As she enters her third season with the Hokies in 2024, it is well-documented around Blacksburg and the country alike that Kristen Skiera has Virginia Tech lacrosse headed in the right direction. The program has seen an increase in wins during both seasons that the former All-American player has led Tech.
Through Skiera’s first two seasons with the Hokies, her squads have picked up three ranked wins, including victories on the road at JMU and Duke. The 2023 season saw Tech pick up its second ACC Tournament win in program history with a 12-goal triumph over Pitt before nearly pulling the upset of the year against No. 2 Syracuse in the quarterfinals.
A trio of freshmen – Sarah Gresham, Ella Rishko and Jocelyn Torres – earned conference honors at the end of their rookie seasons in 2023 for their immediate impact. Gresham set the program’s single-season draw control record with 111, which led all freshmen in NCAA DI women’s lacrosse. Rishko scored 44 goals, including an ACC record-tying seven goals in the ACC Championship first round match against Pitt. Torres started all 19 games in cage for Tech and posed the second-best goals-against-average among all freshman goalies in the country.
All three of the freshmen were invited to tryouts for the U.S. Under-20 (formerly Under-19) team following the season, following in the footsteps of Skiera, who was a member of the 2003 World Championship team.
Olivia Vergano, originally an Army commit that came to Blacksburg with Skiera, added her second national honor in her sophomore season, as she was named an honorable mention All-American by USA Lacrosse. The West Babylon, N.Y. native also earned All-ACC second team recognition and was one of five players in NCAA DI women’s lacrosse to have 50+ goals and 106+ draw controls in 2023.
The 2022 season saw graduate student Sarah Lubnow break the program record for assists, as she finished her career with 73 and departed Tech after her best statistical season, in which she scored 46 goals and 63 points to rank fifth all-time in points scored in program history.
Lubnow earned second team All-ACC honors and Olivia Vergano was an All-Freshman Team selection. Additionally, Lubnow was named an honorable mention All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine. Vergano collected IWLCA South Region Second Team honors as well as Inside Lacrosse All-American honorable mention honors.
Skiera successfully guided Army’s transition from a club team to a varsity sport in 2015 and led the team to four consecutive winning seasons. Competing in the Patriot League, the Black Knights compiled a 46-40 record at the varsity level under her leadership. She also helped the squad turn in four consecutive seasons with a winning record at home, posting a 19-6 mark at Michie Stadium from 2018-21. Skiera has developed 12 All-Patriot League performers, as well as the program’s first-ever Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Caroline Raymond.
The Black Knights boasted three first-team all-conference performers under Skiera in 2021, including Army’s all-time leading scorer, Jackie Bratton. Despite a truncated 2020 campaign, the Cadets produced a 7-0 mark to make them just one of eight NCAA Division I women’s teams to finish the year undefeated. Army ranked first in the nation in draw control percentage (.677), tied for second in fewest goals allowed per game (7.29) and ranked 15th in scoring offense with 15.29 goals per contest. The Black Knights held six of their seven opponents to single-digit goals and ranked seventh in the nation in scoring margin after outscoring the opposition by 8.0 goals per outing.
Skiera elevated the Army program to new heights in 2019. She not only guided the team to a school-best 14-5 record, but also to a third-place finish in the Patriot League standings after registering a program-best 6-3 mark in league play. Army competed in its first-ever league tournament and claimed a quarterfinal win vs. Lehigh. The 2019 season included a seven-game winning streak to start the year, as well as a program-high nine home victories.
She arrived at West Point after spending two years as an assistant coach at her alma mater under head coach Kerstin Kimel. During those two seasons, Skiera helped lead the Blue Devils to back-to-back NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearances, along with producing four Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Americans.
Before returning to Duke, Skiera served as an assistant coach at Navy for two seasons, working with Hall of Fame head coach Cindy Timchal. While in Annapolis, Skiera helped Navy to a combined 33-9 record, back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and Patriot League Championships in 2011 and 2012. She spent the 2010 season as an assistant coach with UC Davis’ women’s lacrosse program and helped dramatically increase the Aggies’ offensive production. The Aggies racked up 14.06 goals per contest in 2010 after netting 10.06 goals per game in 2009.
Prior to her time at UC Davis, Skiera worked two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Navy, aiding the Midshipmen in their transition from the club level to Division I for the 2008 campaign. In 2008, Skiera served as the co-head coach of the Dutch national women’s lacrosse team, leading the squad in the 2008 European Lacrosse Championships in Lahti, Finland.
The Ellicott City, Md. native completed an impressive four-year playing career at Duke in 2007, twice earning All-America honors and was a semifinalist for the Tewaaraton Award. She graduated as the school’s career leader in assists (116) and ranked second with 277 points. Additionally, Skiera is tied for fourth on the Blue Devils’ career goal scoring list (161). She was part of Duke squads that won four regular season ACC championships, as well as one ACC tournament title.
In January of 2018, Skiera was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter Hall of Fame. She began her stellar career at Mt. Hebron High School where she led the team to four consecutive state titles. She was named Baltimore Sun Female Athlete of the Year, twice (2002 & 2003) and was the All-Metro Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year as a senior in 2003.
