Girls' Lacrosse

MAPL CHAMPS

2022

Blair’s girls’ lacrosse team is focused on bettering each player as an athlete and as a teammate while working together to build the program and compete for Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) titles. Head coach Mackenzie Maguire’s daily goal is to balance a focus on individual skills with practices geared toward team play. Every player works toward strong fundamentals—stick skills, game sense, speed and agility—which helps build self-confidence and teaches the value of hard work. Individual strengths are woven together during practice, creating a team that is greater than the sum of its parts. The team’s success relies on a positive team dynamic, strong communication and devotion to hard work.

Blair lacrosse has been improving continually over the past decade. Over the last 15 years, many of our athletes have gone on to play lacrosse at schools such as Columbia University, Cornell University, Colgate University, William Smith College, Bates College and Bowdoin College.

If you have any questions, please contact Coach Maguire at maguim@blair.edu.

Meet Coach Maguire

Mackenzie Maguire joined Blair in 2022 as an admission associate and head girls’ varsity lacrosse coach. Prior to working at Williams College as an assistant women’s lacrosse coach, Mackenzie earned her BS in business marketing with a minor in sports management from the University of Mary Washington in 2019. During her time as a student athlete, she served as a collegiate team captain, made four NCAA appearances and was named rookie of the year by various sports conferences. At Williams, Mackenzie worked as recruiting coordinator, a mentor for student athlete development, and as a coach on and off the field. Mackenzie’s previous professional experience includes working as a sales-and-marketing associate for Trilogy Lacrosse and as a trainee in GEICO’s management-development program for claims adjusters.

Contact Coach Maguire at maguim@blair.edu for any further questions.

Meet Coach Cronin

Courtney Cronin serves as the assistant JV girls' basketball coach. She came to Blair in 2022 as Associate Dean of College Counseling and a Blair lacrosse coach. In addition to her experience at Thacher School in Ojai, California, as Associate Director of College Counseling, head girls’ varsity lacrosse and dorm parent, Courtney worked for eight years as a college counselor, French teacher and girls’ lacrosse coach at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts, where she also served as language department chair. Courtney graduated from Colby College, where she majored in French studies and history, and earned her master’s degree in independent school leadership from the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College in 2017. In addition to serving as an advisor and mentor to students at Thacher, she also co-leads adult and student anti-ractist groups and ally spaces. At Lawrence, Courtney also served as dorm head, chaperoned “Winterim” trips to Belize, Peru and Ecuador, and chaired the Professional Development Committee. She joins the Blair community with her dog, Coach.

About Coach Antonelli

Brian Antonelli '93 joins the girls' lacrosse staff in 2021. In addition to coaching lacrosse, Mr. Antonelli is the assistant coach for the varsity wrestling team and varsity football team. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Brian coached his alma mater’s wrestling team for nine seasons, serving as interim head coach in 2013. He was a varsity wrestler at Navy and was commissioned a 2nd Lt. in the Marine Corps upon graduation in 1997. As a Marine officer, he attained the rank of captain and served in Operation Rapid Cheetah, patrolling the borders between Kosovo and Bosnia, and later as a Naval Academy admission officer and Marine Corps Green Belt instructor. In 2004-2005, he was the head wrestling coach at The Lawrenceville School. Brian and his wife, Susie, a teacher at Far Hills Country Day School, live in Millbrook Cottage with their four children, Kate '20, Sammi '22, Christopher '24 and Mikey.

View directions to athletic events. To read recaps about past events, go to the "Team News" tab above.

View more recent photos on Blair's Photoshelter or past seasons (2004-2018) on Blair's Flickr.

Blair's girls' lacrosse team has steadily improved over the past decade. In the last 15 years, many of our athletes have gone on to play lacrosse at schools such as Columbia University, Cornell University, Colgate University, William Smith College, Bates College and Bowdoin College.

A team is successful when each member of the group is willing to see beyond the boundaries of possibility and aim further. It is a phenomenon that occurs when individuals accomplish something they thought was beyond their capabilities. This sort of achievement is attained through hard work, commitment, belief in self and belief in others.

Meet Coach Issenchmidt

Language teacher Maria Smith Issenchmidt serves as the head girls' JV lacrosse coach. She earned her bachelor’s degree in French and political science from Hood College and holds a master’s degree in intercultural communication with a concentration in Francophone studies from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In addition to teaching French at her most recent position at Robert College in Istanbul, Turkey, Maria also taught at Garrison Forest School in Maryland, where she coached field hockey and advised the Model UN team. She and her husband, language teacher Allan Issenchmidt, live in Lakeside Hall. 

Meet Coach Antonelli

Susie Antonelli rejoined Blair in the fall of 2022 as full-time Assistant Dean of Admission. Susie earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education from Towson University in 1996 and worked for several years as an elementary school teacher at The Naval Academy Primary School in Annapolis before coming to Blair in 2014 and joining the admission team in 2015. For the last several years, she has taught first and second grade at Far Hills Country Day School. She lives on campus with her husband, Director of Safety and Security Brian Antonelli, and their children Kate ’20, Sammi ’22, Topher ’24 and Mikey ’26.

View directions to athletic events.

View more recent photos on Blair's Photoshelter or past seasons (2004-2018) on Blair's Flickr.