Marie McCool

Biography

One of the most decorated players in the history of University of North Carolina women’s lacrosse, Marie McCool returned to Chapel Hill as an assistant coach ahead of the 2023 season. Previously serving as the volunteer assistant coach in 2021, she will officially be in her fourth season on staff in Spring 2026. McCool was a key member of the coaching staff that won the National Championship in 2025 after going undefeated with a record of 22-0. UNC is just the 12th team to produce an undefeated season in women’s lacrosse history. Carolina went 9-0 in ACC play and won the Regular Season and ACC Tournament Championships. It led the country in both scoring offense (17.5 goals per game) and scoring defense (6.9 goals per game) as well as points per game (26.7) and shots on goal per game (27.9). The Tar Heel coaching staff mentored nine All-Americans, eight All-ACC performers, the Tewaaraton Award winner, the IWLCA Player and Attacker of the Year and the IWLCA Defender of the Year. McCool was a standout midfielder during her Tar Heel career from 2015-18. Among many awards and honors, she was the first two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist in UNC history and the first player in the Atlantic Coast Conference to be named the ACC Midfielder of the Year twice. She was also tabbed the National Midfielder of the Year by IWLCA in 2018, earned first-team All-America honors three times and was a three-time All-ACC honoree. She was the recipient of the Patterson Medal as a senior, the most pres