NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. -- Announced by the IWLCA, Amherst College women's lacrosse assistant coach Erica Erb is one of 17 assistant and associate head coaches between all NCAA divisions graduating from the inaugural IWLCA Aspire Program. This newly created professional development program targeted growing both the personal and professional elements of coaching in an intensive nine-month course.

Approved by the Board of Directors in June of 2024, programming for Aspire was led by Sarah McQuade and Julie Muller from e.t.c. coaching consultants. The duo served as the lead facilitators and guided the initial cohort of 17 coaches through a hybrid curriculum consisting of online courses, live webinars, in-person sessions at the 2024 IWLCA Convention, and individual mentoring session throughout the academic year. The goal of the Aspire program aimed to enhance coaches' professional knowledge, harness personal reflective practices and build on the critical interpersonal skills needed to thrive in collegiate coaching.