University of Massachusetts Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Jana Drummond announced the hiring of Dani Ellis as an assistant coach on Friday morning. Ellis joins the Minutewomen after spending the last two seasons as an assistant at Middlebury College, helping the Panthers to back-to-back Division III National Championships.

"We are thrilled to welcome Dani to our program," said Drummond. "Her passion for lacrosse, incredible work ethic, NCAA tournament experience, and strength in relationship building will be an awesome addition to our staff, program, and athletic department. Dani comes with an outstanding reputation as a coach, most recently winning a National Championship and being a part of the IWLCA Staff of the Year. She will undoubtedly make a seamless transition to our program and be a great mentor to the women of UMass lacrosse."

Ellis coached the 2022 and 2023 IWLCA National Player and Attacker of the Year at Middlebury and helped coach the 2023 IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Year. The Panthers had nine IWLCA All-Americans during Ellis' time and finished with a 45-1 record in two seasons. Ellis was part of a staff that was named both the IWLCA Regional and National Coaching Staff of the Year in 2023.

 "I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work beside Jana and become a part of this incredibly successful UMass women's lacrosse program," said Ellis. "I want to thank Ryan Bamford, Jeff Smith, Kirsten Britton and the entire search committee for their time. It's clear that the UMass Athletic Department is committed to the success and well-being of their student athletes. I am excited to get on campus, meet the team and get started!"

Prior to joining Middlebury, Ellis was an assistant coach at Washington and Lee University from 2018-21. Ellis served as the team's offensive and recruiting coordinator, helping the team to two Old Dominion Athletic Conference Champions while earning a pair of conference staff of the year honors. Ellis also spent a season at VCU as a graduate assistant before moving into a director of player development role for the 2017-18 campaign.

Ellis played collegiately at Winthrop, where she was a 2016 Big South All-Tournament Team member after helping the Eagles to a Big South Championship in 2015 and 2016. Ellis received her degree in psychology with a minor in coaching from Winthrop in 2016 and earned her Master of Education in Sport Leadership from VCU in 2017.

Lia LaPrise joined the UMass women's lacrosse staff as an assistant coach in July of 2023. LaPrise was a standout attacker at UConn, where she finished her career as the program's all-time leader in points and assists.
 
“We are very excited to welcome Lia to our program,” said head coach Jana Drummond. “Lia brings with her a competitive knowledge of the game, an incredible work ethic, a strong passion for lacrosse, and mature leadership qualities that our student athletes can look up to and learn from. Lia was a fierce competitor as a player and currently holds the UConn program records for career points and assists. Her addition to our staff, program, and athletic department will be a tremendous benefit for us all.”
 
The Windsor, Conn. native was a two-time Big East First-Team All-Conference selection for the Huskies and led the conference in points in 2021. LaPrise was a team captain for her squad and earned a spot on the IWLCA All-Northeast Region Second Team as a senior in 2022. LaPrise has also worked with club team Nor’easter since 2018, coaching a range of age groups from middle school to high school.
 
"I am beyond excited and grateful for the opportunity to join the UMass women’s lacrosse program,” said LaPrise. “There is so much energy, competitiveness, and dedication that is innate in this group and I cannot wait to be a part of the journey. I am looking forward to getting on campus and meeting the team.”