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Bucknell University

Bucknell University
 Kenneth Langone Ath & Rec Ctr-One Dent Dr Lewisburg, PA 17837
Division 1 Pennsylvania Northeast
Private Small National competitor
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Jackie Dando

Jackie Dando, who won better than 62 percent of her games as head women’s lacrosse coach at Lebanon Valley over the previous seven seasons, was named the new head coach of the Bucknell women’s lacrosse program on Dec. 23, 2019.


Dando led the Bison to a 3-5 record during a 2020 campaign abbreviated due to the COVID-19 public health threat. She won her first two games at the helm of the program, as Bucknell dispatched Sacred Heart (18-9) and Binghamton (16-9) in commanding fashion.


In 2021, Dando's Bison went 3-6 (3-5 Patriot League) and placed two on the All-Patriot League Team. Bucknell finished one spot shy of clinching the South Division's final bid to that season's Patriot League Tournament.


Dando took over the Lebanon Valley women’s lacrosse program in 2013, just three years after it was reinstated as a varsity sport, and in the seven years since then the team compiled an 82-49 (.626) overall record and a 41-14 (.745) mark in the MAC Commonwealth Conference. The Dutchmen qualified for the conference tournament in each of those seven seasons, culminating with the program’s very first league championship in 2019. After beating Stevenson 10-5 in the MAC Commonwealth final, Dando’s squad then defeated Merchant Marine 13-11 in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament before falling to eventual runner-up Salisbury in the second round.


Dando was named MAC Commonwealth Coach of the Year in 2018, when her team went 13-5 overall, 7-1 in league play, and advanced to the tournament final for the first time. Her teams captured ECAC Division III Tournament titles in 2013 and 2014, and in her seven years at Lebanon Valley Dando coached three All-Americans, eight IWLCA All-Region selections, six IWLCA North-South All-Star Game participants, four conference players of the year, one conference rookie of the year, and 18 all-conference honorees.


Dando’s Lebanon Valley teams also excelled in the classroom. The Dutchmen were recognized as an IWLCA Academic Honor Roll Squad in each of the last seven years. In addition to her coaching duties, Dando was the advisor for Lebanon Valley’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and she coordinated the LVC Step UP program, which promotes bystander intervention.


A native of West Chester, Pennsylvania, Dando graduated from Messiah College with a degree in journalism in 2009. She was a four-year starter and two-year captain on the Messiah lacrosse team, and she helped lead the squad to the first two MAC championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in school history. She was a two-time Academic All-American, and at the time of her graduation she ranked eighth in team history with 115 career goals, seventh with 44 assists, and eighth with 159 points. Dando also played one season of field hockey at Messiah and was part of a team that went all the way to the national championship game in 2005.


Dando got her start in coaching as an assistant at Haverford in 2010 and 2011. She helped guide the Fords to a school-record 13 wins in 2010 and the first two postseason appearances in team history. Dando was named interim head coach at Haverford in the summer of 2011 before departing for an assistant coach position at Villanova for the 2012 season.


Dando also has extensive club and international coaching experience. This past summer she traveled to Australia as a coach with the Beyond Sports Tour, and she has plans to go to Italy in the Summer of 2020 as a coach with the AIST Tour.


Dando served as head coach of the Xtreme Lacrosse Club from 2013-18 and of the Philly Blast Lacrosse Club in 2012. She was the director and host of the Summer Genesis Club Tournament in 2016, 2018 and 2019.

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Jordan Baerga

Jordan Baerga, a December 2023 graduate of Liberty University and a four-year member of the Flames’ women’s lacrosse team, joined Jackie Dando’s staff at Bucknell as an assistant coach prior to the 2024 season. Baerga works with the Bison attacking unit and draw specialists in her new role.


“I am very excited to welcome Jordan Baerga to our Bucknell women’s lacrosse staff and to the Lewisburg community,” said Dando. “Jordan’s recent college experience will add creativity and fresh ideas to our attacking unit and draw team. I am confident she will adapt quickly to our program and build strong relationships with our student athletes, and be a role model for them. We are looking forward to having Jordan start her coaching career here at Bucknell.”


Baerga graduated from Liberty with a bachelor of science degree in sports management. She captained the lacrosse team last spring, even though she missed the campaign due to injury. Prior to that, she was a First Team All-Atlantic Sun Conference and ASUN All-Tournament honoree in 2022, and a year earlier she was an ASUN All-Freshman Team selection and an All-Academic pick.


In 2022, Baerga started all 19 games and led the team in goals (41) and points (55) while finishing second on the squad with 14 assists. She earned ASUN Player of the Week honors after scoring five goals against Vanderbilt. Her 41 goals were third-most in a season in team history. Baerga also recorded 15 goals and four assists in 2021 and tallied two goals as a freshman in the abbreviated 2020 season.


In the summer of 2019, Baerga was a member of the Puerto Rican National Team at the World Games.


A native of Clayton, Del., Baerga starred at Ursuline Academy, scoring 145 goals during her prep career. She also led Green Turtle Lacrosse Club to a Capital Cup title.

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Liza Oakley

Liza Oakley joined the Bucknell women's lacrosse staff as an assistant coach in August 2022. Oakley, formerly a standout defender at Mount St. Mary’s, has made previous coaching stops at Butler, Fresno State, and Lynchburg.


At Bucknell, Oakley serves as the team’s recruiting coordinator and defensive coordinator, among other duties.


“I am very excited to welcome coach Liza Oakley into our Bucknell women's lacrosse family,” said head coach Jackie Dando at the time of her hiring. “What really stood out to me in this search was Liza’s enthusiasm, work ethic, and desire to invest in our program. I have known Liza for a few years, and I am elated that the timing was right for her to join the staff. She will be an excellent coach for our defensive unit and a mentor to all of our players. I look forward to her spearheading our recruiting efforts, as we continue to bring in impactful classes.”


Oakley spent the 2022 season as an assistant coach at Butler, where she served as the defensive coordinator and helped mentor two Second Team All-Big East honorees.


Oakley also coached the defense and goalies at Fresno State during the 2021 season, and she was part of a Bulldogs squad that advanced to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship game for the first time, despite a roster of only 18 student-athletes. Fresno State led the MPSF in caused turnovers and ground balls, and the Bulldogs’ first-year starting goalie was ranked fourth nationally in saves per game at season’s end.


Oakley coached the MPSF Rookie of the Year, four All-MPSF honorees, and four MPSF All-Tournament Team honorees during her season in Fresno.


Oakley’s coaching career began in June of 2018 as a graduate assistant at the University of Lynchburg in Virginia. She served as the offensive and draw team coordinator during the 2018-19 season and then oversaw the defense and draw unit in 2019-20. Oakley coached two All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selections in each of her two seasons.


At Lynchburg, Oakley also coordinated the team’s travel, fundraising, and academic programs, all while earning her MBA as a Dean’s List student.


Oakley did her undergraduate studies at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Md., where she graduated cum laude with a major in finance and a minor in economics. Oakley was a four-year letterwinner as a defender and a three-time Northeast Conference All-Academic selection for the Mountaineers. As a senior in 2018, she helped her team rank third in Division I in scoring defense.


Oakley also has coaching experience with Valley Select Lacrosse and Blue Ridge Lacrosse Club in Virginia, and with Dodgers Lacrosse in Hartford, Conn.

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