One of the most successful coaches in NAIA women's lacrosse history, Mary Ann Meltzer traded in her whistle to take on a full-time role in collegiate athletic administration going into the 2023-24 academic year. Meltzer was tabbed the new Lawrence Tech director of athletics on June 12, 2023, after becoming the Blue Devils' winningest women's lacrosse coach ever with a 102-30 record for a .773 won-lost percentage over eight seasons.
Meltzer was named the Lawrence Tech women’s lacrosse head coach in 2015. Her resume has been highlighted by the 2023 NAIA national title run, five consecutive trips officially to the NAIA playoffs, five Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference championships, a 2022 national runner-up finish, and a 2022 National Coach of the Year award (and the second of her career).
In 2019, Meltzer was promoted to Assistant Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator in addition to her women's lacrosse coaching role. In that capacity, she oversaw women’s basketball, softball, women’s soccer, and men’s and women’s volleyball. She also was the primary liaison with the University administration relative to student-athlete development.
She ended her coaching career in style by leading LTU to a 17-1 record, the 2023 NAIA Championship with victories over Missouri Baptist (13-9), Life University (11-4) and SCAD-Savannah (16-15 in overtime), and a WHAC sweep of the regular season and tournament titles. She coached All-Americans Anabelle Acluche, Bella Burke, Jaisanna Jarvis, Gabi Mitchell and Sydney Robinson who paved the way for the program's first-ever national crown.
Before this past spring, the Blue Devils had their best season in program history during the 2022 season. LTU finished with an overall record of 17-1 and a perfect 9-0 in conference. Coach Meltzer had the No. 1-ranked team in the nation for four straight weeks leading up to the national championship game. After a remarkable undefeated regular season, Meltzer was named NAIA Coach of the Year for the first time. She was admired for coaching five NAIA All-Americans, two NAIA national defensive player of the week honorees, five All-WHAC First Team selections, three all-conference Second Team winners, and one Champions of Character team member. The team was third in the NAIA for goals-against average with 6.38, fourth in caused turnovers with 224, fifth in save percentage with 50.9, seventh in both shots and assists with 601 and 149, eighth in draw controls with 270 and eighth in shots on goal with 455, and ninth in both goals (280) and goals-per-game (15.56).Â
Meltzer built LTU into a perennial national contender evidenced by the team winning over 75 percent of its games, seven NAIA tournament berths and six Final Four appearances (2016-17-18-21-22-23). Plus, she has coached 27 NAIA All-Americans (17 first-team selections), 35 All-WHAC performers (23 first-team selections) and 33 WHAC All-Academic team members.
In her second season, the 2017 squad was the NAIA National runner-up and WHAC co-champions. That unit featured the NAIA National Player of the Year, four First Team All-Americans, one Second Team All-American, and the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association (IWLCA) NAIA Scholar-Athlete of the Year. For her efforts, Meltzer was named National Coach of the Year for the first time as the Blue Devils posted an 18-2 record and finished the season ranked No. 2 in the national poll. The University also recognized her as the Mary E. and Richard E. Marburger Distinguished Achievement Award recipient – one of LTU’s most prestigious awards. The honor is given annually to the faculty or staff member who brings distinction and notoriety to the University.
Before taking over at LTU, Meltzer coached for three years at Olivet College (NCAA Division III), where she took the Comets from last in the conference to a conference semifinal appearance in three seasons. Before that, she was the first NCAA Division I women's lacrosse head coach in Michigan when she started the University of Detroit Mercy women’s lacrosse program. Meltzer cut her teeth in the collegiate coaching ranks as the head coach of the University of Michigan’s highly successful women’s lacrosse club team for five years, amassing a record of 93-22 (.809 winning percentage). At Michigan, her teams advanced to the US Lacrosse Women's Division Intercollegiate Associates (WDIA) National Tournament every year, going to the national semifinals three times and the national championship game once.
Meltzer’s coaching prowess is an extension of her success as a player. A two-time All-American at the University of Maryland, Meltzer was the National Offensive Player of the Year as a senior in 1990, when she led the Terps to a spot in the national championship game. She also spent five years as a US Lacrosse National Squad member. In 2002, Meltzer was named a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s 50th Anniversary Team.
A native of Worthington, Ohio, Meltzer was inducted into the Ohio Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2002. She was similarly honored with induction into the Michigan Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2012. A former member of the US Lacrosse Board of Directors and a current member of the IWLCA Board of Directors, Meltzer is a frequent clinician and tireless advocate for creating opportunities for women to compete in athletics.
Meltzer is the proud mother son, Austin, and daughter, Emily.Â
