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

  • MO 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!

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

  • Sam Orazio

    Former Head Coach SHA

  • Libby Morrison

    Assistant Coach Williams College
    Nor’easter Alumni

    Elizabeth Morrison has been coaching Nor’easter since the fall of 2018 and is currently the assistant coach at the University of Hartford. She previously coached lacrosse and field hockey at Trinity College while earning a masters degree. While working with both teams, helped develop 11 All-Conference, eight All-Region and four All-American honorees. Prior to beginning her collegiate coaching career at Trinity, Morrison was a standout two-sport athlete at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Morrison enjoyed a decorated career in lacrosse, graduating as the program's single-season and all-time record holder in ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers. Anchoring the Division's lowest scoring defense each of her four years, she became the first — and only — player in Division III women's lacrosse history to earn four All-American honors from the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). Additionally Morrison earned National Defender of the Year honors in non-consecutive years (2016, 2018) and she was also the only Division III player to be named to the prestigious Tewarraton Award Watch List in 2018. In field hockey Morrison walked onto the team and eventually earned All-American honors her senior after pacing the Lions' offense as the leading points scorer with 41 points on 16 goals and nine assists. As a result of her accomplishments on the field and in the classroom Morrison was nominated as the conference representative for the NCAA’s Woman of the Year award.

  • Taylor Farace

    SHU Midfielder '26
    Nor’easter Alumni

  • Jill Mountford

    Head Coach Ethel Walker School

  • Cierra Ward

    Former CCSU Coach
    Nor’easter Alumni

  • Clara Bissell

    Associate Head Coach Wesleyan University

    Clara Bissell joined the Wesleyan women’s lacrosse coaching staff as an assistant coach for the 2022 season. Bissell arrives in Middletown following three seasons (2018-21) as an assistant coach for Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky. In her time with the Pioneers, Bissell was part of two NCAA Tournament teams as Transylvania went 15-5 in 2019 and 11-5 in 2021. Prior to Transylvania, Bissell’s first collegiate coaching experience came as a graduate assistant coach at the University of Charleston in West Virginia. This was her first glimpse at recruiting in college, planning practices, lifts and conditioning with the head coach. She was a three-year letterwinner in lacrosse at Berry College (graduated a semester early) as she totaled 38 goals and four assists for 42 points in 42 career games played. Bissell graduated from Berry College in Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in English (literature) in December 2016. She went on to earn a master’s degree in business administration from the Univ. of Charleston (W.V.) in May 2018. Clara joined the Nor’easter coaching staff in 2022.

  • Alicia Mortali

    Assistant Coach Staples HS
    Nor’easter Alumni

    Alicia Mortali has been a coach for Nor’easter Lacrosse since 2013.She is a Nor’easter native, having also played nor’easter since 7th grade.Alicia graduated from Branford High School in 2013 and was a player of Nor’easter throughout high school. She was a First Team All-SCC defender and captain her senior year of high school. She continued her lacrosse career at the University of New Haven ,where she was a defender all four years. She was a member of the Northeast 10- Commissioner’s Honor Roll in 2016 and 2017, and a senior captain in 2017. Alicia graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2017 and then received her Master’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2019. She coached one year at Southern Connecticut State University and is currently the assistant coach at Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut.

  • Emily Sullivan

    Former Head Coach Westminster

  • Kate Laico

    Assistant Coach Springfield College

  • Betsy Vendel

    Head Coach CCSU

    Betsy has been coaching Nor’easter since 2012. Betsy Vendel (CCSU '14) was named head coach of the women's lacrosse program in October 2018. Vendel is CCSU's all-time leader in assists (99), points (219), draw controls (180) and ranks second in goals (120). Vendel was a four-year member of the women's lacrosse team. She was a three-time All-Northeast Conference selection and earned NEC Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman. She posted four of the top 10 single-season point totals in program history and started all 64 games of her career. During her time with the Blue Devils, Vendel was awarded the Gail Rutz Award as the most outstanding senior female student-athlete. Vendel returns to Central after spending four years at Southern Connecticut State where she was named he Interim Head Coach in the fall of 2017 and guided the Owls to a school record for wins in a season. The program was also recognized with Team Academic honors by the IWLCA. Vendel had served as assistant coach at SCSU since 2015 and was instrumental in all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the team. Vendel's coaching career also includes a season as an assistant coach at the United States Coast Guard Academy. She has also coached with the Nor'easter club program since 2012. A Connecticut native, she began her coaching career at her alma mater, Newtown High School.

