Our greatest assets are our coaches.

Meet the Founders

Clarissa Clarke, Co-Director & Coach

The 2003 Yale University captain, Clarissa Clarke returned to coach for five seasons on the Bulldog staff. As a senior, she helped lead Yale to the NCAA Tournament and was named IWLCA/US Lacrosse Regional Second Team All-American. She also earned multiple All-Ivy honors during her career. Clarke was selected to the Academic All-American Team her senior year. Clarke is fifth on Yale’s career goals scored list with 114. She joined Madison Youth Lacrosse in 2004 and ran a winter training program for them, as well as coaching girls’ grades 3-8 in the spring. Clarke served as Head Coach of the Loomis Chaffee Varsity team from 2014 to 2016, was named US Lacrosse Coach of the Year in 2016 & currently volunteers for the women's lacrosse program at Fairfield University. Clarissa Clarke is the regional director for the WPLL Futures Program. The program helps develop the youth into future leaders of the sport. Clarke has been on the college and club scene since 2004. Over the last 18 years, her relationships and connections with college and high school coaches have helped countless players play in college. Clarissa inspires young girls to work tirelessly while constantly asking them to try to be their best on and off the field.
Laura Field, Co-Director

A 2000 graduate of Princeton University, Laura Field was named Head Coach at Fairfield University in July of 2015. Before Fairfield, Laura was named the Interim Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach at Yale University in the fall of 2007 and coached for seven seasons at Yale University before joining the Fairfield University Staff in 2008. A three-time All-Ivy pick for the Tigers, Field played in two NCAA final eight games as well as the National Championship her senior year. She also won an Ivy League championship and ranks fourth on Princeton’s overall career saves list. She has worked as a youth coach since 2002. While Field has been at the helm of Fairfield University, she has claimed three MACC championships in just four seasons. As a native of Mystic, Connecticut Field strives to bring the best lacrosse coaching to young people from all over the state.

Meet the Directors

Maureen Spellman

Recruiting Coordinator
Mo Spellman rejoins Nor’easter Lacrosse as Recruiting Coordinator — working with players and families to help navigate the ever-changing and demanding environment of college recruiting.
Mo previously worked as a coach for Nor’easter from the 2012-2013 season up until her acceptance of the Head Coach position at Endicott College in the Summer of 2018. She will be a familiar face to many as she has returned many times for clinics and events and most recently has held clinic sessions for our goalies this summer.
Spellman understands the importance of academics to the college game and her programs have excelled in the classroom. Her teams have been honored on the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll and won conference recognition with the Commonwealth Coast Conference 2019 Sportsmanship Award. Spellman has further powered Endicott to back-to-back CCC titles in 2018 and 2019 and is poised to continue that tradition. Spellman graduated from the University of New Haven in 2012 where she served as Captain in both her junior and senior years. She remains their all-time saves leader and was the NE10 Goalkeeper of the Year in her freshman season.
Spellman has been committed to mentoring high school and college-age lacrosse players and growing the game from the inside out. A staple on the camp and clinic trail she has a nuanced understanding of the inner workings of the recruiting process and how to navigate the ever-changing path for both players and their families. Spellman will bring her strong work ethic and her approachable and accessible nature to the guidance process for our college-bound players. We are excited to have her expertise and know that she will help tremendously as we, and our players, navigate the changing landscape due to Covid-19.
Megan Cersosimo

Youth Director
Megan Cersosimo was a four-year letter winner for the University of Connecticut. She was named All-BIG EAST second team as a senior and to the North Regional All-American Team and she won the UConn Club Award for Outstanding Senior Athlete in 2001. Megan was a captain in her junior and senior years and left as the school career record holder in games started, ground balls, and draw controls. Cersosimo was a 4-year letter winner in soccer and lacrosse at Great Valley HS in Malvern, PA. Her extensive coaching experience includes being an Assistant Coach at UCONN from 2001 to 2006, and the head coach at UCONN from 2006 to 2008 after which she became, and remains, the head coach at Conard High School. Megan was named the Class L Coach of the Year in 2015 and US Lacrosse Coach of the Year in 2017. She has been coaching Nor’easter Elite teams since 2013 and took over as the Youth Director in 2021!
Katy Szymanski

