Colleen Shearer - Lacrosse Coach - James Madison University Athletics

Colleen Shearer

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
shearecx@jmu.edu
Phone:
540-568-3618

Colleen Shearer was announced as a James Madison lacrosse assistant coach on August 17, 2022. She serves as the program's offensive coordinator and the draw controls coach while also assisting with logistic operations and travel.

Shearer helped JMU to another dominant offensive campaign in 2024, her second season as an assistant. The offense finished the year with a 15.10 scoring average, 15th in Division I. She led the Dukes to three consecutive 20-goal games for the first time in program history, and just the second time in program history in which the team has recorded three in a season overall. All four starting attackers - Kacey Knobloch (58), Katelyn Morgan (67), Maddie Epke (80) and Isabella Peterson (88) recorded at least 50 points, with Epke and Morgan setting career highs.

Epke broke the JMU single-season draw control record with a total of 178 throughout the 2024 season and set the new JMU single-game draw control record of 19 against Richmond on April 3. In addition to Epke’s success in the draw circle, Peterson recorded 89 draw controls and Ava Bleckley collected 40, helping the Dukes to a Division I ranking of 13th in draw controls per game (16.90).

Additionally, the Dukes were ranked eighth in the nation in shots on goal per game (25.00), ninth in shots per game (33.20), 11th in free position percentage (.551) and 19th in points per game (21.50) under her guidance in 2024.

In Shearer's first season as a JMU assistant, she guided the offense to a 13.36 scoring average, scoring at least 15 goals nine times. Isabella Peterson broke program records with 91 goals and 114 points while Tai Jankowski set a career season with 53 goals. All four starting attackers - Peterson (23), Jankowski (23), Maddie Epke (28) and Katelyn Morgan (35) each recorded at least 20 assists, with all setting career highs. In the draw circle, Rachel Matey (91), Peterson (90) and Epke (72) each finished top 10 in JMU single season history in draw controls and the Dukes recorded a draw control percentage of .559, 22nd in Division I.

Shearer is in her second stint on the JMU staff, having previously served as a volunteer assistant for the 2018 national championship team.

She brings a bevy of coaching experience to the Dukes, most notably serving 19 seasons as an associate head coach with Virginia from 1997-2016, before a 20th season with the Cavaliers in 2021-22. At U.Va., Shearer won the national championship in 2004 and reached the championship game six times between 1998-2007. She was named the 2010 IWLCA Assistant Coach of the Year.

Elsewhere, she was the head coach at Wagner prior to her first stint at Virginia, and at Bridgewater College during the 2017 season. She also served two season as a volunteer assistant coach at Richmond across 2019 and 2020.

In international competition, Shearer served as the Assistant General Manager for the U.S. Women's National Team from 2017-2022, helping build the U.S. roster that won the 2022 World Lacrosse Women's Championship.

Shearer was a three-time All-American with Division III Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J. She led the nation in assists in 1994 and 1995 while leading the Profs to its first NCAA championship appearance in 1995.