  • Jill temple

    Assistant Coach SCSU

    Jill has been coaching Nor’easter since 2021. She played Nor’easter when the club was just kicking off back in 2006. She went on to play defense at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. Moving back to Connecticut after college she went on to start her coaching career at Daniel Hand High School from 2013-2017. She moved back to New Hampshire for 3 years and coached with the New Hampshire tomahawks. Once covid hit her and her husband decided to come back to CT. Now an assistant coach at Southern Connecticut University and also involved in many youth programs along the shoreline. As well as coaching her other passion is personal training. She is a certified nasm personal trainer and trains all different ages from 6 to 70 year olds clients.

  • Kevin Siedlecki

    Head Coach SCSU

    Kevin Siedlecki has been coaching with Nor’Easter since 2008, and has been the head coach at Southern Connecticut State University since 2019. In 2021 Southern played in the NE10 Conference Tournament for the first time, as they were the No. 5 seed in the Southwest Division and were matched up with No. 4 seed New Haven. Siedlecki was the head varsity girl’s lacrosse coach at Daniel Hand High School in Madison, Conn. from 2009-2018. At Hand, Siedlecki compiled a career record of 157-51 and also earned CIAC Class M Coach of the Year honors in 2015 and 2018 as well as Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) Coach of the Year honors in 2015 and New Haven Register Coach of the Year honors in 2011. Siedlecki guided Hand to the last four SCC Tournament Championships in addition to titles in 2009 and 2010, while also capturing SCC Regular-Season Championships in 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2018. Hand also finished as CIAC Class M Runner-ups in 2011, 2015 and 2018 and Semifinalists in 2017 and 2018. Siedlecki also coached five All-Americans.

  • Riley Kokoruda

    Boston University Grad
    Nor’easter Alumni

  • Jessica Ormrod

    Head Coach University of Bridgeport

    Jessica Ormrod started coaching for Nor’Easter in the summer of 2022 and has been the Head Coach of the University of Bridgeport since July of 2021. As a native of West Haven, Connecticut, Ormrod was very excited for the opportunity to help continue to grow the game in her own backyard. In her first year at UB, she coached the team to their first winning record since 2017. She also helped develop 2 All Conference players in the 2022 season. Ormrod came back to Connecticut after spending 4 years at the University of Montevallo in Alabama as the Assistant Coach. In her time at Montevallo, she helped develop 5 All Conference players as well as help coach the team to 3 GSC Conference Playoffs. Prior to the University of Montevallo, Ormrod had the opportunity to coach at her Alma Mater, King’s College in Wilkes-Barre,PA. Here she helped coach 11 MAC All Conference Players, 1 Rookie of the Year and 1 Player of the Year. Ormrod was a four-year starter (2011-2014) who earned two All-Academic team awards in 2012 and 2014, a 2014 All-MAC Freedom Conference honorable mention, and the Monarch Merit Award in 2014. Along with her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Psychology (2014), Coach Ormrod also holds a Masters of Education degree from King's College (2017).

  • Rachel Crane

    Assistant Coach Quinnipiac University

  • Emily White (Anderson)

    Former Head Coach Hamden Hall
    Nor’easter Alumni

    Emily Anderson has been a coach for Nor'easter Lacrosse Club since 2012. Emily graduated from Haddam-Killingworth High School in 2011, and was a player for Nor’easter during her high school years. She continued her lacrosse career at the University of Connecticut, where she was a midfielder all four years, and earned First-Team All-Big East and IWLCA Academic All-American as a senior. Emily was a member of the Neag School of Education at UConn, and graduated with her Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education in 2015 and received her Master's in Elementary Education in 2016. She recently finished her sixth year teaching third grade and coaching varsity lacrosse at Hamden Hall Country Day School in Hamden, CT. Emily is passionate about helping players reach their full potential, and takes pride in fostering a cohesive and supportive atmosphere on her teams.

