Lacrosse has been a part of Brooke Matthews’ life for as long as she can remember. Both of her parents played and passed their love of the sport on to her. “My mom coached me my whole childhood. It’s really a family affair, as my whole family played D1 lacrosse. I played varsity at Friends for four years and then went on to play at Northwestern,” said Matthews.

At Northwestern, Matthews was a four-year starting midfielder and three-time national champion (2008, 2009, 2011), helping the Wildcats win 85 games in her four seasons and going undefeated in 2009. It was at Northwestern that Matthews met Kelly Amonte Hiller, Northwestern’s head lacrosse coach. Matthews says Hiller taught the team the importance of being passionate about the game.

After graduation, Matthews says she did not really know what she wanted to do, but knew she still had a passion for lacrosse. So, she took a coaching job and immediately loved it. She served as an assistant coach at Mount St. Mary’s and Penn State, where she helped the Nittany Lions reach the NCAA semifinals for two seasons. Matthews is now in her first year as Bryn Mawr’s assistant athletic director and varsity lacrosse coach. Under her leadership, the varsity team is currently 7-1, and ranked 17th nationally and 4th in the state.

“I love the impact you can make while coaching,” said Matthews. “It is truly a roller coaster. Obviously I love winning, but I really focus on development and creating a fun, positive, and energetic environment for the girls.”

In February, Matthews learned about the potential position with the U-19 national team, and that Hiller would be the team’s head coach. Matthews says the prospect of working with her former head coach again piqued her interest and made her apply for the position. Matthews was selected as one of four assistant coaches in March.

“We had a truly outstanding pool of applicants for these positions,” said Ann Kitt Carpenetti, vice president of lacrosse operations for US Lacrosse. “This group has achieved remarkable success in their careers.”

Matthews says she was thrilled to learn that the other three assistant coaches are all Northwestern alumna who coached or played with her. “I am extremely honored to be a part of this staff. It is going to be a blast...we all truly love the sport of lacrosse. It is going to be a new challenge for all of us and I am excited for this opportunity,” said Matthews.

Matthews credits her lifelong involvement in athletics for opportunities like this one, saying, “athletics has led me to do so many things I never thought I would have the opportunity to do, travel all over the country (and now to Canada!), go to the White House, participate in televised games, and meet so many inspirational people. I love the connections you make...they are friendships that last a lifetime!”