North Director
Katy Szymanski enters her 10th season as head coach of the Trinity College women's lacrosse team, having guided the Bantams to the post-season in the toughest conference in NCAA Division III each season. Szymanski, the 2012 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) National Assistant Coach of the Year and the 2016 IWLCA Division III Berkshire Region Coach of the Year, was promoted to head coach at Trinity in June of 2014. She guided Trinity through its unprecedented run of six-straight NCAA Division III Championship Final Fours from 2012-2017, including an NCAA Championship season in 2012. Szymanski was also a participant in the 2011 NCAA Final Four as a captain for Bowdoin College's squad.
Szymanski earned her bachelor's degree from Bowdoin in visual arts and environmental studies in 2011 and added a master's degree in public policy from Trinity in 2013. Szymanski starred at center midfielder for her alma mater from 2008 to 2011, earning IWLCA All-Regional honors twice and receiving the program's Ellen Tiemer Trophy for excellence in lacrosse by a vote of her teammates and her coach. Szymanski, who was also an assistant field hockey coach at Trinity from 2011 to 2013, is an assistant professor at the College in Physical Education. She organizes a fall clinic for inner-city youth in Hartford each autumn and serves on the athletic department's marketing and communication committee and its sports medicine committee.
Szymanski has served on the Venture Orientation Committee for the past eight years, helping to develop and expand programming for first-year females committed to making a difference in the world. The program runs for three days during orientation and provides an opportunity for first-year females to meet faculty, alumnae, senior administrators, and trustees while focusing on building their strengths and confidence before entering Trinity. There are a handful of year-round programming throughout their four years. She resides in West Hartford with her husband, Tom, and welcomed a baby boy in May.
Joe Klauder

Director of Operations
Avery Giorgio

Director of Programming
Avery Giorgio has been coaching Nor’easter since 2013. She is a Nor’easter native, having also played nor’easter since 6th grade. Avery graduated from Hamden Hall Country Day School in 2013, where she was a 3 sport varsity athlete (Soccer, Swimming, Lacrosse), earning all-state and area recognition in all 3 sports. Avery continued her lacrosse career at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, graduating in 2017 with a degree in Psychology. Avery was a captain her senior year and a 4-year member of the Holy Crosse Leadership Academy for Athletes. Post college, Avery coached soccer and lacrosse at Cheshire Academy, while also being a reading and math specialist at Roberto Clemente in New Haven, CT. She stayed local to complete prerequisite courses for nursing school. That took a turn when she got offered the Assistant coaching job at Trinity College. Avery worked closely with the attackers and midfielders at Trinity College for 3 years. During this time at Trinity, she also earned her Masters degree in Public Policy & Law (2021). This past year, she moved to the high school prep school world. Avery was the Assistant Athletic Director and head lacrosse coach at the Millbrook School. She also taught 2 sections of Algebra II, was the dorm head of an all-female 3rd form dorm and helped out with the soccer team in the fall! Avery is excited to help our Directors as the new Director of Programming for Nor’easter!
Daphne

OUR COLLEGE COACHES COME FROM INSTITUTIONS ALL OVER CONNECTICUT

Wesleyan University • Yale University • UConn • Fairfield University • Quinnipiac University • the University of New Haven • Central Connecticut State University • Southern Connecticut State University • University of Hartford • Trinity College

WE ALSO ARE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE SOME OF THE FINEST HIGH SCHOOL COACHES

Conard High School • Simsbury High School • Cheshire High School • Cheshire Academy • Choate Rosemary Hall • Hamden Hall Country Day School • Fairfield Warde • Amity • Sacred Heart Miss Porter’s • Canterbury School

Meet the Coaches

Samantha Orazio

Former Head Coach, SHA
University of New Haven Alumni
After college, Orazio began coaching youth lacrosse for Amity before taking a coaching position at Sacred Heart Academy. During her time there, Orazio helped numerous athletes earn honors such as All-SCC and All-State, and was recognized as Connecticut State Coach of the Year in 2023.
Elizabeth Morrison

Head Coach, Mount Holyoke College
TCNJ Alumni
Nor’easter Alumni
Morrison played lacrosse and field hockey at TCNJ, attending four Final Fours and earning recognition as a five-time All-American and two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Since graduating in 2018, Morrison has been coaching at the collegiate level. She spent three years coaching lacrosse and field hockey at Trinity University before joining the University of Hartford, where they helped transition the team from Division I to Division III and led them to a CNE runner-up finish in their first full year as head coach. In November 2025, Morrison began her tenure as Head Coach at Mount Holyoke College.
Taylor Farace

SHU Midfielder '26
Nor’easter Alumni
Taylor Farace is a Nor’easter alum and currently a senior captain at Sacred Heart University. Farace has been coaching with Nor’easter for about five years and also works with athletes across Connecticut through private training sessions.
Jill Mountford

Head Coach, Ethel Walker School
Cierra Ward

Former Coach, CCSU
CCSU Alumni
Nor’easter Alumni
Ward has been coaching with Nor’Easter since 2011. Over the years, she has also coached at Kingswood-Oxford High School, started a club team in Austin, TX, and coached at both SCSU and CCSU. A Division I lacrosse player at CCSU, she served as team captain her senior year and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Originally from West Hartford, where she attended Conrad High School, Ward began playing lacrosse in seventh grade and competed at the club level. Passionate about the sport, she is dedicated to sharing her knowledge and helping athletes develop and refine their lacrosse skills.
Clara Bissell

