University of Massachusets Athletics
Angela McMahon-Serpone Steps Down As Head Coach Of Massachusetts Women’s Lacrosse
May 27, 2022 | Women's Lacrosse
The winningest head coach in program history went 192-35 in 12 seasons at the helm for the Minutewomen, 79-1 in A-10 play.
AMHERST, Mass.– Angela McMahon-Serpone has stepped down as head coach of University of Massachusetts women's lacrosse head coach after 12 years at the helm for the Minutewomen. The winningest coach in program history will depart UMass to take the position Head Varsity Women's Lacrosse Coach and a full-time faculty member at nearby Deerfield Academy.
"I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to lead the women's lacrosse program at UMass," said McMahon-Serpone, "While I know the shift into a faculty position and coaching role at Deerfield Academy is the best choice for me and my family, all of the players, alumnae, coaches, and families of UMass Lacrosse will always have a special place in my heart. I'd like to thank Athletic Director Ryan Bamford for his support of myself and the women's lacrosse program, and express gratitude to those that have served as mentors and provided opportunities for me along the way, including Kelly and Scott Hiller, Alexis Venechanos, Frank Garahan, John McCutcheon, and Bob DeFelice. While there's been tremendous success over the past 12 years, it's the people and relationships built through the process that I will miss the most. I look forward to my new role as a supporter and fan of the team and wish everyone at UMass nothing but the very best."
"The news of Angela's departure is truly bittersweet for our department," said Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford. "We are thrilled to know that great things are in place for Angela and her family moving forward but we will undoubtedly miss her collegiality, leadership and all the ways she positively impacted our women's lacrosse program the past 12 years. She is one of the very best coaches in the country. She has engineered a remarkable run of success since she took over our program in 2010. I want to thank Angela for her amazing vision, for investing so deeply in our student-athletes and for building a championship program at the University of Massachusetts that has established national prominence."
McMahon-Serpone built the Minutewomen into one of the premier programs in the Atlantic 10 and in New England. During her tenure as head coach, McMahon-Serpone was named the A-10 Coach of the Year seven times and led UMass to eight Atlantic 10 Tournament titles, 11 regular season conference crowns, and nine berths to the NCAA Tournament. She was most recently named A-10 Coach of the Year this spring after guiding the Minutewomen to their first NCAA at-large bid and the A-10 Regular Season Championship.
She posted a 211-64 (.767) overall as a head coach which includes her time at Massachusetts, UConn, and Bentley and she ranks sixth in NCAA history in career winning percentage and fourth among active head coaches. McMahon-Serpone's career started quickly with the Minutewomen as she posted the best record for any coach in NCAA history during their first three years with a program at 54-8 overall.
With an average of 17-or-more wins each year at Massachusetts, McMahon-Serpone logged an impressive 192-35 (.846) record at the helm for the Maroon & White. The 192 wins during her 12 years at UMass makes the Minutewomen the second-most winningest NCAA program during that time span behind only Maryland. Her win total with the Minutewomen after the 2016 season also made her the winningest coach in program history surpassing the legendary Hall of Fame coach Pam Hixon, who originally set the program wins record (91) from 1979-1987.
Under her tutelage, UMass players have received high honors from the Atlantic 10 and the IWLCA. McMahon-Serpone and the women's lacrosse program produced eight Offensive Players of the Year, two Midfielders of the Yea, a Rookie of the Year and a Student-Athlete of the Year. All told, 78 players have earned All-Conference accolades, while 17 were presented All-Academic honors. Eleven players have earned All-America status, while 44 have been tabbed to the IWLCA All-Northeast Regional teams. On four occasions, UMass produced a program-high five All-Region First Team picks following the 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 seasons.
