2023 Skyline Coach of the Year

Kerri Handras was hired as Maritime’s head women’s lacrosse coach on Feb. 22, 2021.  The winningest coach in program history, she has taken the Privateers to the Skyline Conference Tournament each season, and she was honored as the Skyline Coach of the Year in 2023 after leading Maritime to its first-ever Skyline Championship Game appearance.

The Privateers went 5-1 in the abbreviated 2021 season, Handras’ first at the helm.  Maritime then started the 2022 campaign on a program-record 10-game winning streak en route to a 12-3 finish, setting a single-season school mark for victories.  In 2023, the Privateers earned a share of the Skyline regular season title for the first time and were the No. 1 seed in the Skyline Tournament.  Maritime fell in the championship game to finish the year 13-4, once again breaking the single-season program record for wins.

Handras came to Maritime after three seasons at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT).  She led the Bears to a 42-14 overall record during that time, including a 20-4 mark in conference play.  In its first-ever season of competition in 2017, NYIT reached the NCAA Tournament.  The Bears went 7-1 in East Coast Conference (ECC) play in 2019, which was good for a share of the regular season conference title.

Prior to NYIT, Handras spent nine years as the head coach at Dowling College.  She posted a 115-39 overall record at Dowling, including a 17-4 mark in 2016, when the Golden Lions recorded their first-ever NCAA Tournament win.  Handras led Dowling to its first-ever ECC championship and NCAA Tournament berth in 2011.  The Golden Lions repeated as ECC champions in 2012 and won the conference title again in 2014.

While at Dowling, she mentored eight IWLCA All-Americans, 23 IWLCA All-Region players, seven ECC Players of the Year and 59 All-ECC selections.  Handras was also the Golden Lions’ women’s soccer coach for 11 seasons, guiding the team to back-to-back ECC championships in 2011 and 2012.

In addition to serving as the Privateers’ head women’s lacrosse coach, Handras is the Athletic Department’s Senior Woman Administrator.  In that role, she represents Maritime at various conference and NCAA meetings and events throughout the year.  Handras is the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) moderator, as well.

Year

Overall

Conference

Postseason

2021

5-1

5-1

2022

12-3

5-2

Skyline Conference Tournament

2023

13-4

7-1

Skyline Conference Tournament

Career

30-8

17-4