Email coach
Meghan McDonogh
McDonogh begins her 17th season as the head women's lacrosse coach at Catholic in 2023 while also serving as Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator.
In 16 seasons under McDonogh, Catholic has posted a record of 211-82 for a .720 winning percentage, including a mark of 70-2 in the Landmark Conference. The Cardinals have won 13 league championships, including eight-straight, have made 13 appearances in the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship and have been recognized by the IWLCA as an Academic Honor Squad for 13 consecutive years. The team has also earned 21 All-America selections in McDonogh's 16 seasons.
The Cardinals currently own a 51-game winning streak in league play and have not lost a conference contest since April 20, 2013.
In 2022, the Cardinals finished the regular season 11-4 with their only losses coming to teams ranked inside of the top 20. Catholic then went on to win its eighth-straight Landmark Conference title with a narrow victory over rivals Scranton in the championships. Catholic also claimed a victory in the NCAA Tournament, matching its largest-ever tournament triumph with a 27-5 win over St. Mary's (Ind.). The result pushed Catholic's all-time record to 9-0 in the NCAA Tournament first round before the Cardinals fell to Denison in overtime in the second round.
Caroline Beckett registered 51 assist in 2022, breaking the previous single-season assist record previously held by Holly Regan (49, 2018). As a team, the Cardinals were ranked as high as No. 13 in the IWLCA National Poll and closed out the season at No. 18.
In an abbreviated season due to COVID-19, Catholic went undefeated in the regular season, amassing a record of 7-0. After defeating Susquehanna in the semifinal and Scranton in the Landmark Conference Championship, the Cardinals defeated Becker in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to No. 10 St. John Fisher. Two Cardinals were named all-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine as Clare Richards was named to the first team and Iszy Del Peschio was placed on the third team.
The DIII lacrosse season was canceled after a 3-0 start due to COVID-19, but Catholic did eventually have three players named USA Lacrosse all-Americans in 2020 (Clare Richards, second team; Alyssa Bishop, honorable mention; Nanci Hernandez, honorable mention).
Catholic finished the 2019 season with a school-record 17 wins and its fifth-straight appearance in the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament. The Cards also finished the year ranked at No. 10 in the final IWLCA Division III Coaches Poll, the third time they have been ranked in the top 10 in the last five years. McDonogh received her fifth Landmark Conference Coach of the Year honor and second in the last three seasons.
In 2018, Catholic posted a 15-7 record and was ranked at No. 14 in the final IWLCA poll after advancing to the third round of the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship and winning its fifth-straight Landmark Conference title.
The Cardinals went 14-5 in 2017, winning their fourth consecutive Landmark Conference championship and advancing the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament. They were ranked at No. 13 in the final IWLCA coaches poll. McDonogh was honored as the Landmark Conference Coach of the Year for the third time.
Catholic was 13-8 and ranked at No. 10 in the final IWLCA Division III Coaches Poll in 2016. The team won its third-straight league title and advanced to the national quarterfinals before losing to No. 1 SUNY Cortland.
The 2015 season saw the Cardinals capture the second of back-to-back Landmark Conference championships and advance to the national quarterfinals before losing to eventual national champion SUNY Cortland by just one goal. The team achieved its highest-ever final ranking when it came in at No. 6 after finishing with a 16-4 record.
Catholic finished the 2014 season with a 12-6 record, including a perfect 6-0 mark in Landmark Conference play. The team reclaimed the league title with a 20-9 victory over Susquehanna after falling to the River Hawks in 2013. The Cards also returned to the NCAA tournament after a one-year hiatus. McDonogh earned her third Landmark Conference Coach of the Year award.
The Cardinals totaled their only losing record under McDonogh in 2013 when they finished 8-10 after losing to Susquehanna in the Landmark Conference championship game.
In 2012, the Cardinals posted a 16-6 record and finished unbeaten in the Landmark Conference for the fourth time in the last five years. The team won nine-straight games, including both two conference and two NCAA Tournament games, before falling to No. 1 Salisbury in the NCAA regional finals. The Cards finished the year ranked at No. 11 in the final IWLCA poll.
McDonogh guided Catholic to a 15-4 record in 2011, including a mark of 4-0 in the Landmark Conference and the team's fourth-straight conference title. She received her second Landmark Conference Coach of the Year award while leading the team to a win over Mary Washington in the NCAA first round.
Despite losing All-American Kate Robinson to injury, the Cardinals rattled off 12 wins in their final 14 games to finish the 2010 season with a 13-7 record. The Cards won their third-straight league title and advanced to the NCAA second round.
Catholic won a school-record 17 games in 2009, posting a 17-5 record while winning its second league title and advancing to the NCAA regional finals before falling to No. 1 Salisbury.
In 2008, McDonogh earned her first Landmark Conference Coaching Staff of the Year award, leading the Cardinals to a 17-5 record and a mark of 5-0 in the team's inaugural season in the Landmark Conference. The Cards' 21-10 win over Goucher in the 2008 conference championship game earned the team its first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship.
During McDonogh’s first season in 2007, Catholic tied the then-school record for victories with 11 which included a pair of wins over nationally-ranked opponents.
McDonogh came to Catholic from the University of Louisville where she established and ran the women’s club lacrosse program and began the transition of the program from a club sport to a full varsity team while working on her Ph.D.
McDonogh began her coaching career at the University of California, Berkeley, in 2002 where she worked primarily with the goalkeepers and organized camps as well as high school tournaments. While at Berkeley she also held the operations manager and merchandise coordinator position with the San Jose CyberRays of the Women's United Soccer Association.
Following her time at Cal-Berkeley, McDonogh spent a year at Division II Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina where she was an assistant coach and helped lead the Saints to the NCAA Final Four for the first time.
Off the field, McDonogh has served as Vice President of the IWLCA and President of the Southeastern Women's Lacrosse League. She has also been on the Board of Directors for US Lacrosse and the Collegiate Women's Lacrosse Officials Association.
McDonogh played two years on the women's lacrosse team at American University before graduating with a bachelor or arts degree in women's and gender studies in 2001. She also played one year on the women's soccer team as a sophomre after spending one season on the team at Syracuse as a freshman.
She is heavily involved in women's lacrosse at many levels. She is the Vice President of the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) Board of Directors. Previously McDonogh served as the president of the Southeastern Women's Lacrosse League and she was also on the US Lacrosse Board of Directors and US Lacrosse Women's Division Board of Governors.
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, McDonogh received her master's degree in sport management from the University of Georgia in 2002. While there, she was a player and coach on the club lacrosse team who was ranked as high as second in the nation and advanced to the US Lacrosse Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates (WDIA) national championships.
McDonogh earned her Ph.D., in sport administration from the University of Louisville in 2011.
show more