McKenzie RaffertyClaim this profile

Women's LacrosseMcKenzie Rafferty

Women's Lacrosse Head Coach

University of Lynchburg

5.0

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Would Recommend

Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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Believes In YouCares About AcademicsCreates A Great Team CultureDevelops Team Beyond The FieldGreat Leader

Coach Raff genuinely cares about her team and puts them first in all situations. As a parent, I don’t understand the poor ratings because we have experienced nothing but good things about her or the team. I’m so grateful for our experience with this team, I only wish we found it sooner!

2.8

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Would Recommend

Overall

3.0

Caring

3.0

Motivational

2.0

Knowledgeable

4.0

Honest

2.0

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CoolIntense

She tries her hardest to keep a thick line between your coach and friend, to where she's not even a friend. She needs to work on her scheduling a bit, most things were last minute, we never knew our schedule. We just had to get used to going with the flow and keeping our schedule clear in case of last minute changes.

1.0

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Overall

1.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

1.0

Honest

1.0

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DisorganizedPoor Communication

Abusive, hostile, racially incentive, homophobic, created a culture of hate and derision. Retaliation is a common practice by this person. Would never let this person around any athlete or child. Was fired, after extensive investigation by university and title IX office. No program at any level should allow this person to be in a situation where she is responsible for the development of other people. She is petty and small, she has a terrible lacrosse IQ. Lynchburg should have done there homework. The ssc had also received complaints about her. Coaches in her conference thought she was a joke for her lack of knowledge about the sport.

5.0

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Would Recommend

Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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KnowledgeableFairGreat LeaderPassionate About CoachingRespectful To Players

My daughter has played under Coach Rafferty for 4+ years. I believe she has developed a strong program with a very positive culture. She really cares for her players, but also makes her expectations clear and holds players accountable - and that's not for everyone. If you want to play hard, develop and compete - Coach Raff is for you!

5.0

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Would Recommend

Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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AccessibleHonestKnowledgeableMotivationalBelieves In You

The 2022-2023 women's lacrosse season was sabotaged by a few team members and their families who intentionally denied and interfered with the team's ability to participate and benefit from the program. These individuals and their families created a severely hostile environment that paralyzed the team through many ways other than making accusations of the coaches. This well known group of women bullied, intimidated, harassed, created an implicit bias, discriminated and generated an abusive environment to alter the conditions of the team, making it impossible to succeed on the field. A select FEW destroyed the team on and off the field. This is a TITLE IX VIOLATION. Since the coaches have been released, these select few have intensified the hostile environment by turning on teammates- dialing up their intimidation, bullying and harassing them. This program is not a safe, healthy and inclusive environment. These few women are advertising their agenda and damaging Florida Tech as a university. The Florida Tech Athletic Director and his staff need to thoroughly investigate and uncover the true climate of this program. There are many members of the team who enjoy with the program and yet are currently unprotected, unaccounted, unheard and unrepresented.

5.0

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5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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KnowledgeableMotivationalBelieves In YouGreat LeaderPositive Person

My daughter told me about this site and how the newly self appointed "leaders" of the team are telling the girls to come on this site and trash the coach. I am appalled! We can thank these "self appointed leaders" for causing division on the team and for destroying its culture. Coach Rafferty really helped my daughter become a better player and I know her positive influence on my daughter will last a lifetime! And, THAT is the measure of a great coach! Thank you Coach Rafferty!

1.0

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Overall

1.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

1.0

Honest

1.0

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Disorganized

Would pull her top players to put in the athletes she thought of as “less valuable” to prove what a loss is. Gave up constantly on the team. Would talk poorly about players to other players, I mean come on, if you’re still defending her it’s simply because you were the player hearing about your teammates. Give. It a break and grow up, recognizing bad coaching is a part of getting better as an athlete and it’s a shame to see people supporting her still.