When McMahon-Serpone took over as head coach, it was not an unfamiliar program to her. She spent two years as an associate head coach for Alexis Venechanos in Amherst before moving on to be the head coach at Connecticut during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Much of the foundational work she put in during the 2007 and 2008 seasons at UMass with Venechanos helped pave the way for the Minutewomen's current success. The highlight of her time as associate head coach came in 2008 when UMass defeated top-ranked Richmond in overtime of the Atlantic 10 semifinals putting the Minutewomen in the league finals for the first time since 2003.
That helped set the stage for UMass to win Atlantic 10 Championship titles in 2009 and 2010. The 2009 season saw the Minutewomen earn their first berth to the NCAA Tournament in 25 years.
In 2013, McMahon-Serpone guided the program to its first win in the NCAA Tournament since 1984 as the Minutewomen advanced to the second round following a win over Connecticut. That came on the heels of setting new Atlantic 10 records for overall league championships (6) and consecutive championships (5).
UMass once again posted an NCAA Tournament win in 2015 after defeating Jacksonville in the first round. The Minutewomen spent much of the season ranked as the No. 1 defensive unit in the country en route to their seventh Atlantic 10 Championship, fifth undefeated run through the Atlantic 10 regular-season and the second-most wins (19) in program history.
The 2016 season was one for the books with the Minutewomen reaching the NCAA Elite Eight after posting a program record-tying 20 wins. UMass captured its eighth consecutive Atlantic 10 title, recorded its sixth consecutive undefeated record in A-10 regular-season play, and posted a pair of wins over Princeton and Cornell in the NCAA Tournament. Following the campaign, she earned Atlantic 10 and ECAC Coach of the Year honors.
McMahon-Serpone turned UMass into a dominant force among Atlantic 10 institutions. The Minutewomen won an NCAA record 61 consecutive league games spanning eight years and now holds the league record for overall and consecutive championship titles (9). During her tenure as head coach for Massachusetts, McMahon-Serpone guided UMass to an impressive 79-1 record in Atlantic 10 play for a .986 winning percentage.
In addition to her coaching responsibilities with the Minutewomen, McMahon-Serpone established and coordinated a partnership between the A-10 Conference and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a charitable organization created to raise public awareness regarding pediatric brain tumors. She also directed all UMass camps, clinics and local tournaments; served the first-ever Italian National Women's Lacrosse Coach for the 2017 FIL World Cup; and has been a member on the IWLCA North/South Committee and the NCAA Championship Committee as well during her time with UMass.
"I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to lead the women's lacrosse program at UMass," said McMahon-Serpone, "While I know the shift into a faculty position and coaching role at Deerfield Academy is the best choice for me and my family, all of the players, alumnae, coaches, and families of UMass Lacrosse will always have a special place in my heart. I'd like to thank Athletic Director Ryan Bamford for his support of myself and the women's lacrosse program, and express gratitude to those that have served as mentors and provided opportunities for me along the way, including Kelly and Scott Hiller, Alexis Venechanos, Frank Garahan, John McCutcheon, and Bob DeFelice. While there's been tremendous success over the past 12 years, it's the people and relationships built through the process that I will miss the most. I look forward to my new role as a supporter and fan of the team and wish everyone at UMass nothing but the very best."
"The news of Angela's departure is truly bittersweet for our department," said Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford. "We are thrilled to know that great things are in place for Angela and her family moving forward but we will undoubtedly miss her collegiality, leadership and all the ways she positively impacted our women's lacrosse program the past 12 years. She is one of the very best coaches in the country. She has engineered a remarkable run of success since she took over our program in 2010. I want to thank Angela for her amazing vision, for investing so deeply in our student-athletes and for building a championship program at the University of Massachusetts that has established national prominence."
McMahon-Serpone built the Minutewomen into one of the premier programs in the Atlantic 10 and in New England. During her tenure as head coach, McMahon-Serpone was named the A-10 Coach of the Year seven times and led UMass to eight Atlantic 10 Tournament titles, 11 regular season conference crowns, and nine berths to the NCAA Tournament. She was most recently named A-10 Coach of the Year this spring after guiding the Minutewomen to their first NCAA at-large bid and the A-10 Regular Season Championship.
