University of Delaware

University of Delaware Athletics
631 S College Avenue Newark, DE 19716

Division 1 Delaware Northeast

Public Large National competitor

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Amy Altig

Amy Altig was named the seventh coach in University of Delaware women's lacrosse program history on June 3, 2019.

Altig comes to Newark following nine seasons at Penn State University, where she spent time as an assistant coach and most recently as the program's associate head coach.

"We are excited to have Amy Altig join our Blue Hen family," remarked Bob Lopez, Associate Athletics Director for Sport Administration. "In addition to bringing a wealth of experience as a player and coach at the highest levels, we are most excited about the growth and development that she will deliver to our program and student-athletes. Coach Altig is a relentless recruiter and her desire to win is only outdone by her desire to provide our student-athletes with an exceptional experience. From a field filled with tremendous candidates, her experience and successes allowed her to rise to the top."

Altig enjoyed her best season wins wise in her fifth season as head coach of the Blue Hens during the 2024 season, finishing 10-6. It is the most wins the Hens have finished with since the 2016 campaign. The Blue Hens 195 goals scored was 17th best in program history and their 12.19 goals per game is 13th best in program history. The Hens 7-1 record to begin the season was their best start since the 2016 season. The 110 assists the Blue Hens tallied is 4th most in program history while finishing with the second most assists per game with 6.88. The Hens finished 35th in the country in win percentage, finishing at .625. Additionally, against Lafayette, the Hens recorded 26 caused turnovers, a single-game program record. The Hens also tied their program record in ground balls with 33 against Lafayette. Altig oversaw the 39th best team in the country in points, as the Hens averaged 19.06 points per contest. Additionally, Altig oversaw redshirt-freshman goaltender Steph Marzsal finish ninth in the country in save percentage with a save percentage of .489. The Hens seven non-conference wins were the most in program history since the 2016 season. Altig also oversaw Madison Hranicka earn 2024 USA Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention, 2024 Inside Lacrosse All-American Honorable Mention, and Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team.

Delaware followed up Altig's first full season even better in 2023, once again qualifying for the CAA Tournament and winning eight games, finishing 4-3 in conference play. They had their most wins since 2018, their best record since 2017, their best CAA record since 2017, and their best record at home since 2018. Madison Hranicka was named CAA Defensive Player of the Year, the second Blue Hen ever to receive the honor, along with All-CAA First Team and IWLCA All-Region First-Team honors. Delaney McDaniel followed up her Rookie of the Year season with a First-Team All-Conference season, while Lizzie Yurchak was named Second-Team All-Conference. Morgan Gore and McKenzie Didio both were named to the CAA All-Rookie Team. Their five All-Conference selections were their most since 2017, their two First-Team selections were their most since 2019, and their two All-Rookie selections were their most since 2017. Hranicka set a program record for draw controls in a season with 50, the fourth CAA player ever with 50 in a season, and tied the single-game program record for caused turnovers with seven. As a team. Delaware set a new program record with 26 draw controls in a season with 40 and for a single game with 26 when they played Old Dominion on Feb. 25. Yurchak gained national recognition when she received IWLCA Co-National Player of the Week after scoring six goals in an overtime, come-from-behind win over Monmouth. Delaware had four players earn CAA Defensive Player of the Week awards, the most in the conference in 2023, and led the CAA in caused turnovers per game, draw controls per game, and free-position percentage. During the final weekend against Towson, Delaware defeated the Tigers 13-9 to clinch a CAA Tournament berth, holding Towson to their lowest goal total in CAA play that season. Delaware had their RPI increase from 67 in 2022 to 48 in 2023. The +19 increase was the second largest in CAA and one of 19 teams with an RPI increase of +19 or better.

After back-to-back seasons cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, Altig's squad qualified for the CAA Conference Tournament in 2022, their first postseason appearance since 2018. Delaney McDaniel earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors for her season, the first for Delaware since 2012, while Madison Hranicka was named to the CAA First-Team. The Blue Hens also brought in transfers Lizzie Yurchak. who scored 21 goals with seven assists, and Sydni Rosa, who scored 18 goals and was named to the CAA All-Tournament team. Danielle Livornese also set the single-season draw control record, while McDaniel had the most assists in a freshman season in UD history. The Blue Hens defeated No. 18 nationally ranked Temple on the road on March 11, their first win over a ranked opponent since 2017. Maddie Maio was named to the IWLCA Division I Senior All-Star North Team. Delaware also received IWLCA Academic Honors for having a team GPA of at least 3.2 for the academic year, while 12 Blue Hens placed on the Academic Honor Roll for having a 3.50 GPA for the academic year as a junior, senior, or graduate student.

