Three people received the same call. Three people gave the same response.
When Jake Richard, Mason Woodward and Andrew Smistad were asked if they would accept a Marquette men’s lacrosse coaching position, not a single one of them hesitated to say, “Yes.”
But what makes this group so special isn’t just that they all had the same response to the call — their connection runs deeper.
These three coaches, out of the four on the Golden Eagles’ coaching staff, once wore jerseys with “Marquette” striped across their chests. They know what it is like to play at Valley Fields. Together, the three of them are in a position to bring a shared experience back to the program that once shaped them.
“We are all passionate about Marquette because it allowed us to push ourselves and support us in all the right ways,” head coach Richard said. “We stick around because we believe in the Marquette mission.”
Richard got his coaching call back in 2016, just shortly after walking the stage at graduation. From 2017 until last season, he served as the program’s assistant coach/defensive coordinator. After former head coach Andrew Stimmel left the program, Richard was called up to the head coaching position.
Aside from his gold medalist title, Richard was a two-time team captain during his Marquette playing career and led the Golden Eagles to their first Big East title and NCAA Championship appearance in 2016. Richard was drafted in 2016 to the Major Lacrosse League before joining the PLL in 2019.
“Jake always had his head on pretty straight and knew what he wanted,” offensive coordinator Smistad said.
Smistad would know, as he was in his final year as a Golden Eagles when Richard was in his first during the 2013 season.
“As a player, he was more of a mentor than anything,” Richard said. “He was great at being one of the guys, bringing levity to situations, but also really great at accountability and authority when it was necessary.”
Smistad got his call over FaceTime this past summer. It was Richard — his old teammate — on the other end who said he’d hope to have Smistad come back to Marquette and coordinate the Golden Eagles’ attack.
Smistad served as the first team captain during Marquette’s first two seasons of intercollegiate competition (2013-14). He was selected 54th overall by the Calgary Roughnecks in the 2014 NLL Draft, becoming just the second player in Marquette lacrosse history to be drafted professionally at the time.
Even though he always thought he would coach, the former midfielder never thought it would be at his old stomping grounds.
“For him coming back for a year, having [been] away from Marquette for 10 years, it’s pretty cool to see,” assistant coach Woodward said. “[It allows you] to step back and be like, ‘Wow, this place (Marquette) is really truly special.’”
Woodward said he’s taken that feeling for granted sincebeing part of the Marquette lacrosse program for over seven years.
He received his call from Richard in 2024 as well, which was especially unique considering it was Richard who had recruited him in his sophomore year of high school.
“He (Richard) is the reason that I’m here, well, because he recruited me, but also [because of] the type of person and coach he was to me and for this Marquette program,” Woodward said. “It’s really easy coming to work when he’s your boss.”
Woodward was the first Marquette player selected in the first round of the Premier Lacrosse League College Draft in 2024. The four-time USILA All-American recorded a program-record 265 ground balls and ranks second in program history with 84 caused turnovers.
“Mason being an elite player has just had a super high level of credibility when it comes to talking to our guys because he’s only a few years removed,” Richard said. “And they all got to see his excellence up close and personal.”
The three former players all bring different coaching perspectives to the team.
Woodward said Richard, ever the head coach, “demands a level of excellence.” Smistad said the young Woodward brings a level of “maturity” and “detail.” Richard said Smistad brings the humor, and Woodward noted his compassion and role as the team’s “head chef.”
Together, they all have the emotional intelligence to reach their players when and wherever.
“I trust their people skills,” Richard said.
The three may have come to Milwaukee to play lacrosse, but this move wasn’t anywhere close to home for them. Smistad hails from Calgary, Alberta, just over 1,600 miles northwest of Marquette’s campus. Woodward is a native of Towson, Maryland, and Richard, whose hometown is also out east, comes from just outside Philadelphia.
What makes these three so unique, what makes them keep coming back and what makes them want to see their alma mater succeed is Marquette itself. The university, what it embodies, what it teaches students and, most importantly, what it taught them.
“It just speaks to the experience that you have at Marquette, our belief in this program and our desire to continue the experience and to bring success to the school,” Richard said. “We just all are really grateful for what the university has provided for us and we aim to give back as much as we can.”
It’s why all three answered the call with an immediate “Yes.”
This article was written by Raquel Ruiz. She can be reached at raquel.ruiz@marquette.edu or on Twitter/X @RaquelRuizMU.