Nike Girls Lacrosse Camp at UMBC

During her tenure with the Retrievers, Stephens has helped coach UMBC to four America East tournament appearances and has seen ten America East All-Conference selections and two All-Academic Team honorees, including Lauren McDonald who became the first UMBC women’s lacrosse player to earn the honor three years in a row.

Stephens helped lead the Retrievers to an America East Conference playoff spot in 2024 after the squad went 4-2 in the league. Grace Bruce, Katana Nelson and Kennedy Evans were all named to the America East First Team All-Conference squad while Kolby Weedon, Lauryn Warfield, and Ella Killian all earned Second Team recognition. In addition, Isabella Fontana and Evans were named to the All-Academic Team.

In 2023, Claire Bockstie was named the America East Co-Attacker of the Year becoming the first Retriever to capture the award. Bockstie, Megan Halzcuk, and Evans all were named to the America East First Team. Bockstie, Evans, Fontana, and Halzcuk were named to the All Academic Team.

Stephens was a four-year letterwinner and defender with the University of Virginia women’s lacrosse team and has been a member of the U.S. Women’s National Lacrosse Team since 2014. During her tenure with the Cavaliers, Stephens accumulated 49 goals, 20 assists, 114 draw controls, 102 ground balls and 63 caused turnovers. The two-time IWLCA Second Team All-American was named to the coveted Tewaaraton Watch List twice during her career. She graduated with a degree in sociology in May of 2015.

Prior to her time at Virginia, the Olney, Md., native was a team captain and All-American on the Our Lady of Good Counsel High School women’s lacrosse team. Stephens earned a pair of Washington Catholic Athletic Conference First Team distinctions.

Stephens gained her first coaching experience as an assistant for the Rebels Lacrosse Team in 2012 and furthered her tutelage experience at various lacrosse camps, including those held at Virginia, North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Graves Mountain Lacrosse, X10 Lacrosse and Triple Threat. Prior to joining the Retrievers’ staff, she was serving as the head coach of the Cavalier Lacrosse Club, where she worked to mentor high school girls on the transition from being a high school student-athlete to a college student-athlete.

Slade has posted a 93-89 record while serving as UMBC's head coach. Slade led the Retrievers to an America East Conference playoff spot in 2024 after the squad went 4-2 in the league. Grace Bruce, Katana Nelson and Kennedy Evans were all named to the America East First Team All-Conference squad while Kolby Weedon, Lauryn Warfield, and Ella Killian all earned Second Team recognition. In addition, Isabella Fontana and Evans were named to the All-Academic Team.

In 2023, Claire Bockstie was named the America East Co-Attacker of the Year becoming the first Retriever to capture the award. Bockstie, Megan Halzcuk, and Evans all were named to the America East First Team. Bockstie, Evans, Fontana, and Halzcuk were named to the All Academic Team.

The Retrievers had three of the top seven goal scorers in the America East Conference in 2022, including Weedon, the league's Rookie of the Year. Bockstie was named to the America East First Team while Weedon, Halczuk and Evans landed on the Second Team.

In 2021, Halczuk was named to the IWLCA Second Team after being named to the America East First Team. Bockstie (First Team), Dymin Gerow (Second Team) and Evans (Second Team) were akso honored by the conference.

In the shortened 2020 season, UMBC posted wins against VCU and Bucknell and saw juniors Cassie Evans and Lily Kennedy earn spots on the America East All-Academic team, marking the seventh-straight season the Retrievers have had a selection to the All-Academic team and the first time since 2014 that UMBC has had multiple players selected.

During the 2019 season, the Retrievers returned to the America East tournament and saw a quad of seniors earn America East honors as Brittany Levine earned First Team accolades - the first Retriever since 2017, while Catherine Sims and Carly Tolino picked up Second Team honors. Lauren McDonald became the first player in women’s lacrosse history and the 11th in America East to be named to the All-Academic Team three years in a row; McDonald, along with classmate Jenna Baverman were selected to the IWLCA Honor Roll. Slade also used her coaching abilities in the IWLCA North-South All-Star Game, where she coached Levine and Sims.

In 2018, the Retrievers posted an 11-6 record, marking the first time they had double-digit victories in back-to-back seasons since the 2010-11 seasons. Three of Slade's Retrievers earned America East honors as senior Carolyn Jamison, and juniors Lauren McDonald and Sara Moeller were named to the All-Conference Second Team. Jamison added to her accolades as she was named to the IWLCA All-Region Second Team and participated in the organization's North-South All-Star Game.

In 2017, Slade’s Retrievers made a third-straight appearance in the America East tournament, the first time since the 2010-12 season. The team also shattered the records for most goals in a season (248), most assists (129), and most points (378). UMBC had five players - Sam Nolan, Carolyn Jamison, Kayla Renehan, Lauren McDonald, and Sara Moeller - named to the America East All-Conference Team. Nolan also became the program’s assist leader with 73, while Moeller and McDonald each set the single-season marks in assists (35) and goals (62), respectively.

In 2016, Slade and the Retrievers made a back-to-back appearance in the America East Championship and saw junior Sam Nolan and sophomore Carolyn Jamison named to the America East All-Conference Team. In 2015, she guided the Retrievers back to the America East Championships for the first time since 2012 and the seventh time since joining the league. UMBC had five players finish with 20-or-more goals, while two added double-digit assists. Senior Abby Wilson earned America East All-Conference Second Team honors after leading the team in goals and points. Freshman Tianna Wallpher earned a spot on the league’s All-Rookie Team, while classmate Caitlin Miller matched the program’s single-season draw control record.

