Seton Hill women's lacrosse assistant Grace Cobaugh recently took part in the IWLCA Aspire Program and was a member of the Class of 2026.  Cobaugh was a member of the Elevate Cohort.  

The IWLCA Aspire Program is a professional development program designed to align with the IWLCA's vision to offer an intensive, high-quality continuing education opportunity for current assistant coaches.

Programming for the Aspire program was led by Sarah McQuade and Julie Muller from e.t.c. coaching consultants. The duo served as the lead facilitators for the second year of the program and guided two cohorts of coaches through a hybrid curriculum consisting of online courses, live webinars, in-person sessions at the 2025 IWLCA Convention, as well as individual mentoring sessions. 

"One of our organizational objectives is to support, engage, and educate our members, and the Aspire program hits that goal directly. Expanding the program in year two has allowed us to impact a greater number of coaches, and we have had nothing but positive feedback so far," said Kelly Gallagher, IWLCA President and head coach at the University of Tampa. "Sarah and Julie from e.t.c. Coaching Consultants have done a great job delivering the curriculum while also fostering a collaborative community and tailoring individual sessions to meet participants'' needs."

The IWLCA Aspire program was designed to enhance coaches' professional skills, capabilities, and self-awareness through the dynamic blended learning approach. "Participating in the Aspire program has been great for my development as a coach," said Ginnabeth Day Sheppard, an assistant coach at Berry College, who also serves as co-chair of the IWLCA's Annual Meeting Planning Committee. "I've learned a great deal about the practice of coaching and have refined what kind of coach I want to be for my players. I have also made great connections with other coaches in the program, learning from them, and expanding my own professional network."