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College of the Holy Cross

College of the Holy Cross Dept of Athletics
 1 College Street Worcester, MA 01610
Division 1 Massachusetts Northeast
Private Small National competitor
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Coaches

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Amanda Belichick

Amanda Belichick is currently in her eighth season at Holy Cross as the head coach of the women's lacrosse program in 2023. She is the sixth head coach in program history.


Under Belichick’s direction, the Crusaders have been named an Academic Honor Squad the last six times the award has been given out (there were no awards in 2020 due to COVID-19). Holy Cross has also had a total of 178 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll selections in her first seven years as head coach.


Over the last three seasons, some of Belichick’s players have ranked among the NCAA’s national statistical leaders. Jolie Creo finished the 2022 campaign sixth in the nation in points per game (5.47) and 11 th in goals per game (3.73), after standing third in the country in points per game (6.00) and fifth in goals per game (4.50) in 2021. In addition, Grace Flink stood sixth in the nation saves per game (11.33) in 2021, while she was third in the nation in save percentage (.553) in 2020. Holy Cross also led the country in team save percentage (.555) in 2020.


In 2018, Belichick coached the Crusaders to their first Patriot League playoff appearance since the 2015 season. The Crusaders finished in sixth place in the league after being picked ninth in the preseason poll. In addition, Keely Connors earned first team All-Patriot League honors after shattering the single-season draw control record with 93. During Belichick's first season in 2016, the Crusaders defeated Navy for only the second time in program history with a 7-6 victory.


In 2014 and 2015, Belichick served as the head coach at her alma mater, Wesleyan University. She helped the Cardinals improve their national computer ranking from No. 49 in 2013 to as high as No. 17 in 2014, while facing schedules ranked in the top 20 in the nation in both 2014 and 2015.


Prior to her time at Wesleyan, Belichick spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Ohio State, where she served as the recruiting coordinator and offensive coordinator. The Buckeyes were consistently ranked in the top 20 throughout her tenure, reaching a high ranking of No. 10 twice during her time in Columbus. She coached three Tewaaraton Award nominees, four IWLCA All-Americans and 11 All-American Lacrosse Conference players. The Buckeyes were ranked No. 19 in the nation in scoring offense with 219 goals and 2.88 goals per game in 2012. Also in 2012 she coached Alayna Markwordt, who ranked third in the nation in points per game (5.29) and fifth in assists per game (2.88).


Previously, Belichick spent the 2010 season as an assistant coach at UMass, helping the Minutewomen win the Atlantic 10 Championship. She coached one U.S. National Team member, two IWLCA All-Americans and five All-Atlantic 10 players. She joined the UMass program after serving as head varsity girls’ lacrosse coach at Choate Rosemary Hall for two years.


Belichick earned a degree in history from Wesleyan in 2007. She was a four-year letterwinner on the Cardinals’ lacrosse team and was a team captain as a senior. Belichick tallied 47 goals and 25 assists for 72 points during her career, including a 52-point season in 2006.


Belichick is the daughter of New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

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Joelle Prata

Joelle Prata is in her second season as an assistant women's lacrosse coach at the College of the Holy Cross in 2023. Prata is heavily involved with all facets of the program, including skill instruction, game preparation and recruiting.


Prata joined the Crusaders after spending three seasons as the head women's lacrosse coach at Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tenn., where she posted an overall record of 8-21. During an abbreviated 2021 campaign, she led the Pioneers to a 1-6 record, with Juliette Cusano leading the South Atlantic Conference with an average of 7.57 draw controls per game. Previously in 2020, Prata's team went 3-3 with a 20-6 victory over No. 10 Tennessee Wesleyan, before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. In 2019, she led Tusculum to an overall mark of 4-12 and a 2-6 record in the SAC, with Cusano being named second team All-SAC after setting a school single-season record with 61 goals scored. Prior to her time as the head coach at Tusculum, Prata served as a graduate assistant coach for the Pioneers during the 2018 campaign, helping the team to a fourth-place finish in the SAC.


A native of New Bedford, Mass., Prata played collegiately at St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, N.C., for two seasons. She then transferred to Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C., starting all 32 of the team's games during her junior and senior years. Prata totaled 64 ground balls, 23 caused turnovers and 32 draw controls during her time with the Bobcats, while being selected to the Academic All-Conference Carolinas team and the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll.


Prata graduated from Lees-McRae in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in psychology, and was a member of the National College Athlete Honor Society. She went on to receive her master's degree in organizational training and performance management from Tusculum in 2021.

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Gina Carroll

Gina Carroll is in her first season as an assistant women’s lacrosse coach at the College of the Holy Cross in 2024. Carroll is heavily involved with all facets of the program, including skill instruction, game preparation and recruiting.


Carroll joined the Crusaders after enjoying a standout career at the University of Massachusetts from 2018-2023. She was a second team All-Atlantic 10 Conference selection in 2023, after earning Academic All-Atlantic 10 honors in 2022. A three-year starter in goal, Carroll posted a career record of 33-9 with 230 saves and an 11.06 goals against average. Over the course of her collegiate career, she helped lead the Minutewomen to an overall mark of 66-15 and three trips to the NCAA Tournament.


A 2022 graduate of UMass with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, Carroll went on to receive a graduate certificate in global health from UMass in 2023.

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