Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Championships: 2026 (GNAC)

Coach of the Year: 2026 (GNAC)

Career Record: 30-9 (.769)

All-Academic Honors: 44

All-Conference Honors: 10

All-Region Honors: 1

Overview:

Lydia Dexter ’21 was named head coach of the Saint Joseph’s College women’s lacrosse program in September 2024 and quickly led her alma mater back to the top of the GNAC.

Through two seasons, Dexter has guided the Monks to a 30-9 (.769) overall record and an 18-2 (.900) mark in conference play. Under her leadership, Saint Joseph’s captured the 2026 GNAC Championship, earned an NCAA Division III Tournament berth, and produced multiple All-Conference, All-Region, and major award winners.

In 2026, Dexter was named GNAC Coach of the Year after leading the Monks to an 18-3 overall record, the program’s third conference title, and its first GNAC crown since 2022. Saint Joseph’s was dominant on both ends of the field, leading the conference in goals, assists, goals per game, shots, shots on goal, ground balls, fewest goals allowed, goals-against average, and save percentage.

A former Monks standout, Dexter remains one of the most decorated players in program history. She was the first Saint Joseph’s women’s lacrosse player to earn back-to-back GNAC Offensive Player of the Year honors and graduated as the Monks’ all-time leader in points, assists, and points per game.

2026: Dexter guided Saint Joseph’s to a championship season in 2026, as the Monks finished 18-3 overall and captured the GNAC Championship with a 12-3 victory over Emmanuel College on May 2. The title marked the program’s third conference championship and first since 2022.

Saint Joseph’s advanced to the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Tournament, where the Monks fell to nationally ranked Stevens Institute of Technology in the opening round. The Monks were dominant throughout the conference season, leading the GNAC in goals, assists, goals per game, shots, shots on goal, ground balls, fewest goals allowed, goals-against average, and save percentage.

Dexter was named GNAC Coach of the Year, while senior Celia Melanson earned GNAC Attacker of the Year honors and sophomore Ava Molineaux was selected as GNAC Defender of the Year. Melanson, Molineaux, and Ella Highbarger collected First Team All-GNAC honors, while Taylor Dumond and Alexis Copp were named to the Second Team. Melanson also earned IWLCA Second Team All-Region accolades, becoming just the second player in program history to receive All-Region recognition.

2025: In her first season as head coach, Dexter led Saint Joseph’s to a 12-6 overall record and a 9-2 mark in GNAC play. The Monks earned the No. 3 North seed in the GNAC Tournament and opened postseason play with a convincing 17-5 road victory over No. 2 South seed Lasell University.

Saint Joseph’s advanced to the GNAC Semifinals before falling to eventual conference champion Emmanuel College, 9-4. Five Monks earned All-GNAC honors following the season. Senior attacker Mackenzie Siebert was named First Team All-Conference for the second consecutive year, while senior midfielder Shauna Clark and freshman defender Ava Molineaux collected Second Team accolades. Junior attacker Celia Melanson and junior defender Alexis Copp earned Third Team honors.

Previously:

Dexter returned to Saint Joseph’s after serving as an assistant coach at Connecticut College during the 2023-24 academic year. With the Camels, she assisted with recruiting, individual and group training sessions, team operations, social media, and alumni outreach.

Her coaching background also includes experience at the high school and club levels, including time as an assistant coach at Lake Region High School and with Maineiax Lacrosse Club. Those roles helped shape her player-centered approach and gave her experience developing athletes across multiple age groups.

As a student-athlete at Saint Joseph’s, Dexter built one of the most accomplished careers in program history. She became the first women’s lacrosse player at SJC to earn back-to-back GNAC Offensive Player of the Year honors and graduated as the program’s all-time leader in points, assists, and points per game.

As a senior, she helped lead the Monks to a 16-4 record and the 2022 GNAC Championship while earning First Team All-GNAC honors and ranking among the top players in NCAA Division III in multiple statistical categories.

Personal:

A native of Oakland, Maine, Dexter earned both a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Saint Joseph’s College.
 

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