3.8

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Would Recommend

Overall

4.0

Caring

4.0

Motivational

3.0

Knowledgeable

4.0

Honest

4.0

I won’t question your experience with this coach; however, it does seem like a mixed bag. What is sad and telling is that many of the negative reviews turned from coaching experience to devaluing your teammates. Suggesting their talents are less than yours, suggesting team captains are unworthy, playing the worst players on the team due to favoritism, and “…play attackers that only care about their own stats”- that’s a strong accusation. What’s this say about YOU? Remember, it’s likely that your AD, parents and teammates see your comments. YOU want a team environment, but you likely created hostility. Not a good look and unfair to your teammates.

5.0

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Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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AccessibleKnowledgeableDedicated To PlayersEasy To Get Along WithGreat Leader

Coach Rafferty has been a great Coach for our daughter throughout the time she played for her. We, as parents, trusted her with our daughter and always felt she was in good hands. We have 3 other daughters and would love for her to coach them as well!

5.0

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Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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HonestKnowledgeableBelieves In YouCares About AcademicsDedicated To Players

Coach Rafferty has grown so much over the years as she was a coach at Florida Tech. She has learned and developed a coaching style where she shows how much she cares for her athletes and their mental health. Checking in constantly and making sure everyone is doing well both academically and mentally. She is available anytime anyone needed her and had an open door policy. I would reccomend her to anyone as a coach where she has shown me as one of her athletes that she cares and wants me to grow better as a lacrosse player and a person. Throwing her athletes parties for each holiday, giving us days off when she feels that we need it, and incorporates drills in our practices that we need to work on in games. She gives us the opportunity to talk to her if we need individual feedback on our performance.

5.0

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Would Recommend

Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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KnowledgeableMotivationalGreat LeaderPositive PersonRespectful To Players

I sat in the stands and watched every game....I don't know what you people are talking about! What I do know is that parent behavior in the stands was embarrassing. You complain when Coach Rafferty makes a player change and you complain when she doesn't. You cant have it both ways. This is college lacrosse. Stop with the Mommy/Daddy ball and stop embarrassing our program with your blatant lies. All you have to do is watch the game film to see her coaching and talking to the players. I am thankful for the impact she made on my daughter and the lessons she instilled will last a life time. Thanks Coach Rafferty!

1.0

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1.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

1.0

Honest

1.0

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CoolDirectCares About AcademicsDirectDisorganizedFair

Coach raff doenst know the game of lacrosse If a lacrosse stick smacked her in the face… she is absolutely clueless, is immature and one of the most boring people I ever met. Her coaching styles are brutal playing her favorites no matter what. No in game adjustments whatsoever. Absolute garbage coach. Likes playing low comp to feel good ab herself only to get absolutely embarrassed by every team in conference . How she got this job to begin beats me man. But I wouldn’t hire her if my life depended on it.

1.0

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1.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

1.0

Honest

1.0

I mean you don’t need anything but statistics to reveal just how bad of a coach McKenzie Rafferty. She became head coach in 2019. In 2018 Florida Tech had a record of 17-3. In 2019, Florida Tech had a record of 7-9. Quite the discrepancy… Additionally, for this season and last season Coach Rafferty would only inflate her team’s statistics by playing low-level d2 teams, causing her team to get stunned in conference play with the significant increase in level of competition. Florida Tech women’s lacrosse will greatly benefit from a new head coach.

5.0

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Would Recommend

Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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KnowledgeableEasy To Get Along WithGreat LeaderRespectful To PlayersUnderstanding

What a wonderful experience my daughter has had at Florida Tech with Coach Rafferty. She is an experienced coach who has improved this team year after year. She instills accountability in each player and my daughter has thrived under her leadership. Thank you for teaching my daughter the value of hard work. As in any sport, it is the coach’s responsibility to determine playing time. It is the player’s responsibility to earn that playing time.

1.8

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Overall

2.0

Caring

2.0

Motivational

2.0

Knowledgeable

2.0

Honest

1.0

Coach Rafferty’s performance can’t NOT be defended especially with regards to in game adjustments and playing the most game ready capable athletes on the team. When a team has 5 losses ..3 in the conference where they had a scoreless quarter(s) and 3 goals in the 2nd half..and NO lineup or substitutions are made it’s on the coach..Especially when there a MULTIPLE players of superior talent sitting..The stats of conference play don’t lie..she’s leaving the program with ZERO class of 2024 verbally committed athletes..there is pattern of not replying HS players emails and calls from club recruiting coordinators from Nationally known programs.

