FOUNDERS
MAGGIE POPE
Maggie grew up playing lacrosse in the hotbed of the sport - Baltimore, Maryland. An Ellicott City native, Maggie played at Centennial High School and went on to have a standout career at Philadelphia University (D2). She earned her Bachelor's degree in Interior Design.
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After graduation, Maggie immediately jumped into coaching at the youth travel level in Lower Merion, PA. She relocated to Ohio for graduate school, earning a Master's of Public Health at Ohio State University. In 2013, she took an Assistant Coach position at St. Francis DeSales High School. Maggie served as the Head Coach of Pickerington High School Central from 2015-2017 and Bexley High School 2018-2020.
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Maggie has coached travel lacrosse at different levels for multiple years. In addition to travel lacrosse, she was selected as one of three coaches for the Under Armor National Midwest All-American team from 2015-2017 and in 2021.
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When she is not coaching lacrosse, Maggie directs Real Estate Planning & Strategy for a local healthcare system. She lives in Westerville with her husband Chris, children Evelyn & Archie, and two dogs Beckett & Bella.
MEGAN NOONE
Megan is a Long Island, NY native, graduating from Massapequa High School where she helped lead her team to three Nassau County Championships. Megan played club lacrosse where she became a student of the game and developed a passion for the game of lacrosse. Megan continued her athletic adventure at LIU Post (formerly CW Post) where she helped the team to three ECC Championships and two D2 National Championships (2012, 2013). Megan has a Bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education and is currently in her 6th year of teaching for Olentangy Schools. Megan also has a Master's degree in Sports Management and Athletic Administration.
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Megan began coaching in 2014 at Westerville Central High School. She then served as the Head Coach of Olentangy Orange High School for four years before she became the first coach in history at Olentangy Berlin High School where she coached until 2020. In 2019, Megan was named OCC Buckeye Coach of the Year for her work leading the Berlin Bears to an 8-win first season. Megan has coached at the club/travel level since 2010.
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An active member of the lacrosse community, Megan has coached three Ohio National Teams as well as an Under Armor National Midwest team in 2016.
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Megan currently teaches Health & Physical Education at Olentangy Liberty Middle School. She lives in Delaware with her Golden Doodle Albie, Golden Retriever Rosie and is an avid traveler.
KAELA SMITH
Kaela Smith is a product of Columbus, Ohio and graduated from Bishop Hartley High School. She continued her academic and athletic education at the University of Mount Union and became a part of the programs inaugural team. Kaela helped lead Mount Union to three conference championships and three NCAA appearances. Kaela has a Bachelor's degree in Public Relations.
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After graduation, Kaela returned to Columbus and began coaching at Pickerington High School Central in 2017. Kaela coached at Bexley High School from 2018-2020. Kaela currently is the Assistant Coach for Capital University, where she has served since the Spring of 2021. She has coached travel lacrosse for multiple years and has assisted players in the recruiting process.
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Outside of lacrosse, Kaela owns Yellow Couch Bakery. She loves to spend time with her family and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. Kaela lives in Canal Winchester with her husband Blake and dog Birdie.
MEET OUR fOUNDERS
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE?
MP: The Cutting Edge - I love a good sports film!
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KS: You've Got Mail.
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MN: The Sound of Music.
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IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD IT BE?
MP: Costa Rica!
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KS: Introdacqua, Italy. It is where my grandparents are from.
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MN: Maui, Hawaii. I'm a beach girl at heart.
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WHY DID YOU START PLAYING LACROSSE?
MP: Growing up in Maryland everyone played lacrosse. I started playing to spend more time with my friends and ended up falling in love with the game. I had no intention of playing in high school, but once I got there, the coach recruited me to come play. I spent all of my time learning how to shoot with boys so I play a side-arm game similar to them.
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KS: Because of my sister, Kendra, who was my first lacrosse coach. She bought me my first stick and wanted me to play lacrosse with her.
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MN: My Uncle Matt played lacrosse at UMASS. He gave me my first stick in 6th grade. I remember to this day playing catch in my grandmothers backyard. That day led to my first try –out in 7th grade for Berner Middle School in Massapequa.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LACROSSE MEMORY?​
MP: My favorite playing memory is scoring my 100th goal at Philadelphia University off an assist from one of my best friends. My favorite coaching memory is coming from behind to tie the game with 13 seconds. We were in our own defensive end and called a time out. Our team went the full length of the field and scored to go into overtime. We ended up losing, but that tying goal felt like a win in my book!
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KS: My favorite playing memory was winning our third conference win at Mount Union vs. Capital . This game happened to be almost four hours long due to rain delays. My favorite coaching memory was being able to watch some of the players I had coached at Pickerington Central play on their senior night when we played them this past year.
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MN: My favorite playing memory was my Freshman year at C.W. Post when I came off the bench and sparked a turn around win vs Lockhaven. My favorite coaching memory was watching my seniors play their last home game in 2018 at Olentangy Orange. I had coached and bonded with them since their freshman year and it was so exciting to see how far they had come while growing into successful young women.
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What do you love most about coaching?
MP: The most rewarding part of coaching is watching a player develop both athletically and personally. Watching a player apply what you have taught them in a game and the look on their face when they succeed, is one of the best and most awesome feelings in the world.
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KS: Athletics expand so much more in a person than just becoming an athlete. It teaches you how to work with others, take responsibility for your actions, manage your time and earn results. I was fortunate to have a handful of coaches who took the time to truly teach me, guide me and make me a better person on and off the field. My favorite part about coaching is now getting to do that for other athletes and be there to help push them and support them through lacrosse and through life.
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MN: Have you ever heard that saying, “if you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life?" Coaching is that for me. Teaching girls to be a great teammate and putting aside personal interest for the good of the team is incredible to watch. I love seeing my players grow as athletes and individuals. It’s so amazing to see how much lacrosse has evolved over the years. It’s even more amazing to watch these players excel and pave the way for many years to come. This group of girls, this generation will leave even more legacies. For me, that’s why I love coaching. We are setting up our players for the future of the sport.
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WHat is your coaching philosophy?
MP: Coaching is so much more than just teaching a sport. I really try to connect with my players on a different level so that I can help mentor them through athletics as well as life. One of the best lessons I have learned as a coach was taught to me by my players at Pickerington Central. We had a discussion at the end of practice and I asked them how they wanted to be fired up. One player said she would get fired up if I was fired up. Another said she needed a calm game plan laid out. Previously, I had only been coaching my players how I always wanted to be coached when I was growing up. It was right then that I decided to change my coaching philosophy and tailor it to each individual.
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KS: As a coach I think it is crucial to realize each athlete is different and needs to be treated as so. Though part of a team, each individual has a unique set of gifts and skills that should be nurtured and coached to. It is important to me as a coach to instill in my athletes to control what they can control; show up, work hard and be a good teammate.
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MN: My goal is to guide each student athlete to discover and reach her full potential both on and off the lacrosse field. It’s crucial to not only develop these girls into talented lacrosse players but incredible people and successful young women. My hope is to give them the tools and skills they need to achieve excellence in college, career and in life. Overall, as a Coach, gaining self-confidence, through hard work and commitment is key to life long success.