Rutgers University Athletics

Email Laura Brand Sias

Laura Brand Sias enters her 17th season as the head coach of Rutgers women’s lacrosse, a program that plays in the Big Ten Conference, one of the top collegiate leagues in the sport. A former four-year standout for the Scarlet Knights, Brand Sias remains committed to building a program that competes among the nation’s elite both on the field and in the classroom right here “On the Banks”.

With more than 130 victories during her head-coaching career, Brand Sias has influenced a lot of talent over the years. Through 16 seasons as head coach, Brand Sias has mentored 39 all-conference honorees – including six All-Big Ten designations – as well as 37 all-region selections.

Numerous former players have gone on to coaching careers. Butler University – a BIG EAST program – named recent RU graduate Nicole Kopyta (2014-18) to its staff this past June, while other recent graduates-turned-coaches include Taylor Pennell (’16) at Holy Cross and Megan Clements (’14) at Stevens College.

Off the field, Brand Sias emphasizes the importance of succeeding in the classroom. The NCAA recognized the program for its academic success, as Rutgers secured a perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 1,000 for the sixth consecutive year. Additionally, 17 Scarlet Knights were named to the 2018 Spring Academic All-Big Ten squad, while Jordan Drab, Tess Howland and Dakota Pastore earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar accolades courtesy of 3.7 or higher GPA’s.

Along with excellent academics and play in a premier collegiate lacrosse conference, Brand Sias can also offer future Scarlet Knights a blueprint for top-of-the-line facilities. The largest gift in Rutgers Athletics history – $15 million – will serve to support the academic achievements of Rutgers' approximately 700 student-athletes via the construction of the Gary and Barbara Rodkin Center for Academic Success, which will also house a state-of-the-art training facility for the program.

Since Brand Sias was named head coach of the program in 2003, the Scarlet Knights have produced eight or more wins in seven seasons during her tenure. That included an eight-win campaign in 2017, the most wins for the program in three seasons.

Brand Sias-led teams have appeared in six conference tournaments, which includes a semifinal appearance in the 2016 Big Ten Conference Championships after an overtime victory against No. 19 Ohio State in the opening round.

Brand Sias came to Rutgers following one season as head coach at Fairfield University (2002), where she led the Stags to a 10-7 overall record. Fairfield advanced to the 2002 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament championship match, finishing the season with a perfect 6-0 record in league play.

As a player, Brand Sias starred as a four-year letterwinner at midfield for Rutgers (1996-99), helping to lead the Scarlet Knights to their first-ever national ranking and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1999.

Brand Sias continued to excel following her collegiate days as a member of the Canadian National Lacrosse Team from 1999-2004. She was a starter for the 2001 Canadian World Cup squad that placed fourth, losing to England in the bronze-medal game.

Her athletic career began at Radnor (Pa.) High School, where she played three years of lacrosse and field hockey. With the lacrosse team, Brand Sias was named the squad’s Outstanding Athlete of the Year as a sophomore, junior and senior, in addition to serving as the team captain in 1995.

She also founded Brand Elite, L.L.C., where she serves as the President and CEO, running various lacrosse camps and clinics throughout the summer.

Brand Sias received a dual bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology from Rutgers in 1999. She and her husband Jim Sias reside in Somerset, N.J. and are the proud parents of their daughter Kinley, born September of 2013, and their son Tobin, born December 2015.

2018 SEASON REWIND
Rutgers closed out this past season with a 7-10 mark, but did so by navigating one of the toughest schedules in the country. The Scarlet Knights faced seven ranked foes in 2018, with six of those programs – James Madison, Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Northwestern, Penn, and Penn State – qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. JMU and Maryland advanced to the Final Four, with the Dukes winning it all.

Despite the challenging slate, there were plenty of highlights on the field in 2018. Rutgers raced out to a 4-2 start with wins over LIU Brooklyn, Monmouth, Delaware and Drexel, and closed out the season with a thrilling victory over Michigan on April 12 at High Point Solutions Stadium. Paige Paratore scored a career-high four goals against the Wolverines, including the game winner in overtime to secure the Big Ten victory in front of the home faithful.

The game also secured Paratore First Team All-Big Ten accolades, as she finished with 34 points on 30 goals and four assists to go along with 44 draw controls, 30 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers.

Youth played an important part for Brand Sias and Rutgers in 2018. Then-sophomore Samantha Budd closed out her sophomore campaign as the co-leader in both goals (30) and points (37) while also leading the Scarlet Knights with 54 draw controls. Taralyn Naslonski produced 24 goals and 31 points – good for second and fourth on the team, respectively – and closed out the year with 12 points and 10 goals in her final three Big Ten games. Naslonski was twice named Big Ten Freshman of the Week.

PAST SUCCESS AT A GLANCE

• 138 career victories (128 at Rutgers)
• 39 All-Conference Selections
• Six All-Big Ten Selections
  • 2018: Paige Paratore
  • 2017: Amanda Casten, Kristina Dunphey
  • 2016: Amanda Casten, Kristina Dunphey
  • 2015: Lauren Sbrilli
• 37 IWLCA All-Region Selections
• Three IWLC All-Americans
  • 2013: Lily Kalata (Third Team)
  • 2010: Brooke Cantwell (Third Team)
  • 2007: Katie Batiuk (Third Team)
• 57 Academic All-Big Ten Selections
• Six Conference Tournament Appearances
• 10 100-point scorers

 LAURA BRAND SIAS YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RECORD