  • Shawn Gavin

    Assistant Coach SCSU

  • Sam Vitka

    Assistant Coach Wesleyan

  • Shea Murphy

    Assistant Coach CCSU
    Nor’easter Alumni

  • Brinley Anderson

    UMASS Grad '20, Nor'easter Alumni
    Nor’easter Alumni

  • Heather Russell

    Conard HS Assistant Coach

    Heather has been coaching Nor’easter since the summer of 2021. She attended the University of Connecticut for her bachelors and masters from 2011-2016 where she studied math education and was a member and captain of the UConn Club Lacrosse team, a top 10 team in the country during that time. She coaches both lacrosse and soccer at Conard High School in West Hartford, CT where she is also a math teacher. She has been coaching and teaching in West Hartford for since 2018 and prior to that coached and taught at Franklin High School, a top tier program in Franklin, MA. While coaching at Franklin, the team won two league titles and a state sectional title.

  • Maddie Epke

    Northwestern Attacker '26
    Nor’easter Alumni

    Maddie Epke started coaching for Nor’easter in 2021. She will be an incoming freshman and play lacrosse as a midfielder and draw specialist for James Madison University in the fall of 2022. She played for Nor’easter club for 8 years and graduated from Guilford High School in 2022 as a 3-sport captain. For Guilford, she was a 2x All-American for lacrosse, All-American for field hockey, and All-state for ice hockey. She was a 5x Southern Connecticut Conference player of the year (2 lacrosse, 2 ice hockey, 1 field hockey) and earned 3 state championship player of the game awards. She won 5 Class M state titles and 9 SCC titles in total for all 3 sports. Recently, she was named the New Haven register female athlete of the year for her senior high school season. She has reffed for the town of Guilford for 2 years and has helped coached for Guilford youth lacrosse since freshman year of high school.

  • Nicole Gorman

    Lindenwood Attacker '29
    Nor’easter Alumni

  • Avery Olschefskie

    Niagara Midfielder '28
    Nor’easter Alumni

  • Lia LaPrise

    Assistant Coach UMASS
    Nor’easter Alumni

    Lia LaPrise has been a coach for Nor’easter since 2018. She also played for Nor’easter in her high school years! Lia is a Windsor, CT native and graduated from The Loomis Chaffee School in 2018. She just finished her undergrad at UConn and was a four-year letter winner. She plays attack at UConn and was named All-AAC second team in 2019, and All-Big East first team for the 2021 and 2022 season. She was also a captain in her senior year. Lia is super excited in her plans to stay at UConn to play for a 5th year!

  • Chris Elledge

    Amity HS Head Coach

    Chris Elledge is a St. Louis Missouri native who followed his superhero wife to New Haven to complete her Yale MD residency in Child Psychiatry as well as a PhD in research statistics and analytics. Chris has been coaching the women's game since 2005 and recently took over the head coaching position at Amity Regional High School for the 2022 season. Chris has his Master and Bachelors in Exercise Science, as well as numerous certifications. Chris is currently a high school teacher, personal trainer, and cross country coach. Chris has earned a CSCS, USAW Level 1, NASM CES, PN1 and USLacrosse Level 1,2, and 3 certifications.

  • Tory Hurley

    Conard HS Assistant Coach
    Nor’easter Alumni

    Tori Hurley is a recent graduate from Endicott College where she graduated with a major in education and is now completing her masters program through Endicott College in social emotional learning. She started coaching for Nor’easter during summer 2022. Tori played attack for her four years at Endicott and was a captain for her senior season in 2021-2022. Prior to Endicott, Tori played for Glastonbury High School where she was captain senior year, 2x all conference player, 2nd team all state, and her senior year she was voted the #1 attacker in the conference. In addition to lacrosse, she also received varsity letters in basketball and volleyball.

