Entering her third season at the helm in 2026, Coach Shannon McHale has continued to build the Lenoir-Rhyne women’s lacrosse program into a competitive force in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) and NCAA Division II. Under her leadership, the Bears posted an 11-8 overall record and an 8-3 mark in SAC play in 2025, highlighted by a conference semifinal appearance, a mid-season six-game winning streak and the most wins for the program since 2019.
McHale joined LR in 2024, bringing 27 years of collegiate coaching experience spanning NCAA Divisions II and III and a career head coaching record that includes 196-158 overall success. Prior to coming to Hickory, she served as head coach at Colorado Mesa University, where she guided the Mavericks to a 31-17 record in three seasons, including a share of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Regular Season Championship and the program’s first RMAC Tournament title.
Throughout her career, McHale has earned recognition for both team and individual player development. At Colorado Mesa, her players collected multiple RMAC individual honors, including Midfielder, Defender and Freshman of the Year awards, and she coached the program’s third-ever IWLCA All-American.
Before her tenure in Colorado, McHale was an assistant coach at Florida Southern College, playing a key role in the Mocs’ run to the NCAA Division II National Championship game, while helping produce six IWLCA All-Americans.
McHale’s two decades of head coaching experience at the Division III level include stops at SUNY Potsdam, St. John Fisher College and Ithaca College, where she accumulated numerous wins and was a multi-time Empire 8 Coach of the Year.
In addition to her on-field success, she is active in the lacrosse community, serving on the IWLCA Division II Board of Directors and the NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse National Committee as Midwest Region Chair. McHale also holds a master’s degree in Exercise and Sport Sciences with a focus in Sport Psychology from Ithaca College and was inducted into the SUNY Brockport Athletics Hall of Fame as a student-athlete.
