Mary Eames left AU in May 2025.
Mary Eames came to AU after spending five seasons as a head coach on the Division III level at the United States Coast Guard Academy and is heading into her fourth season with the Eagles in 2025 after joining the program as an assistant coach in August 2021. Eames was promoted to associate head coach in December of 2023.
In her three years with the Eagles, Eames helped guide the team to one of its most successful seasons in program history in 2021, tying the program record for regular season wins at 9-9 and returning to the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2013. She also helped mentor graduate student Emma Vinall, who will go down in program history as the most successful player to every come through AU lacrosse, earning the program's first All-American honor in 2020 and breaking eight program records including career points, goals, and draw controls. Vinall closed her career with a 2022 First Team All-Patriot League selection. Eames has also seen four student-athletes named to the Second Team All-Patriot League since joining.
In the classroom, Eames has overseen the Eagles continue their success with three Academic All-Patriot League honors and a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honor.
A successful player in her own right, Eames played for Loyola Maryland from 2007-11 and graduated with degrees in writing and philosophy. During her senior season, Eames was a Second Team All-Big East selection and helped lead the Greyhounds to a Big East title and NCAA Quarterfinal appearance. She closed her career with 86 goals and 32 assists before going on to play professionally for the United Women's Lacrosse League in 2018.
Eames took the reins of the young Coast Guard program in 2016-17, only its fourth season after being elevated from Club status in 2014. She wasted little time in making an impact, building up a team that had gone 2-14 in 2016, including a second consecutive 0-8 season in the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC), to its first winning season in 2018 with a 12-7 overall record, 4-4 in the NEWMAC.
The 2018 NEWMAC Coach of the Year, Eames mentored the program's first two conference Rookies of the Year in 2018 and 2021. Her players also earned 12 NEWMAC All-Conference selections and seven NEWMAC All-Academic honors throughout her five seasons at the helm. By the close of her tenure, Eames had built an overall record of 28-34 (.452) and 11-16 (.407) in the conference.
Prior to her time at the Coast Guard Academy, Eames spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Washington and Lee University from 2012-16. With her on staff, the Generals compiled an overall record of 56-22 (.718), including 35-3 (.921) in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) with three consecutive undefeated the seasons. The squad also won four consecutive ODAC titles and made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a pair of regional semifinal qualifications in 2014 and 2015.
On an individual level, Eames helped mentor nine IWLCA All-Americans, 10 IWLCA All-Region selections, two ODAC Players of the Year, one ODAC Rookie of the Year, and 10 All-ODAC selections. She also made an impact in the classroom, with three IWLCA All-Academic honorees and one IWLCA Community Awareness Award recipient.
Along with her B.A. in writing and philosophy from Loyola (Md.), Eames also completed her M.A. in science sports management from the American Military University in 2021.
Updated: August 29, 2024