In her first season at the helm of the Retrievers, Slade and Giro guided the Retrievers to their best start through nine games since 1986 by posting a 7-2 mark, however, UMBC battled a tough schedule, taking on four nationally-ranked opponents, to finish the season with an 8-8 record and narrowly missing out on the America East Tournament. Slade had a pair of her midfielders earn America East postseason honors, with junior Kristen Bilney being named to the All-Conference First Team and sophomore Alyssa Semones being named to the Second Team.

Slade spent three seasons as an assistant coach for the Retrievers, prior to being named co-head coach. In her first campaign on the staff, UMBC posted its best season since 2002, with an 11-7 overall mark and its first-ever trip to the America East title game. In 2011, the Retrievers replicated their success, posting an 11-7 overall mark and knocking off defending champion Boston University in the semifinals, before falling to Albany in the championship game.

Slade, who won the prestigious Tewaaraton Trophy and led the University of Virginia to a national championship in 2004, joined the UMBC women’s lacrosse staff in August 2009. She was inducted into the 2020 class of the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame after an illustrious career with the Cavaliers where she was a four-time All-American at Virginia, where she set school records for career goals (258) and points (373) and ranks second in career assists (115). Her goals and points totals are fourth and fifth, respectively, in the NCAA Division I record books, and she set an NCAA record by scoring a goal in 66 straight games.

Slade became the first Cavalier to win the Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation’s best player in 2004 when she led the NCAA in scoring with 90 goals – also a school record – and 121 points, and those totals still rank in the top 10 in Division I history.

The native of Garden City, N.Y., received a number of accolades while at Virginia, including 2002 ACC Rookie of the Year, 2002 Inside Lacrosse National Rookie of the Year, 2004 ACC Player of the Year, 2004 IWLCA Player of the Year, 2004 and 2005 Inside Lacrosse and womenslacrosse.com Offensive Player of the Year and the 2004 Honda Award.

Slade is also a three-time All-ACC selection and earned spots on the 2004 ACC All-Tournament Team and the 2004 and 2005 NCAA All-Tournament Teams, as well as the NCAA’s 25th Anniversary Team in 2006. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English in 2005 and spent the 2007 season as a volunteer assistant coach at Virginia, helping to guide her alma mater to the NCAA title game, where the Cavaliers fell to Northwestern, 15-13. She was a part of the U.S. National Team from 2002-09 and was a member of the 2005 World Cup training team.

Slade is currently the assistant coach of the Women's Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL)'s Baltimore Brave. In her first season with the Brave, Slade helped lead the team to a 4-0 record and a trip to the inaugural WPLL playoffs. In 2019, Slade helped coach the Brave to a WPLL championship.

She currently resides in Towson with her husband, Jermaine, and their three children, daughter Addison, and sons Merritt and Maverick.

In her first season in Baltimore, Cockerille helped lead the Retrievers to an America East Conference playoff spot in 2024 after the squad went 4-2 in the league. Grace Bruce, Katana Nelson and Kennedy Evans were all named to the America East First Team All-Conference squad while Kolby Weedon, Lauryn Warfield, and Ella Killian all earned Second Team recognition. In addition, Isabella Fontana and Evans were named to the All-Academic Team.

Cockerille enjoyed a decorated career at Syracuse University, where she helped lead the Orange to an appearance in the 2023 Final Four. The Baltimore native finished with 76 career goals and 53 assists while playing in 73 games. The midfielder was named to the All-American squad, earned All-Region Team accolades, and garnered Second Team All-ACC honors in 2023. In addition, she competed in the National Championship game in 2021 and earned All-Region and Second Team All-ACC honors that season.

"We are so excited to welcome Sierra," Slade said at the time of her hiring. "She has played at the highest level and has been coached by some of the best in the game. She will bring a wealth of knowledge to our team and help us continue to elevate our student-athletes to perform at the highest level on and off the field. Sierra is very hard working and driven, and we feel confident that she will fit into our coaching style and help us grow as a coaching staff."

Cockerille received her bachelor's degree from the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics in 2022, where she majored in Human Development and Family Science. She also gained a certificate of advanced study (CAS) in Intercollegiate Athletic Advising and Support this past May.

No stranger to Baltimore, Cockerille played at Roland Park Country School from 2014-through 2018 and was the team captain as a senior. She scored 50 goals and distributed 60 assists for the Reds in her final season.

Cockerille is a member of the Haudenosaunee Women's National Team, where she competed in the first ever Sixes Lacrosse game in 2021. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the Sixes Tournament in 2021.

Cockerille has experience as a coach for Monster Lacrosse, TLC Lacrosse, GoalieSmith, and YWCA/Girls Inc. She also served as a manager at Gait Lacrosse Incorporation, managing sales of equipment and tournaments.

In the summer of 2024, she competing in the Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse League, which features 56 of the best women's professional lacrosse players in the world. Cockerille was a midfielder for Team Moreno.

Kennedy Evans is a senior on the UMBC Women's Lacrosse Team. As a junior, Kennedy set a single season record for turnovers caused in a season, with 31. She is 12 shy of the all time school record.