Women's Lacrosse Coaches

A 2000 Brown University graduate and former Bears’ lacrosse standout, Keely McDonald returned to her alma mater to head the Brown women’s lacrosse program during the fall of 2004 following assistant coaching stints at Princeton and Northwestern.

In eight years, McDonald has coached 11 Regional All-American and five National All-Americans. In five years at Brown, 13 of McDonald’s players have been recognized with All-Ivy honors and five have earned IWLCA Northeast Regional All-American recognition. This past season, she had her second and third players earn selection to the North-South Senior All-Star Game. In addition Lauren Vitkus ’09 was recognized as a District I Academic All-American for her high level of accomplishment both on and off the field.

During the 2009 season, McDonald led the Bears to a 7-8 overall record and a 3-4 mark in the Ivy League, tying for fourth. The seven wins were the most since 1999 , while Brown's fourth-place finish was the highest since 1999 when the Bears went 4-3 and were fourth in the League. Highlighting the Ivy wins was a season-ending, 7-5, victory over Yale, Brown's first win over the Bulldogs in 16 years. The Bears also defeated Columbia, outscoring the Lions, 11-2, in the second half, and Harvard. Though Brown didn't come away with a win at Princeton, McDonald's squad was neck-and-neck with the 7th-ranked Tigers, falling by a single goal, 8-7.

In 2007, McDonald coached two freshmen, Kiki Manners and Molly McCarthy, who became her second and third Regional All-Americans, and were two of just five freshmen in the Northeast Region, nine nationally, to earn this distinction. The duo, who were Brown’s first-ever freshmen to earn Regional All-American recognition, also earned a spot on the inaugural womenslacrosse.com All-Freshman Team. In 2008, Vitkus became McDonald’s fourth All-Region honoree at Brown, as the Bears’ 2008 leading scorer earned Second Team All-Region honors.  In all, McDonald has coached 19 All-Ivy players, including nine at Princeton. She has also coached three past Tewaaraton Award candidates.

The first assistant at Princeton during the 2004 season, McDonald helped to lead the Tigers to a #1 ranking for the entire season, winning 19 straight games before dropping their only contest of the year in the National Championship game. Working with three-time National Champion head coach Chris Sailer at Princeton, McDonald gained tremendous experience, helping to coach four First Team National All-Americans, the Ivy League Player and Rookie of the Year, and leading the #1 defensive system in the country with a 6.11 GAA.

Prior to joining the Tiger staff, McDonald served as the first assistant coach at Northwestern, playing an integral role in transitioning the team from Club level to varsity Division I status. During her three years with the Wildcats, McDonald worked alongside head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller to build a solid program which is now a national contender, losing to Virginia in the 2004 National Quaterfinals, in just the team’s third year of existence, and winning the past three National Championships.

As an undergraduate at Brown, McDonald started at Midfield/Attack all four years with the Bears, earning Second Team All-Ivy and Academic All-Ivy in 2000. She finished her career with 86 points (66g, 20a), including 27 (21g, 6a) as a freshman in 1997, and ranking among the team’s top five scorers in each of her four seasons.

A 2004 graduate of Duke University with a B.A. in Psychology, Miller returned to Brown in August, 2010 for her second stint with the Bears, having spent five previous seasons on the Brown coaching staff previously. Originally hired in August 2004 as the second assistant, Miller was promoted to the Bears' top assistant in August of 2006. She stayed on for two years in that role, before moving to a career outside of athletics, but continued to coach the Bears on a volunteer basis during the 2009 season.

"Meg started her coaching career at Brown and is a vital asset to the team and the day-to-day functioning of our program," said McDonald. "She has a great mind for the game and is a powerful supporter of our student-athletes. I am very thankful to have Meg on staff and know that every day she helps the players gain confidence in themselves and push the envelope on their play. She is a tremendous coach."

During her time at Brown, Miller has worked with the defense, coaching All-Ivy goalie Julia Southard '05 in her first season and 2007 All-Ivy honoree Kiki Manners '10 last year. In addition to working with the goalies and defense, Miller also serves as the Bears' recruiting coordinator.

A two-time All-South Region selection, Miller was also a two-time Second Team All-American while with the Blue Devils. Miller earned All-ACC honors as a senior, and was named to the All-ACC Tournament Team in 2003 and 2004. She helped to lead the Blue Devils to the NCAA Tournament for four straight years. A nominee for the women's lacrosse Tewaarton Trophy in 2003 and 2004, Miller was a Preseason All-American in both 2003 and 2004 and the ACC co-Rookie of the Year in 2001.

A native of Severna Park, MD, Miller currently lives in Cranston.

Brown University women’s lacrosse head coach Keely McDonald ’00 announced the hiring of Sarah Holden as an assistant coach in September of 2012. Holden rounds out McDonald’s staff for 2012-13 and joins assistant coach Meg Miller, now in her seventh season at Brown. Holden is a 2012 graduate of Syracuse, where she helped to lead the Orange to the 2012 NCAA Finals.

“We are thrilled to have Sarah join the Brown Lacrosse Family,” said McDonald. “Her experiences as a player and leader for Syracuse are outstanding - she will be an excellent role model for our student athletes on and off the field.  She is a passionate, knowledgeable and eager coach.  Her enthusiasm for the game and for the growth of our student-athletes is evident in everything she does.”

A team captain and midfielder at Syracuse as a senior, Holden was named to the 2012 NCAA All-Tournament Team after scoring four goals against Florida in the semifinals. During her collegiate career, Syracuse also advanced to the 2010 NCAA Final Four. Holden earned Second Team All-BIG EAST honors in 2012 after finishing with 44 points (3^rd on the team) and 36 goals (5^th on the team).

Holden received a Bachelor of Science from Syracuse in Sport Management in 2012. In addition to making the Dean’s List all four years, she received 2012 BIG EAST All-Academic Team honors. Holden has also served as a team coach at the Nike Cup Gary Gait Lacrosse Camp and for the Relentless Hustle Club Team.