ACCOUNTABILITY: A Conversation with Nicole Hinkle
2/23/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
MILLERSVILLE, Pa. --- Whether it is on the field or in the classroom, the culture of Millersville women's lacrosse hangs on one word: accountability.
For Head Coach Nicole Hinkle, the transition to head coach of the Marauders has been seamless. Hinkle said, A lot of what I ask from the players, they already are asking of themselves... It makes it easier to coach them when they have that internally, and I am not the driving force behind that accountability. It is not shocking that accountability comes naturally to this group of lacrosse players, as it has been the standard of this program.
The Marauders are coming off an 11-7 season where they went toe-to-toe with national powerhouse East Stroudsburg in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Playoffs. Millersville also produced four All-PSAC Team selections last year; of the four, only Katlyn Krebs and Mary Moraca return for their senior seasons and look to build off a strong 2024–2025 campaign. In addition to their PSAC honors, both Krebs and Moraca were named to All-Atlantic Region Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) teams. In her 2024–2025 season, Krebs was second on the team in caused turnovers (27) and draw controls (57). Moraca, who impacts the game offensively, is the only returning player who ranked in the top five in scoring last year. Moraca recorded 43 points from 30 goals and had an astounding 111 draw controls in her junior season. They also serve as the two captains of this Marauders group, looking to lead their team to PSAC glory against a very top-heavy conference that includes West Chester and East Stroudsburg, both of whom made the national tournament last year.
Outside of Krebs and Moraca, the Marauders return a host of players who played significant roles last season and will look to emerge to make a significant impact. KC O'Neill, who started every game for the Marauders between the pipes, returns for her junior year following a season where she faced over 400 shots and ended the year with a 41.3% save percentage. Hailey Jordan, who was fourth on the team in caused turnovers with 16, looks to impose her defensive dominance with Krebs as her running mate, anchoring the Marauders' defense. On the offensive side of the ball, Kayleigh Dunn, who was sixth on the team with 29 total points, will look to fill the void left by the four seniors ahead of her on the team leaders list.
As far as the on-field product goes, the Marauders strive to reshape the brand of lacrosse they will play this year, which can be summed up in one word: pressure. This includes pressuring opponents to make decisions, pressuring oneself to be better, and pressuring teammates to hold each other accountable. When asked about how this will translate to the field, Coach Hinkle said, We want to make them feel confident to play fast and ultimately have trust from coach to player and player to player out there. Trust between players is the key. Allowing each other to trust that the person to the right or left has their back at all times is what makes a team dangerous.
In her first year with the Marauders, Coach Hinkle will look to build off last year's PSAC playoff appearance and make waves in a PSAC Eastern Division that has the Marauders listed as the fourth-best team behind West Chester, East Stroudsburg, and Kutztown. Regarding her expectations, Coach Hinkle said, We want to build successfully throughout the spring... we prepare for our conference games with these non-conference games at the beginning of the season, and if we play hard for a full 60 minutes, that's what I see as success. There is a lot that can be taken away from a loss that can turn it into a win down the stretch when we dive deep into film and we learn after.
The Marauders open up their season this Wednesday, February 25, against Wilmington University at 3:00 p.m.