She posted a 211-64 (.767) overall as a head coach which includes her time at Massachusetts, UConn, and Bentley and she ranks sixth in NCAA history in career winning percentage and fourth among active head coaches. McMahon-Serpone's career started quickly with the Minutewomen as she posted the best record for any coach in NCAA history during their first three years with a program at 54-8 overall.
With an average of 17-or-more wins each year at Massachusetts, McMahon-Serpone logged an impressive 192-35 (.846) record at the helm for the Maroon & White. The 192 wins during her 12 years at UMass makes the Minutewomen the second-most winningest NCAA program during that time span behind only Maryland. Her win total with the Minutewomen after the 2016 season also made her the winningest coach in program history surpassing the legendary Hall of Fame coach Pam Hixon, who originally set the program wins record (91) from 1979-1987.
Under her tutelage, UMass players have received high honors from the Atlantic 10 and the IWLCA. McMahon-Serpone and the women's lacrosse program produced eight Offensive Players of the Year, two Midfielders of the Yea, a Rookie of the Year and a Student-Athlete of the Year. All told, 78 players have earned All-Conference accolades, while 17 were presented All-Academic honors. Eleven players have earned All-America status, while 44 have been tabbed to the IWLCA All-Northeast Regional teams. On four occasions, UMass produced a program-high five All-Region First Team picks following the 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 seasons.
When McMahon-Serpone took over as head coach, it was not an unfamiliar program to her. She spent two years as an associate head coach for Alexis Venechanos in Amherst before moving on to be the head coach at Connecticut during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Much of the foundational work she put in during the 2007 and 2008 seasons at UMass with Venechanos helped pave the way for the Minutewomen's current success. The highlight of her time as associate head coach came in 2008 when UMass defeated top-ranked Richmond in overtime of the Atlantic 10 semifinals putting the Minutewomen in the league finals for the first time since 2003.
That helped set the stage for UMass to win Atlantic 10 Championship titles in 2009 and 2010. The 2009 season saw the Minutewomen earn their first berth to the NCAA Tournament in 25 years.
In 2013, McMahon-Serpone guided the program to its first win in the NCAA Tournament since 1984 as the Minutewomen advanced to the second round following a win over Connecticut. That came on the heels of setting new Atlantic 10 records for overall league championships (6) and consecutive championships (5).
UMass once again posted an NCAA Tournament win in 2015 after defeating Jacksonville in the first round. The Minutewomen spent much of the season ranked as the No. 1 defensive unit in the country en route to their seventh Atlantic 10 Championship, fifth undefeated run through the Atlantic 10 regular-season and the second-most wins (19) in program history.
The 2016 season was one for the books with the Minutewomen reaching the NCAA Elite Eight after posting a program record-tying 20 wins. UMass captured its eighth consecutive Atlantic 10 title, recorded its sixth consecutive undefeated record in A-10 regular-season play, and posted a pair of wins over Princeton and Cornell in the NCAA Tournament. Following the campaign, she earned Atlantic 10 and ECAC Coach of the Year honors.
McMahon-Serpone turned UMass into a dominant force among Atlantic 10 institutions. The Minutewomen won an NCAA record 61 consecutive league games spanning eight years and now holds the league record for overall and consecutive championship titles (9). During her tenure as head coach for Massachusetts, McMahon-Serpone guided UMass to an impressive 79-1 record in Atlantic 10 play for a .986 winning percentage.
In addition to her coaching responsibilities with the Minutewomen, McMahon-Serpone established and coordinated a partnership between the A-10 Conference and the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a charitable organization created to raise public awareness regarding pediatric brain tumors. She also directed all UMass camps, clinics and local tournaments; served the first-ever Italian National Women's Lacrosse Coach for the 2017 FIL World Cup; and has been a member on the IWLCA North/South Committee and the NCAA Championship Committee as well during her time with UMass.
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