Meagan DiCave’s love for lacrosse has taken her on a journey of a lifetime.
She has competed and coached throughout the United States. In 2002 she took her skills to England, where she played for the Hitchin Sprites and coached for Bedford High School, a member of the English Lacrosse Association.
And now — 14 years after picking up a lacrosse stick for the first time — DiCave’s ambulant career has come full circle, bringing the Philadelphia native back home.
Meet the new head coach of Holy Family University’s first women’s lacrosse team.
“I am very excited, anxious, a little scared and nervous,” said DiCave. “A brand new program and everything — I’ve never experienced anything like that before. But I am so excited! I can’t wait to get started.”
The Division II Tigers team will compete in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference and start play next spring.
In the meantime, DiCave has started to dip into various local high school and club squads to recruit athletes who may be interested in teaming up with the Tigers.
“I was only hired a couple weeks ago, so it’s kind of a late start, because most seniors that are going to play have already signed or committed,” said DiCave, who was officially announced as the Tigers’ lacrosse head coach on May 15. “But there’s a couple out there that haven’t made decisions, and I’m hoping to be able to bring them in.
“I’m really looking for women who want to come in right away and make an impact,” she continued. “They don’t want to go to a bigger school and kind of sit on the bench for a few years. We want women to come in right away and make a program and play.”
The freshly formed squad will face off in a non-championship season this fall, called “fall-ball,” which consists of 20 days of competition within a 30-day period.
Then, next spring, the Tigers officially begin play in the CACC.
“I would like to have fifteen women — that would be perfect,” said DiCave, adding that she already has talked with some interested players. “I want to have a successful season — not necessarily with the wins and losses — but I want us all to be out there and having fun and growing and learning from day one until the end of the year.”
Women’s lacrosse is the 13th NCAA Division II sport sponsored by Holy Family University. According to the school’s director of athletics, Sandra Michael, because of the increasing popularity of lacrosse, it was only a matter of time before the Tigers had a squad of their own.
“We’re trying to meet the needs of our current students and any future students,” said Michael. “Local high schools are all sponsoring women’s lacrosse, and we see this as a good sport to complement the other programs we have here.”
In addition to courting players from outside Holy Family, DiCave said she has discovered a wealth of potential athletes within the Tigers family.
“Sandy has also sent out an e-mail letting current students know about the team, and I’ve already gotten a lot of feedback from that,” said DiCave. “I want ladies to come out here who are going to enjoy themselves and love the game of lacrosse, because I love the game. I have a lot of passion for it and I think it’s a great game. I want women who are willing to work hard.”
DiCave arrived on the lacrosse scene during her freshman year at Cardinal O’Hara High School. When she was a junior, DiCave transferred to Ridley High School and continued passing and dodging on the lacrosse field until graduating in 1998.
She went to Virginia Wesleyan College for the next four years.
“I was very fortunate,” she said. “I went to a program that was very new, so I was one of those players that went in right away and made an impact on the team.
“Just the growth of the team from my freshman year to senior year was awesome. Freshman year, it was almost like we were a group of misfits,” she continued with a laugh. “Not necessarily misfits, but everyone was playing field hockey or tennis and then just decided to try lacrosse. Then as the years progressed, in my senior year we were the highest we’ve ever been in the conference. So I definitely felt an improvement each year, which was awesome.”
DiCave quickly made a name for herself among the Marlins. In 2002, she was the top scorer in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), with 7.17 points per game. That same year she received second-team All-American honors, was named the Virginia lacrosse player of the year, and was cheered as the Virginia Wesleyan female athlete of the year.
“I had a really great experience down in Virginia,” said DiCave, also an All-American honorable mention in 2000. “I got some awesome accolades, so that was a pretty cool way to top it off. And the program has just been getting better and better ever since then, so it’s great to be a part of that.”
DiCave graduated with a communications degree, focusing on broadcasting.
In 2002, she headed overseas to play lacrosse for the Hitchin Sprites in England. DiCave was just 21, but it didn’t take long until she was running the show.
“The game in England isn’t as advanced as it is here,” she said. “There was another American, a girl named Amy from the University of Richmond, on my team. She and I would run practice because they didn’t know any other drills. It was pretty cool, and we got to do a lot of different things.”
DiCave found her second home in a small town called Bedford, where she lived for one year in a boarder house along with women from Thailand, Japan, China, Russia and England.
“These women speak six or seven languages and travel the world on their parents’ yachts,” said DiCave with a laugh. “It was totally different from what I’m used to. But the experience was amazing and I got to do a lot of traveling.”
In addition to playing, DiCave got a taste of coaching in England, working with the Bedford High School lacrosse team.
“Coaching is my passion. My mom was always my coach,” said DiCave, referring to her mom Bridget, who now coaches women’s basketball at Cabrini College. “It’s always been a family thing. I grew up in a gym with my mom coaching. It’s just something I’ve been accustomed to.”
After returning home from Europe, DiCave continued her mentoring at Harrington High School in Lower Merion, where she helped lead the lacrosse squad to the Del Val League championship in 2004.
The following year, DiCave was off to Wesley College in Dover, Del., and worked as head coach for the Division III lacrosse squad for two seasons. In 2006, her coaching career ceased temporarily — until she found a new home at Holy Family.
“I never really wanted to leave Wesley, but that’s how it worked out. It was unfortunate,” said DiCave. “I was driving back and forth constantly and then I had a two-year hiatus. And now I’m back,” she said with a glowing grin. “I really missed it, and that’s why I’m so happy to be here.
“There are some really talented players coming up who are making lacrosse that much better and that much more fun to watch,” she explained. “These women are truly amazing. Their stick skills, their footwork, their speed — it’s just awesome to watch. I just love it.”
DiCave, now 27, is willing to make the commitment required for a successful program. In fact, that’s primarily the reason she was chosen for the job.
“I think her passion for the sport and experience will help her be successful,” said Michael. “The enthusiasm she has — you can just tell this is who she is. She has embraced the entire program, and hopefully, within a few years, we’ll have a banner hanging.” ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com