Berry College (GA) Alumni
Associate Head Coach, Wesleyan University
Since the spring of 2017, Bissell has been immersed in college coaching— jumping in immediately after graduating a semester early. She began her collegiate coaching career at the University of Charleston (WV), where they spent two years while earning an MBA. They then moved on to Transylvania University (KY), coaching there for three seasons. In the fall of 2021, Bissell joined Wesleyan, taking on the responsibilities of Defense and Goalies right away, after previously coaching Offense at prior institutions. Throughout her coaching career, she has contributed to two HCAC Conference Titles, two NESCAC Championship game appearances, six NCAA Tournament appearances, and has coached numerous athletes to All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American honors.
Alicia Mortali

Assistant Coach, Staples HS
University of New Haven Alumni
Nor’easter Alumni
Mortali has been coaching high school lacrosse since 2019. They spent one year at Chapin High School in Chapin, South Carolina, and have spent the past five years coaching at Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut.
Emily Sullivan

Former Head Coach, Westminster
James Madison University Alumni
Sullivan’s coaching journey began at James Madison University, where she worked with her former club team. After four years playing at JMU—serving as team captain in her senior year—she used her final year of NCAA eligibility at Jacksonville University as the starting goalie and team captain. Following her playing career, she spent two years coaching at Sacred Heart University before serving five years as the head lacrosse coach at Westminster School in the Founders League.
Kate Laico

Assistant Coach, Springfield College
Pace University/Springfield College Alumni
Liaco has been the Graduate Assistant Coach at Springfield College since June 2025!
Betsy Vendel

Head Coach, CCSU
CCSU Alumni
Vendel has been coaching at the club level since 2012 and began her collegiate coaching career in 2014. She was part of the inaugural program at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy before joining Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) as an assistant coach in the fall of 2014. During her time at SCSU, she also served as the interim head coach before accepting the head coaching position at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). She has now been leading the CCSU program for seven years, continuing to build and develop competitive, high-character teams.
Jill Temple

Assistant Coach, SCSU
Kevin Siedlecki

Head Coach, SCSU
Siedlecki began his coaching career in 2005 at Daniel Hand High School, where he later served as head coach for 10 years. During his tenure, he led the program to six conference championships and was named State Coach of the Year three times. He has now been with Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) for seven seasons, continuing to bring his experience, leadership, and passion for the game to the collegiate level.
Riley Kokoruda

Boston University Alumni
Nor’easter Alumni
Jessica Ormrod

Head Coach, University of Bridgeport
Kings College Alumni
Ormrod has been coaching lacrosse since 2015. She began her coaching career at her alma mater, King’s College, where she had the unique opportunity to coach while earning her master’s degree. Following her time at King’s, she spent four years coaching at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. In 2021, she returned home to become the Head Coach at the University of Bridgeport. Under her leadership, the Purple Knights achieved 10 victories—their highest single-season total since 2015. During her tenure, nine Purple Knights have earned CACC All-Conference honors, including two in 2023, three in 2024, and four in 2025.
Rachel Crane

Assistant Coach, Quinnipiac University
Niagara University Alumni
Crane joined the Quinnipiac University Women’s Lacrosse staff as an assistant coach in the fall of 2024 after graduating from Niagara University. Now in her second season with the Bobcats, she works primarily with the offense and takes pride in being part of a competitive, motivated, and team-oriented program.
Emily White (Anderson)

Former Head Coach, Hamden Hall
UConn Alumni
Nor’easter Alumni
White served as the Girls Varsity Coach at Hamden Hall Country Day School from 2016 to 2024. During her time at Hamden Hall, she also coached Varsity Field Hockey from 2016 to 2021 and has been involved in coaching a variety of youth sports, including cross country, soccer, basketball, and tennis. Her dedication to fostering athletic growth and teamwork across multiple sports has made her a valued member of the Hamden Hall community.
Shawn Gavin

Assistant Coach, SCSU
Samantha Vitka

Assistant Coach, Wesleyan
Western New England University Alumni
Vitka began her coaching career in 2023 after an accomplished dual-sport collegiate career in soccer and lacrosse at Western New England University. A standout on the field, she ranks second all-time in draw controls (360) and earned First Team All-CCC honors. Following graduation, she joined the University of New Haven as an assistant coach, where she oversaw the draw unit and worked closely with the offense. During her tenure, New Haven captured the NE10 Regular Season Championship in 2025 and made NCAA Tournament appearances in both 2024 and 2025. Multiple players earned All-Conference, All-Region, and All-American honors under her guidance. She is now entering her first season as an Assistant Coach at Wesleyan University, where she works with the offense and draw unit.
Shea Murphy

