FSU sports information:
MacKenzie Plaskey, a proven winner with program-building experience, has been hired as Florida State lacrosse’s associate head coach, FSU head coach Sara Tisdale announced Friday.
“Mac is a proven leader, coach, mentor and recruiter,” Tisdale said. “Mac’s ability to identify student-athletes that fit our athletic and academic standards will have an immediate impact on our program. As a head coach, Mac has won numerous conference titles and led her team to the NCAA Final Four. I know those experiences will help us put Florida State lacrosse on the biggest and brightest stages. Mac and I are driven by the same goals and values, and I am very excited to welcome her to Tallahassee.”
Plaskey spent the last six seasons as the head coach at Grand Valley State, compiling an overall record of 81-16 with a 38-1 mark in conference play and sweeping four consecutive GLIAC regular season and tournament championships from 2021-24. Prior to her time at GVSU, she was the first assistant hired by Tisdale at Central Michigan. In their final season together, the Chippewas won the program’s first conference championship.
Plaskey coached 10 All-Americans, 31 all-region players and 55 all-conference selections during her time at the helm of Grand Valley State. She guided GVSU to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Midwest Regional title and run to the national semifinal in 2023. The Lakers were in all 68 national top-25 rankings during her six years, with 32 top-10 rankings, and finished the season in the top 10 four times.
“I am incredibly excited to have the opportunity to help build women’s lacrosse at Florida State University,” Plaskey said. “It is an honor to work under the leadership of (Vice President and Director of Athletics) Michael Alford, (Deputy Athletics Director/SWA) Cindy Hartmann and Sara Tisdale. I loved my four years working alongside Sara at Central Michigan University and cherish the memories of accomplishing many of the program’s first milestone goals. Building a program from the ground up is a unique challenge, but I’m excited to be part of that process at Florida State and I look forward to getting started. FSU is a special place with its competitive excellence in athletics, top academics on campus, and rich traditions. I am thrilled to have the privilege to coach and develop some of the finest student-athletes in the country in such a welcoming and supportive community.”
Her 2024 team posted a 17-2 record, including a perfect 6-0 mark in conference play, to once again sweep the regular season and tournament conference titles. The Lakers led the country in scoring defense, allowing only 4.94 goals per game, and ranked 10th in the final national rankings after climbing as high as No. 5 during the season.
In 2023, Plaskey authored the deepest NCAA Tournament run in Grand Valley State history after another undefeated conference regular season and run through the conference tournament. The Lakers knocked off the region’s No. 1 seed in the first round before taking down the No. 2 seed to reach the semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament. They were No. 5 in the final rankings, setting a new program standard.
The 2022 season featured a program-record 19 wins, another perfect conference mark, and a then-program-best No. 8 final ranking. Plaskey led GVSU to 17 consecutive wins before falling to the region’s No. 1 seed in the regional final round of the NCAA Tournament. In 2021, the Lakers posted a perfect 8-0 GLIAC record to start their streak of four consecutive regular-season and conference tournament sweeps.
The 2020 season started with a 3-1 mark, including a win over No. 3-ranked Lindenwood, before the season was shut down due to the global pandemic. In her first season at the helm, Plaskey led Grand Valley State to a 14-4 mark and 10-1 record in conference play. The Lakers advanced to the championship game of the conference tournament and led the GLIAC with an average of 16.83 goals per game and 7.14 goals allowed per game.
Before being hired as the head coach at Grand Valley State, Plaskey was Tisdale’s first assistant coach hired to help start the program at Central Michigan. Plaskey was the program’s offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator while also overseeing camps and film. In 2018, only the program’s third season of NCAA competition, the Chippewas won the SoCon championship and posted the nation’s 10th-highest shooting percentage.
Plaskey also built one of the premier youth lacrosse programs in Michigan, founding Michigan Elite in 2011 and operating as its director for more than 10 years. The program grew to include 10 coaches and more than 150 athletes across seven competitive teams.
The former MacKenzie Lawler was a three-year starter at Robert Morris, where she recorded 35 goals, 21 assists, 38 ground balls, 27 draw controls and 21 turnovers caused. She earned her bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from Robert Morris in 2014 and completed her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from Central Michigan in 2018. Plaskey and her husband, Peter, married in 2024.
MacKenzie Plaskey Coaching History
August 2024- Florida State Associate Head Coach
2019-24 Grand Valley State Head Coach
2015-18 Central Michigan Assistant Coach
