Ivy League Championships (1)
2023
Nicole Spencer joined the University of Pennsylvania women's lacrosse program as an assistant coach in July 2019. She works primarily with the Quakers' defensive and draw units.
Her first season with the Red and Blue (2020) was uncharted territory for the entire college sports world, as all spring sports were cut short due to the worldwide outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19. On March 11, 2020, the Ivy League canceled all spring sports across the conference, bringing the Quakers' season to a close with a 4-1 record. The pandemic carried into the 2021 season, limiting the Quakers to just one game in which they defeated La Salle, 16-11.
The Quakers were back to full competition in 2022 following two years of sidelined seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic. The team won six games including a one-goal victory over No. 24 Drexel. The Quakers earned six All-Ivy honors led by Ellen O'Callaghan, who garnered first team accolades before being named to IWLCA All-Region and an Inside Lacrosse Media All-American.
Penn showed why it should be considered a threat in 2023, putting together a 14-5 record, rolling a clean sweep through the Ivy League at 7-0 and adding two more wins in the Ivy League tournament to win the title, and booking a trip to the NCAA championships for the 16th time in program history. The Quakers topped UConn in the first round, 13-8, before falling to Boston College on the Eagles' home turf, 9-7, in the second round. The Eagles went on to the national championship game. The 2023 roster, coming back in nearly full force for 2024, set the program record for goals in a season (268), most goals per game in a season (14.11), and finished in the IWLCA ranking at No. 13. Niki Miles flexed her offensive muscles in the season, setting the program record in goals with 63, while Anna Brandt came in at fourth with 58. The Quakers raked in postseason awards for their efforts including a clean sweep of the Ivy League major awards: Miles as the unanimous Attacker of the Year, Brandt as the Midfielder of the Year, Izzy Rohr as the unanimous Defender of the Year, and Corbitt as the unanimous Coach of the Year. Penn had 10 Quakers make All-Ivy, while Miles, Brandt and Rohr all earned spots on IWLCA All-Region.
The 2024 season was a special one for the Quakers, spearheaded in many ways by the defense. Penn allowed just 183 goals in 20 games, a 9.15 average that was 14th nationally, as the Red and Blue went 15-5 overall and advanced to the NCAA Championship quarterfinal round. Seniors Izzy Rohr and Sophie Davis were first and third in caused turnovers per game in Ivy League play, respectively, and following the season Rohr was named Ivy League Defender of the Year for the second straight season as well as first-team All-Ivy (unanimously) while Davis was a second-team All-Ivy pick.
The former Nicole Troost came to the Quakers after spending three years as an assistant at Marist, a coaching stop she made after a successful collegiate career with UMass.
As the offensive coordinator and draw control specialist with the Red Foxes, Spencer led two players to record-breaking seasons in 2019, guiding Hailey Wagner to the NCAA's single-season draw control record with 224 on the year, while Samantha Mehalick broke both the school and MAAC single-season scoring record with 79 goals, including 11 in a single game vs. Manhattan. Spencer oversaw 16 all-conference players while at Marist, while helping lead the Red Foxes to double-digit wins in back-to-back years for the first time since 2010.
As a player, Spencer was part of four Atlantic 10 conference championships and four trips to the NCAA Championship for the Minutewomen, helping UMass to the NCAA Quarterfinals as a senior. She shined in her final season as a player, earning first-team All-A-10 accolades and tying the team lead with 42 goals.
Originally from Medford, N.J., Spencer was a three-time All-American, All-State, All-South Jersey and All-County recipient at Shawnee High School, owning the program's record with 220 career goals.
Nicole married Austin Spencer in December 2021; Austin played college lacrosse at UMass and Johns Hopkins.
