197. George Mason Women's Lacrosse: Building a Legacy in 2024

“All good men and women must take responsibility to create legacies that will take the next generation to a level we could only imagine.”

— Jim Rohn

I am so excited to welcome the Women’s Lacrosse coaching staff of my alma matter, THE George Mason University! Today is a special convo since it has been 20 years since I competed for the university and it’s such a blessing to reconnect with the coaches to discuss their mission, vision, and values for GMU LAX 2024. Head Coach, Kara Mupo leads the staff and team with an ideal balance of head and heart--not shying away from the green and gold bricks that were laid before her to establish and grow the D1 program. Legacy takes time, character, and grit, so it’s awesome to hear of the enthusiasm and personal/professional work ethic of this 2024 coaching staff. They are here to make some noise and continue to elevate the program as a whole- on and off the field (players & humans). Assistant coaches, Nate Medic and Riley Ewing introduce themselves and share some of their coaching philosophies, responsibilities, goals, and personal experiences that led them to coaching. This is a great opportunity to get to meet the entire staff and hear/see more of their human side, especially for the parents and families of players that aren’t local, that don’t get as much face time (that was my family:). Competing at the top level of anything is such a privilege and life shaping experience that you carry with you in everything you do moving forward. It more than warms my heart to see such intentional, mission driven humans take the reins of the GMU Lacrosse program that is (and will always be) a fundamental piece of my personal foundation and continued influence on my own mission, vision, and values. GO PATRIOTS! 

 

Highlights:

Building a legacy. How you do something is how you do everything. Coaching. Life skills through sports. Chasing your calling. Leadership and responsibility. Breakdown and breakthrough. The whole human approach. Building on something great and seeing a vision before anyone else does.

 

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Time Stamps:

2:00- Kara’s intro

2:59- Nate’s intro

4:14- Riley’s intro

5:57- The human side of the asst. coaches

15:22- Favorite quotes from asst. coaches

18:21- Kara, why she recruited the coaches she did

20:00- Kara the human

24:36- Kara’s injury, breakdown and breakthrough

27:37- Finding balance, the hard way

30:20- Mental Health at GMU

33:57- Leading by example

35:22- The team and social media

37:20- Managing the NIL

42:22- Why we are here

44:04- More social media, more alumni relations

45:41- Thoughts on Title 9

47:57- Kara’s final thoughts, 3 things she want’s Mason lax players to embody

50:11- Players must listen to the end of this podcast:)

51:06- What can the alumni do to further support the program?

 

Kara Mupo, Head Coach:

Two-time NCAA champion Kara Mupo was named the fifth head coach in the history of the George Mason women's lacrosse program on May 26, 2020. Mupo's pedigree of excellence within the sport includes a stellar playing career as a collegian at Northwestern and as a professional with both the U.S. National Team and the Women's Professional Lacrosse League. In addition, Mupo has compiled a diverse and accomplished resume during five seasons as a collegiate assistant coach. Possessing a gifted offensive mind, Mupo helped guide Stony Brook to a No. 1 national ranking in 2018 and Stanford to an NCAA appearance in 2019. "We are thrilled to welcome Kara to our George Mason family," Edwards said. "She has achieved an elite level of success during every stint of her career while being mentored by some of the top voices in the sport. Kara is a tireless recruiter who possesses the innate ability to develop players. Her high energy style and engaging personality make her a natural leader, and I know our student-athletes will thrive under her direction." Mupo most recently served as offensive coordinator at Ohio State alongside former George Mason head coach Amy Bokker during the shortened 2020 campaign. Mupo's championship legacy began as an attack at Northwestern, where she won two national titles (2011, 2012) and led the Wildcats to four consecutive Final Four appearances. While helping to build one of the greatest dynasties in the history of the sport, Mupo scored 186 points (136g, 50a) over her career and served as team captain as a senior.  She began her coaching career as an assistant at William & Mary for two seasons, before moving on to an assistant role at Stony Brook in 2018, where she developed the most potent offense in the nation. Under her guidance, the Seawolves ascended to a No. 1 national ranking while leading the country in points per game (29.28), scoring margin (+10.80), assists per game (11.23) and shot percentage (.547). Mupo joined Bokker – the former Mason head coach – at Stanford in 2019. In Palo Alto, Mupo again orchestrated an outstanding offensive season while transforming the Cardinal into the Pac-12's top scoring unit. During the 2019 campaign, the Cardinal led the league in shot percentage (.431), assists (125), goals per game (13.89) and points per game (20.47), culminating in an NCAA Tournament appearance. Upon Bokker's naming as head coach at Ohio State, Mupo joined her in Columbus, where the Buckeyes had amassed wins over Cincinnati and Marquette, among others, before the season ended in March 2020.

A former member of the U.S. Women's National Team, Mupo also is a decorated player in the Women's Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL) and has played for the New England Command over the past two seasons. She won the first WPLL Championship as a member of the Command and led the league in scoring for the second time in three seasons. In 2016, she was a member of the Philadelphia Force and earned all-star status after she led the league in goals. A native of Rocky Point, N.Y., Mupo earned a bachelor of science in human development and psychological services from Northwestern in 2014 and also earned her master's degree in sports administration at Northwestern in 2015.

 

Nate Medic, Asst. Coach:

Medic joins the Patriots after spending years as the head coach of the Colonial Forge High School girls' lacrosse program in Stafford. Under his leadership, the Eagles finished runner-up in the 6A 2021 Virginia State tournament and were two-time Virginia State Regional Champions. The Butler, Pa. native, was named Region Coach-of-the-Year three times. In his five-year stint, the program compiled an impressive 60-12 record. Medic has been coaching club lacrosse in Virginia for the past five years, most recently with the Yellow Jackets Mid Atlantic in Lorton. Before that, Medic was the head coach for Fall Line Lacrosse Club in Stafford. Medic played lacrosse collegiately at Bethany College for one season before transferring to Slippery Rock and participating on the men's hockey team for three seasons. A 2015 graduate of Slippery Rock University, Medic earned a Bachelor of Science in Education. He began a teaching career as a Health and PE teacher at King George High School in 2016 before moving to the same position at Colonial Forge High School in 2018.
 

Riley Ewing, Asst. Coach:

Ewing, a two-time graduate of The Ohio State University and five-year member of the women's lacrosse team, will join the Mason ranks after a year working in Chicago as an ACS Consultant. She also spent the summer months coaching a club lacrosse team out of Marietta, Ga., mentoring players and helping them through the recruiting process.
During her time at Ohio State, Ewing was a three-year starter and a three-time Big Ten Academic Honor Roll honoree. An attacker who also specialized in the draw control, Ewing finished her career ranking seventh all-time in Buckeye history with 119 draw control wins to her name. She also sits at fifth all-time for draw controls in a single season with 71 in 2019, with a career-high 10 draw controls in a single game. Ewing was also named to the inaugural U.S. Women's Box Training Team in September 2023. The team will participate in three training camps in the Fall of 2023 as it continues preparation for the 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championships in Utica. N.Y. This is the first time that World Lacrosse has hosted a women's championship in box lacrosse.

 

https://gomason.com/sports/womens-lacrosse

@MasonwLax

 

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Host: Kristen Olson

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