1.2

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2.0

Caring

1.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

1.0

Honest

1.0

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DisorganizedPoor Communication

If you wanted a coach to never talk to you and only whisper and giggle about things you’re doing wrong then you’d love Coach Rafferty. Whether it was conditioning where no matter how fast you ran you were too slow or if it was at practice where she stared at you blankly without feedback, Raff was not transparent and only watched and cared for her favorites. She encouraged complacency by only playing the same girls every game no matter their mental or physical, and when the game wasn’t going our way she would fully blame the team and not implement changes when she had the chance. Overall, doesn’t show respect to her players and it shows

5.0

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5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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CoolKnowledgeablePositive Person

As a referee, I have seen Coach Rafferty coach her team in a very professional manner. She is organized, patient and responsive during games. However, some of the parents on her team have displayed horrendous behavior from the stands and it is unfortunate that the Florida Tech Athletic Department did not see fit to address their unsportsmanlike behavior. This should not be a reflection on the coach but on the administration who lets this behavior go unchecked.

5.0

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Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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KnowledgeableMotivationalBelieves In YouCreates A Great Team CultureDedicated To Players

Coach Rafferty made such a huge positive impact on my daughter’s experience at Florida Tech and improved the program overall. She gave my daughter confidence and made her a better player. She built great comradery among the team and focused her attention on improving skills both tactically and strategically. When she first got to Tech the team couldn't play a zone defense. She improved both the defense and the offense and created an environment that led the team to beating a top 10 team in the country and leading D2 schools in multiple statistical categories. Her lacrosse acumen is amazing and she makes adjustments to allow the team to be competitive in every game. She gives the players everything they need to be successful. The rest is on the player…the students of the game who are willing to learn and work hard on their craft have benefited tremendously from Coach Rafferty. Players who don’t want to learn and who don’t want to work hard should just quit…they are ruining this program.

5.0

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Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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HonestKnowledgeableMotivationalGreat LeaderKnows The Game

Best Coach I ever had! Coach Rafferty is a player's coach. She does not play favorites. She plays players who put the work into their sport. She is clear in her expectation that we hone our craft and put the work in and she gives us everything we need to improve our play. Her one on ones are amazing and can improve your game if you actually show up to them! If you don't do the work don't expect to play. It's on you.

1.4

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1.0

Caring

2.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

2.0

Honest

1.0

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Poor Communication

Very poor coach. Lacks motivational skills. Picks favorites. Laughs at players from the sideline. She needs to pursue a different career path.

2.0

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2.0

Caring

2.0

Motivational

1.0

Knowledgeable

3.0

Honest

2.0

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Fitness Is ImportantPoor Communication

As one of her previous players, I can accurately state that I did not improve throughout my entire athletic career with her as my coach. She had inappropriate relationships with fellow teammates and abused her power as a coach to put players down. Regardless of the fact that she is not a genuine person, her coaching tactics lead to numerous losing in conference seasons. She lacks feedback, positivity, and DRIVE to win.

4.8

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Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

4.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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KnowledgeableDedicated To PlayersRespectful To Players

Coach has pushed me to be the best I can be. She is always there on and off the field. She is always coaching to be the best person on and off the field

5.0

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Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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AccessibleBelieves In YouCares About AcademicsFairRespectful To Players

Coach Rafferty models the qualities that she wants to see in scholar-athletes. She listens, supports, inspires and speaks with action. She prioritizes team growth through a collaborative effort and understands that players will be successful through high character, good academics, doing good in the community and focusing on both physical and mental health.

5.0

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Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

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Cares About AcademicsDevelops Team Beyond The FieldKnows The GamePositive PersonRespectful To Players

She had such a positive impact on me. She cares about our academics and her one on one sessions are amazing! Made me a better player!

5.0

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Overall

5.0

Caring

5.0

Motivational

5.0

Knowledgeable

5.0

Honest

5.0

Tags

MotivationalBelieves In YouPositive PersonRespectful To Players

Coach Raff pushed me to be a better person on and off the field