youth girls’ teams at Brunswick Youth Lacrosse Club. Outside of lacrosse, she is a mathematics major with a minor in education. Molly is also the Vice President of the Honors Program at Mount and a member of the String Orchestra. She recently broke the school record for most saves. This will be Molly's 6th year coaching with Athena.

Sammie Battista is a 2018 graduate of Hoover High School. She started playing lacrosse in 7th grade and continued her lacrosse career at the University of Mount Union. In her high school years, Sammie was a four-year varsity letterman, offensive MVP, team captain her senior year, OHSAA honorable-mention all-region, and holds the school record for number of assists. Sammie also played on the Athena travel team in the summer. During Sammie’s freshman year at Mount Union, she appeared in 15 games and started 7 of them. The team also won their sixth consecutive OAC championship and qualified for the NCAA Division 3 playoffs. Sammie received her B.A. in Psychology and Sociology from Kent State University . She is very excited for another summer with Athena!

My name is Madie Gash, I am a junior starting midfield on Ashland University’s Women’s lacrosse team. I am a nursing student, hoping one day to get into pediatric practice and coach lacrosse. I have been playing lacrosse for 11 years, since I was in fourth grade. I graduated from Stow-Monroe Falls High school in 2019, where I earned OSLCA All Region and MVP awards. I also was selected and played in the Shootout for Soldiers Ohio All star Game. I’m excited to share my passion for lacrosse. My favorite lacrosse quote is “Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back..Play for her”-Mia Hamm :)

Keaghan Burden is a 2021 graduate of Brunswick High School and currently a freshman at Ohio
Northern University studying construction management, as well as playing lacrosse as an attacker. She began playing lacrosse in fifth grade and started playing travel lacrosse the summer before her freshman year of high school. She lettered all four years and was a captain for her team her senior year. After graduation she was honored to play in the Ohio All Star game with other 2021 graduates. She was Academic All Ohio, had an honorable mention for both GCC and NOLL. When Keaghan has free time, she likes to help out with the youth and
middle school teams from Brunswick.

McKenna is a 2015 graduate of Stow Munroe Falls High School. She graduated from the University of Mount Union in 2019 where she played lacrosse as an attack and was apart of four OAC championships. She began playing lacrosse in 7th grade and continues to be involved with lacrosse through coaching. She is currently an assistant coach for the high school team at Stow and is excited to coach for Athena! Outside of lacrosse, McKenna is a middle school math teacher. 

My name is Maggie McGinnis I graduated from Brunswick High School in 2021 and I am now a freshman midfielder at Gannon University. I am majoring in applied exercise science and minoring in innovation and creativity. I have been playing lacrosse for 12 years. I started by playing for Medina Youth Lacrosse then in middle school I began playing for Brunswick. From middle school and all through high school I played club for Ohio Premier lacrosse. In high school I was a 4 year varsity starter and letter winner as well was a captain my senior year. I was also named BHS Varsity Lacrosse Overall Team MVP in 2021, OHSGLCA Regional Honorable Mention Division 1 in 2021, GCC All-Conference Award in 2021, NOLL All-Conference Award in 2021, GCC Honorable Mention Award in 2018 and 2019, OHSGLCA Academic All Ohio Award in 2021, GCC Scholar Athlete Award in 2018 2019 and 2021, BHS Student Athlete of the Week in 2021. I have enjoyed helping to volunteer coach at BHS youth lacrosse camps in the past and look forward to having the opportunity to coach at Athena Lacrosse!

Isabella is a sophomore attack player for Mount Union.