With Altig on the sidelines, the Nittany Lions garnered 111 wins at a clip of .631 with seven NCAA Tournament appearances and two trips to the NCAA Tournament Final Four. Prior to her time at PSU, Altig held assistant coaching stints at Princeton University (2007-10) and the University of Richmond (2005-07).

"It is a true honor and privilege to be named the women's lacrosse head coach at the University of Delaware," Altig exclaimed. "The University of Delaware offers the complete student-athlete experience with exceptional academics, nationally competitive athletics and amazing community support. I am very excited to get back to the CAA and to work with this dedicated and talented group of young women.

Altig continued, "I would like to thank Chrissi Rawak and Bob Lopez in addition the rest of the athletics staff for the opportunity to lead the Blue Hens women's lacrosse program to new heights. The Unviersity of Delaware has a special family atmosphere, and this is something I was immediately drawn to and cannot wait to be a part of. This is an opportunity of a lifetime for my family and I and we could not be more thrilled to get started. I would also like to thank Penn State University, women's lacrosse head coach Missy Doherty and the women's lacrosse program for nine amazing years that have prepared me for this next chapter in my career. The experiences, relationships and memories built at Penn State will last us for a lifetime and we are forever grateful for the opportunity to represent the blue and white."

Altig worked mainly with the Nittany Lion goalkeepers and defensive unit. During her tenure, she coached 19 All-Americans, 36 All-Region performers, 40 All-Conference selections in addition to more than 25 student-athletes who received academic honors. Additionally, PSU boasted three Conference Goalkeepers of the Year under Altig's guidance.

After helping Penn State to a third NCAA quarterfinal appearance in four years in 2015, Altig was named IWLCA Assistant Coach of the Year and was inducted to the U.S. Lacrosse Virginia Chapter Hall of Fame.

As a goalkeeper at James Madison University from 2001-05, Altig led the Dukes to two Colonial Athletic Association titles, was a two-time All-CAA pick and was selected to the North/South STX Senior All-Star Game. A two-time team captain, she also saw a spot on the 2004 CAA All-Tournament Team and still ranks in the Top 12 of three career statistical categories at JMU.

Altig became a playing member of the USA National Team in 2003 and was part of the 2009 USA World Cup Training Team and 2008 USA Prague Touring Team. She also served as a field coach for USA Tryouts from 2015-17. Since 2017, Altig has been the defensive coordinator/goalkeepers coach for the USA National Team.

A native of Millersville, Md., Altig earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology with a concentration in sports management from James Madison in 2005. She and her wife, Megan, have two daughter, Ava, and Ryan, and a son, Brooks.

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Sam Pratt

Sam Pratt joined the Blue Hens women's lacrosse program in August of 2024. The 2025 spring season will mark her first season at Delaware.

Prior to Delaware, Pratt spent six seasons at Mount St. Mary'sOver her tenure with The Mount, Pratt coached 29 student-athletes to all-league honors between the Northeast Conference (NEC) and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The team posted a 63-35 record and sported a pair of NEC Offensive Players of the Year, an NEC Midfielder of the Year, and a NEC Rookie of the Year.

Her offense in 2019 ranked 20th nationally in scoring with 14.11 goals per game. Two years later, the team finished 14th in the country with 15.06 goals per game.

Prior to joining the staff at Mount St. Mary’s Pratt spent a season at La Salle where she served as offensive coordinator.

A two-year team captain at UMBC, she registered 117 goals, 73 assists and 190 points during her time with the Retrievers. The Fallston, Maryland native finished her career as the program's all-time leader in assists, and ranked third in career points. She was named First Team All-America East in her final two seasons.

Pratt holds a pair of bachelor’s degrees from UMBC in sociology (2016) and media and communication (2017). She later went on to earn her master’s degree in sport management from Mount St. Mary’s in 2019.

Not only did Pratt obtain two bachelor’s degrees from UMBC, but she also met her now-husband– UMBC men’s soccer player, Joe Pratt. The two were married in 2022 and now are the proud parents of two labrador retrievers; Finley & Champion.

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Kara Nakrasius

University of Delaware head women's lacrosse coach Amy Altig added Kara Nakrasius as an assistant coach in August of 2022.

"We are thrilled to welcome Kara Nakrasius to our Blue Hen Family! Kara comes to UD following an illustrious playing career at Temple University where she helped the Owls to a Top 20 ranking and NCAA 2nd Round Appearance in 2021," said Altig. "Her passion for developing our student-athletes, love of the game, and belief in building a positive culture make her a great fit for our program. Kara's leadership background will be integral to the development of our team leaders and inspiring our future leaders."

