MaKayla Hancock enters her second season as head coach of the La Salle University field hockey program in 2021-22. A veteran in the field hockey coaching community, Hancock spent two seasons as an assistant with the Explorers following stints with Northeastern and Providence.
During the challenging 2021 spring season, Hancock and her staff successfully navigated a full season while keeping the team focused academically. A total of 21 student-athletes were named to the NFHCA's National Academic Squad and five were named Scholars of Distinction after posting cumulative GPA's of 3.9 or higher.
Hancock assisted in all phases of the La Salle program in 2018 and 2019, including the role of recruiting coordinator. She has also served as the direct liaison to La Salle's field hockey alumni group and been an integral part of practice and game-day preparation.
Before arriving in Philadelphia, Hancock spent two years at Northeastern and helped lead the Huskies to an appearance in the 2017 Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. Five different Huskies garnered conference postseason honors this past season, and senior forward Jamie Bartucca landed on the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Region First Team. Northeastern led nationally-ranked Delaware at halftime of its CAA semifinal contest before falling, 3-1, to the eventual tournament champions.
Hancock joined Northeastern's staff after a two-year stint at Providence College, where she was a volunteer assistant coach while pursuing her master's degree. While with the Friars, Hancock assisted in all aspects of the program including team practice planning for both field players and goalkeepers, film coding, travel coordination, and the planning of all camps and clinics.
In her spare time, Hancock earned her Level II USA Field Hockey coaching accreditation and has been a part of regional and national tournaments through officiating, directing drills, and overseeing the sessions and tournaments since 2011. Hancock began her coaching career in 2010 with a club program and elevating to a USA Field Hockey assistant and head coach at Futures sites.
A 2014 graduate of Bryant University, she was a four-year letterwinner with the Bulldogs, playing in 66 games as a defender. The Skowhegan, Maine native was a two-time captain as a junior and senior, and was a three-time Northeast Conference Academic Honor Roll honoree.
As a senior, Hancock was named to the All-MAAC Second Team after starting all 18 matches and notching a career best three goals and three assists. A triplet, Hancock played alongside her sisters Mallory (forward) and Megan (goalkeeper) in each of her seasons at Bryant.
