Head Coach Laura Cook has built the Sacred Heart women's lacrosse program into one of the top-teams year in and year out in the Northeast Conference. Cook is entering her 10th year on the Pioneer sidelines after guiding Sacred Heart to their first-ever NEC title last season. Having directed her teams to an 85-65 record at SHU, Cook has the Pioneers positioned to once again threaten for a conference title and trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The Pioneers posted a school record 12 wins and 7-1 NEC mark in 2008 on the road to their run through the NEC Playoffs and appearance in the NCAA Play-In game. SHU made their third-straight trip to the NEC Tournament and their sixth under Coach Cook, beating Monmouth in the semifinals, 12-11, and rival Quinnipiac, 15-14, for the program's first-ever title.

ook has guided the Pioneers to five 10 win seasons in the past eight years (2008, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2001). Her best coaching performance arguably came in 2006 when SHU battled back from a 0-7 start to rattle off seven wins in the final nine games of the regular season, including five-straight. The Pioneers finished with a school record 7-1 mark in NEC play, earning the second seed in the tournament and advancing to the NEC Championship game, a feat that earned Cook the 2006 NEC Coach of the Year award.

The Pioneers have had 27 All-Northeast Conference players under Coach Cook with returnees, seniors Mary Montesarchio and Amanda Williams and junior Carissa Hauser earning spots last season. Joanne Montesarchio finished a stellar career in 2005 under Cook, scoring 157 points in four years, the most all-time in the Division I era. Goalkeeper Ginny Capicchioni, a three-time All-NEC player, played for the coach in 2000 and 2001 and became the first female goalkeeper in the National Lacrosse League when she played in a preseason game for the New Jersey Storm in 2002.

The Media, Pennsylvania native came to Sacred Heart after a standout playing career at the University of Massachusetts, where she graduated in 1999 with a degree in exercise science. She was a four-year starter at UMass and ranks among the program's top ten in scoring, goals and assists.

During her senior season, she was named co-captain and was a preseason All-Atlantic 10 selection. She was also named to the 1999 A-10 Championship tournament team, 1999 Northeast Regional All-American and placed on the 1999 IWCLA Academic All-American team.

Cook and her husband Andy currently reside in Fairfield, CT.