Overseeing the defense in 2024, Nakrasius established one of the strongest defensive efforts in recent Blue Hens history during the 2024 season. The Hens defense held opponents to 160 goals collectively, the least number of goals allowed since the 2017 season, excluding any season altered in games played due to COVID-19. Nakrasius would lead the Hens to the seventh most caused turnovers with 167 (since 2000). Additionally, the Hens finished ninth in the country in caused turnovers per game with 10,44. The Hens tied for 22nd in the country in scoring defense, only allowing 10 goals against per contest. She also saw the rise of Madison Hranicka. Hranicka finished as CAA Defensive Player of the Year for a second year in a row concluding the 2024 season, as well as All-CAA First Team. In addition to her role as a defensive coach, Nakrasius also oversaw the draw group, and Danielle Livornese became the school’s all-time draw control leader, finishing with 223 for her college career. The Hens finished within the top 45 in the country in draw control percentage with a .525 winning percentage. The Hens featured three players that recorded at least 36 draw controls, including the team leader, Sam Schelling who finished 4th in the CAA for draw controls. In total, under Nakrasius’ watch, the Hens finished with five players recording double digits in draw controls, which helped with the season high 22 to 9 draw control win against Monmouth.

In her first season with Delaware, Nakrasius helped Delaware to an 8-8 record and a CAA Tournament berth, while also leading the Blue Hens' draw control group that shattered the program record for draws in a single season. Delaware finished with 240, besting their 2008 mark of 218. Delaware set a new program record with 26 draw controls in a single-game when they played Old Dominion on Feb. 25, and Livornese tied the individual single-game record and Delaware Stadium record with 12 draw controls. As a team, Delaware was first in the CAA in draw controls per game at 15.00, the second best mark all-time by a CAA team. They had six games in 2023 with at least 20 draw controls, after having entered the season with only five games all-time with 20 draw controls.

Prior to her arrival in Newark, Nakrasius was on staff at Quinnipiac as an assistant coach.

"While at Quinnipiac she made an immediate impact on their defenders and draw team by increasing their statistics in key areas that contributed to their team success," Altig said. "We are looking forward to having Kara bring her extensive knowledge of defense and draws to our team as we continue to build a successful future here at UD. We look forward to all the great things Kara is going to bring to our team."

Nakrasius competed at Temple from 2016-2021, where she was a four-year captain for the Owls. During her stint with the Owls, she broke the career draw control record with a total of 236 and ranked 7th in program history with 144 ground balls. A five-year started ta Temple, she played four years as a starting defender before transitioning to midfield/attack for her fifth year.

"I couldn't be more excited to be on board! I am super grateful for Amy and Steph, and to have the opportunity to work with this amazing team," Nakrasius said. "I can't wait to get started and bring home championships!"

She was a 2021 American Athletic Conference Second Team honoree, 2019 First Team All-American Athletic Conference honoree, and a four-time winner of the Devon Marie Lam "T" Means More Award which is given to the person who most exemplifies Temple Lacrosse through selflessness, dedication & desire for team success (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020). She was also a winner of the Enterprise Spirit & Sportsmanship Award (2017) & Parliament Award (2019) for the student-athlete who has demonstrated a devotion to the essence of sport through their acts of sportsmanship.

Nakrasius earned both her bachelor's (2020) and master's (2021) degrees from Temple University.

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Lilly Siskind

Lilly Siskind joins the program after a five-year collegiate career at Old Dominion University, where she set multiple program records and garnered national recognition.

While at ODU, Siskind was a starter in 74 of 80 career games played. She collected 214 points with 149 goals and 65 assists over her five seasons with the program, adding 46 ground balls, 30 draw controls, and 33 caused turnovers.

Nationally, Siskin ranked in the top ten for most career points in American Athletic Conference (AAC) history. In 2022, she ranked fourth & second in the AAC and 25th & 22nd national for most points and goals, respectively. Additionally, she earned First Team All-AAC in 2022, Second Team All-AAC in 2021, and VaSIDA All-State Second Team in 2021 & 2022.

Siskind left her mark on the ODU program, finishing third in career points, fourth career assists, and fifth in career goals.

Off the field, Siskind completed two bachelor’s degrees in marketing and management along with a master’s degree in sports management over her five-year tenure at ODU. She picked up an Academic All-District honor this past season as well as recognition from the AAC All-Academic, Conference USA academic honor roll, Big East academic honor roll, and ODU honor roll.

Siskind grew up in West Chester, Pennsylvania where she played lacrosse at Henderson High School. Her father was also a collegiate lacrosse player and spent his career at Towson where he was given All-American status his senior season.