  • Claire Banks

    Colby College Midfielder '29
    Nor'easter Alumni

  • Camryn Tomey

    UConn Midfielder '29
    Nor’easter Alumni

  • Princess Zabel

    Villlanova Midfieder, HC Bates College

    Princess has been coaching for Nor’easter since 2020. She is currently an Assistant Athletic Director at Cheshire Academy where she also coaches girls lacrosse and girls basketball. In addition, she operates private and group training with her business, Black Pirate Lacrosse. Prior to these roles she coached that the Division I level for at several programs including CCSU, Mercer, Bucknell, and her alma mater, Villanova. Zabel has coached ten All-Conference Players, 15 All-Academic Players, nine NCAA statistical rankings, one Conference Player of the Year, NEC Sportsmanship Award, and 2x IWLCA All-Academic Team. At Villanova she played 3 years in the midfield, before transitioning to defense during her senior season. As as defender she received BIG East weekly honors. Zabel graduated from Danbury High School where she won a state championship in 2008, MVP, High School All-American, 2X All-State, 2X All-FCIAC. In 2010, Zabel was labeled top 25 athletes of the decade landing at #22 by the Danbury News Times.

  • Rayea Davis

    UConn Attacker '26

  • Amanda Zabel

    Former SHU, St Joe's, Private Goalie Coach

    Amanda has been coaching for Nor’easter since 2020. She is currently a PhD Student at the University of New Haven. She also operates private goalie training her business she runs with her wife, Black Pirate Lacrosse. Prior to being a PhD student, Amanda coaches collegiate at Sacred Heart University during two different stents. While there she worked with goalies and attackers, she coached two All-Conference and one All-Rookie goalies. In between her time at Sacred Heart she worked for the Connecticut General Assembly and Deloitte. Amanda played at CCSU as a goal keeper, where she still holds several records. Zabel attended Lawerence High School in Long Island, were she was an All-County Softball player. She graduated from Lafayette High School in Missouri where she won a softball state championship, was a 2x All-State Softball player. Since softball was in the fall in Missouri, Zabel was able to pick up lacrosse in the spring. As a lacrosse player she garnered the Defensive MVP award.

  • Brian O'Neill

    Former Quinnipiac Player, Foran HS Assistant Coach, Milford Youth Coach

  • Meg Albertsen

    Former Assistant Coach Trinity College

    Meg Albertsen joined the Trinity coaching staff after spending the previous two years as a graduate assistant coach at Regis College in Massachusetts. Albertsen graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell in 2019 where she was a two-year captain for the River Hawks. She also has head coaching experience with the Cambridge School and Newton Country Day Middle School in Massachusetts, and has coached with the Revolution Lacrosse Club for several years. Albertsen has her bachelor's degree in liberal arts from UMass-Lowell and her master's degree from Regis in strategic communications. In her first season with the Bantams working primarily with defense, the team boasted an All-American, two all-region defenders and an all-nescac nominee. She has been coaching with Nor’Easter since 2021!

  • Sam Clyne

    Played at the University of New Haven for four years. Now Head coach at Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden. Sam just completed my 5th season with the team, and last year they won the SCC tournament! This will be her 7th summer working with Nor'easter.

  • Ashley Moynahan

    Ashley Moynahan has been coaching for Nor’ Easter since 2020. She played for Nor’ Easter for about seven years growing up. Ashley is a Fairfield, CT native and attended Fairfield Ludlowe High School, where she graduated in 2020. While at Ludlowe, Ashley was a two-time indoor track and field captain as well as a lacrosse captain her senior year. She was a member of the USA U17 lacrosse team back in 2019 and is currently a rising junior midfielder on the lacrosse team at Rutgers University.

  • Mary Henry

    Mary has been coaching at Nor’easter since 2021. She began playing at Nor’easter in 6th grade. Mary just graduated from Masuk High School and will be attending Fairfield University to play D1 lacrosse as an attacker under Head Coach Laura Field. At Masuk, Mary accumulated the 2019 Second Team All-State, 2021 First Team All-State, 2019 and 2021 First Team All-SWC and was named captain as a junior and senior. She also played volleyball and was named captain and team MVP her senior year. Mary has been a certified referee for one year, and has been helping coach Monroe Youth Lacrosse since 2018.