Assistant Coach, CCSU
Kennesaw State University Alumni
Nor’easter Alumni
Murphy began her collegiate coaching career in January 2025 at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) after a successful three-year playing career at Kennesaw State University. She currently serves as an assistant coach at CCSU, working primarily with the defense, while also pursuing a master’s degree in Strategic Communication.
Brinley Anderson

UMASS Alumni, Class of 2020
Nor’easter Alumni
Anderson began her lacrosse journey with Nor’easter in sixth grade and has been part of the program ever since. After graduating high school in 2017, she went on to play at the University of Massachusetts, where she served as a three-time team captain. She was a member of the 2021 Atlantic 10 Championship team, earned Atlantic 10 First Team honors, was named Second Team All-Region by the IWLCA, and received an All-American Honorable Mention from Inside Lacrosse. She has been coaching with Nor’easter since 2017, sharing her experience and passion for the game with young athletes.
Heather Russell

Assistant Coach, Conard HS
Maddie Epke

Northwestern, Class of 2026
Nor’easter Alumni
Nicole Gorman

Lindenwood, Class of 2029
Nor’easter Alumni
Avery Olschefskie

Niagara, Class of 2028
Nor’easter Alumni
Lia LaPrise

Assistant Coach, UMASS
UConn Alumni
Nor’easter Alumni
Since 2023, LaPrise has been part of the college coaching ranks following a five-year playing career at UConn. Currently at UMass, she works closely with the attack and goalies, contributing to the team’s success, including an A-10 Championship title in 2025 and a trip to the first round of the NCAA Tournament. LaPrise has also played a key role in the development of All-Tournament, MVP, and All-American players.
Chris Elledge

Head Coach, Amity HS
The athletes call him Coach EL. He has been coaching with Nor’easter since 2020 and involved in lacrosse since 2005. Coach EL is the head girls’ lacrosse coach at Amity Regional High School, where he led the program to back-to-back SCC titles—the first in school history. His players have earned one All-American honor, three SCC Players of the Year, ten First Team All-State, and ten First Team All-Conference selections. He was named SCC Coach of the Year in 2022. An Exercise Physiologist with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Exercise Science, Coach EL previously taught exercise physiology and health at ESUMS. A former collegiate cross country and track athlete at Truman State University, he now also coaches boys’ cross country at Amity, leading the team to its first state title in 10 years. Known for his positive, high-energy, and confidence-building style, Coach EL is passionate about helping athletes grow on and off the field.
Tory Hurley

JV & Thirds Coach, Conard HS
Endicott College Alumni
Nor’easter Alumni
Since graduating from Endicott College in 2023, Hurley has been coaching lacrosse at Conard High School. She began as an assistant coach for the varsity program, working with the offense, before stepping into the head coaching role for the JV team. Most recently, she served as the head coach for the Thirds program.
Claire Banks

Colby College, Class of 2029
Nor'easter Alumni
Camryn Tomey

UConn, Class of 2029
Nor’easter Alumni
Princess Zabel

Head Coach, Bates College
Villanova Alumni
Rayea Davis

UConn, Class of 2026
Brian O'Neill

Assistant Coach, Foran HS
Youth Coach, Milford
Quinnipiac Alumni
For the past twenty years, O'Neill has dedicated their time to coaching. The first decade was spent developing the Milford Youth Lacrosse Program, laying the foundation for its growth and success. Over the past ten years, they have transitioned to coaching at Foran High School, where they continue to lead and support the program. O'Neill is proud to have helped build a new program that has grown into a competitive presence within the SCC.
Meg Albertsen

Former Assistant Coach, Trinity College
Sam Clyne
Ashley Moynahan

Assistant Coach, Trinity College
Mary Henry
Ashley Gorman
Tema Caplan
Caitlin O'Brien

Head Coach, Branford High School
University of New Haven Alumni
Nor’easter Alumni
O’Brien has been coaching lacrosse for the past nine years. After graduating from the University of New Haven in 2017 with a master’s degree, she began her collegiate coaching career at Southern Connecticut State University as an assistant coach in 2019. Following a COVID-shortened 2020 season, she returned to her hometown of Branford, serving as the assistant varsity girls’ coach in 2021. In 2022, she was named head coach of the Branford High School girls’ lacrosse team, a position she proudly holds today. She was recently honored as the CIAC Class M Coach of the Year for the 2024 season.
Caroline Cersosimo
Megan Mane
Elizabeth Walsh

Fairfield University, Class of 2030
Nor’easter Alumni
This is Walsh’s first year coaching with Nor’easter. A former Nor’easter player, she has committed to play Division I lacrosse at Fairfield University. She is currently a senior at Daniel Hand High School in Madison, CT, where she is a four-year varsity athlete in both lacrosse and soccer. During her high school lacrosse career, she has earned 2x All-SCC, 2x All-State honors, and was named Defender of the Year last season.
Lilianna Gerard
Amanda Z

Goalie Coach