East Michigan News

The Eastern Michigan University (EMU) lacrosse program has announced the addition of Mikela McCauley to its coaching staff as an assistant coach. The announcement was made by Head Coach Sara Tisdale on July 15, 2024. McCauley, a former standout and recent graduate of Vanderbilt University, brings experience from her time as an undergraduate coach with the Commodores and her work with two club teams before arriving in Ypsilanti.

"We are thrilled to welcome Mikela to the Eagle Lacrosse Family," Tisdale stated. "Her experience at Vanderbilt, both as a player and coach, will help our program and players grow on and off the field. During Mikela's career at Vandy, she regularly competed against top 25 programs, allowing her to gain valuable game IQ and elite preparation experience. In just two seasons, EMU has become a leader in the MAC and we look forward to learning from and working with Mikela as we begin our 2025 MAC Championship campaign."

McCauley's collegiate career at Vanderbilt saw the team reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 11 years, a milestone that Eastern Michigan aims to achieve in the future.

"I am beyond excited to join an amazing staff at Eastern," McCauley expressed. "This is a great opportunity not only to work with a veteran staff but also to strive every day to build a winning program that will be a powerhouse in the MAC in years to come. I would like to thank Sara Tisdale and everyone at Eastern for the opportunity! I'm excited to get to work and see what the future brings here at Eastern Michigan!"

McCauley joined Vanderbilt's program in 2020, appearing in 25 games where she scored 25 goals and collected five assists before medically retiring from playing during the 2022 season due to injury. Despite this setback, she continued contributing as an undergraduate volunteer coach until her graduation in 2024. Her coaching responsibilities included working with draw control players, serving as scouting coordinator, and assisting with the team's attack.

During her playing career, McCauley began with a hat trick against Wagner College and scored the winning goal in overtime against Lehigh University before COVID-19 halted their season after nine games. As a sophomore, she played in 12 games tallying nine goals before another injury shortened her season. In her final season in 2022, she participated in four games before being forced into retirement due to injury.

McCauley was recognized for her academic achievements throughout her college tenure. She received eight academic honors including twice being named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll, three times on the AAC All-Academic team, twice on the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll, and once on the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll for 2019-20. She graduated from Vanderbilt with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human and Organizational Development along with a minor in Business.

Originally from Katy, Texas, McCauley attended The Kinkaid School where she excelled in lacrosse, cross country, and track & field until graduating in 2019. During high school, she played varsity lacrosse for four years earning three all-state selections and an All-American title while setting records for goals and points accumulated in program history.