BUZZARDS BAY, Mass – This week, Director of Athletics Mike Kelley announced that there will be a change at head coach of the Buccaneers women's lacrosse team. Long-time head coach Marc Palombo has made the decision to step back from the head coaching role. With that, Assistant Director of Athletics and assistant coach Mikayla Correia has been appointed the head coach of the program.

An Academy Alumni himself, Palombo played for the Buccaneers men's lacrosse team for four years from 1975-1978, earning himself a spot on the East-West All-Star game roster, He is a member of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Athletics Hall of Fame, and his number 28 is retired by the men's lacrosse team.

Coach Palombo has been with the women's lacrosse program since 2013, the second year of the team's existence, and has served as the team's head coach since 2017. In his first handful of years as an assistant Marc worked with the goalkeepers of the team, including Correia for her first two years with the team.

In his seven years as head coach, Palombo became the winningest coach in program history with 34 wins, finishing over .500 in two seasons with a 9-7 regular season record in 2019 and a 9-8 regular season record in 2022. In both of those seasons, Coach led the Bucs to playoff appearances in the MASCAC Postseason Tournament.

During his head coaching tenure, Palombo coached 2018 MASCAC Rookie of the Year Casey Sullivan, All-MASCAC First Teamers Alyssa DiScipio and Cassie Llewellyn, and All-MASCAC Second Teamers Kianna Carpenter and Stephanie Hunt. DiScipio also earned a spot on the IWLCA Division III All-Star Game roster. Each of these student-athletes ranks in the top three in program history in every Buccaneer offensive statistical category.

"After seven years as the head coach of Buccaneers women's lacrosse I have made the decision to step back as head coach." Said coach Marc Palombo. While this has not been an easy decision for me to step back as head coach, I believe it is time to turn the reins of the program over to Coach Correia who has been nothing but amazing to me and this team and has been an outstanding recruiter and assistant coach. I would like to thank Mike Kelley, former head coach Leslie Bushy, Mikayla Correia, and most importantly, all of the players that I have coached in my seven years as head coach of this program."

Stepping into the head coaching role, Mikayla Correia has been a part of the program since her freshman year at the Academy in 2014. A graduate of Dartmouth High School in Dartmouth, MA, Correia played four years as the Bucs goalkeeper and joined the staff as an assistant coach for the 2019 season. In addition to her role as assistant coach with the Bucs, Correia also serves as an Assistant Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator for the Department of Athletics.

In her four playing seasons, Mikayla became the program leader in total saves (553) and wins (16) and is second in program history in save percentage (47.3%). As an assistant, she was part of Coach Palombo's staff during the team's two winning seasons and playoff runs.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to give young women the same positive experience I had and continue the tradition of excellence within the Women's Lacrosse program." said head coach Mikayla Correia. "Marc has agreed to stay on as an assistant coach, and I'm excited that our incoming athletes are going to get to build a relationship with him. He truly has been the heart and soul of this program, and it means so much that he and Coach Kelley have entrusted me to lead the next chapter of the program's history."

"Coach Palombo elevated our women's lacrosse program to a new level during his seven years as head coach and we are excited to have Mikayla continue that success with Marc on the staff." Said Director of Athletics Mike Kelley. "We are excited to have Coach Correia as our next head coach of the women's lacrosse program. Consistency is key in college athletics and we are maintaining that consistency by having Mikayla step into her new role."