Skiera married her husband, Kyle, in 2016. The couple has two daughters; Caslen and Lane.
Through Skiera’s first two seasons with the Hokies, her squads have picked up three ranked wins, including victories on the road at JMU and Duke. The 2023 season saw Tech pick up its second ACC Tournament win in program history with a 12-goal triumph over Pitt before nearly pulling the upset of the year against No. 2 Syracuse in the quarterfinals.
A trio of freshmen – Sarah Gresham, Ella Rishko and Jocelyn Torres – earned conference honors at the end of their rookie seasons in 2023 for their immediate impact. Gresham set the program’s single-season draw control record with 111, which led all freshmen in NCAA DI women’s lacrosse. Rishko scored 44 goals, including an ACC record-tying seven goals in the ACC Championship first round match against Pitt. Torres started all 19 games in cage for Tech and posed the second-best goals-against-average among all freshman goalies in the country.
All three of the freshmen were invited to tryouts for the U.S. Under-20 (formerly Under-19) team following the season, following in the footsteps of Skiera, who was a member of the 2003 World Championship team.
Olivia Vergano, originally an Army commit that came to Blacksburg with Skiera, added her second national honor in her sophomore season, as she was named an honorable mention All-American by USA Lacrosse. The West Babylon, N.Y. native also earned All-ACC second team recognition and was one of five players in NCAA DI women’s lacrosse to have 50+ goals and 106+ draw controls in 2023.
The 2022 season saw graduate student Sarah Lubnow break the program record for assists, as she finished her career with 73 and departed Tech after her best statistical season, in which she scored 46 goals and 63 points to rank fifth all-time in points scored in program history.
Lubnow earned second team All-ACC honors and Olivia Vergano was an All-Freshman Team selection. Additionally, Lubnow was named an honorable mention All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine. Vergano collected IWLCA South Region Second Team honors as well as Inside Lacrosse All-American honorable mention honors.
Skiera successfully guided Army’s transition from a club team to a varsity sport in 2015 and led the team to four consecutive winning seasons. Competing in the Patriot League, the Black Knights compiled a 46-40 record at the varsity level under her leadership. She also helped the squad turn in four consecutive seasons with a winning record at home, posting a 19-6 mark at Michie Stadium from 2018-21. Skiera has developed 12 All-Patriot League performers, as well as the program’s first-ever Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Caroline Raymond.
The Black Knights boasted three first-team all-conference performers under Skiera in 2021, including Army’s all-time leading scorer, Jackie Bratton. Despite a truncated 2020 campaign, the Cadets produced a 7-0 mark to make them just one of eight NCAA Division I women’s teams to finish the year undefeated. Army ranked first in the nation in draw control percentage (.677), tied for second in fewest goals allowed per game (7.29) and ranked 15th in scoring offense with 15.29 goals per contest. The Black Knights held six of their seven opponents to single-digit goals and ranked seventh in the nation in scoring margin after outscoring the opposition by 8.0 goals per outing.
Skiera elevated the Army program to new heights in 2019. She not only guided the team to a school-best 14-5 record, but also to a third-place finish in the Patriot League standings after registering a program-best 6-3 mark in league play. Army competed in its first-ever league tournament and claimed a quarterfinal win vs. Lehigh. The 2019 season included a seven-game winning streak to start the year, as well as a program-high nine home victories.
She arrived at West Point after spending two years as an assistant coach at her alma mater under head coach Kerstin Kimel. During those two seasons, Skiera helped lead the Blue Devils to back-to-back NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearances, along with producing four Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Americans.
Before returning to Duke, Skiera served as an assistant coach at Navy for two seasons, working with Hall of Fame head coach Cindy Timchal. While in Annapolis, Skiera helped Navy to a combined 33-9 record, back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and Patriot League Championships in 2011 and 2012. She spent the 2010 season as an assistant coach with UC Davis’ women’s lacrosse program and helped dramatically increase the Aggies’ offensive production. The Aggies racked up 14.06 goals per contest in 2010 after netting 10.06 goals per game in 2009.
Prior to her time at UC Davis, Skiera worked two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Navy, aiding the Midshipmen in their transition from the club level to Division I for the 2008 campaign. In 2008, Skiera served as the co-head coach of the Dutch national women’s lacrosse team, leading the squad in the 2008 European Lacrosse Championships in Lahti, Finland.
The Ellicott City, Md. native completed an impressive four-year playing career at Duke in 2007, twice earning All-America honors and was a semifinalist for the Tewaaraton Award. She graduated as the school’s career leader in assists (116) and ranked second with 277 points. Additionally, Skiera is tied for fourth on the Blue Devils’ career goal scoring list (161). She was part of Duke squads that won four regular season ACC championships, as well as one ACC tournament title.
In January of 2018, Skiera was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter Hall of Fame. She began her stellar career at Mt. Hebron High School where she led the team to four consecutive state titles. She was named Baltimore Sun Female Athlete of the Year, twice (2002 & 2003) and was the All-Metro Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year as a senior in 2003.
Skiera married her husband, Kyle, in 2016. The couple has two daughters; Caslen and Lane.