Q&A with TU’s new women’s lacrosse coach
Get to know coach Kristen Carr
By Casey Bordick '18 '24 on February 29, 2024

Baltimore native Kristen “Cookie” Carr is beginning her first season as the head coach for TU’s women's lacrosse team. Carr refers to TU as a sleeping giant whose latent abilities have the potential to wake everyone in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).
Tiger women’s lacrosse has won seven CAA titles and made 11 visits to the NCAA Tournament since 2005. But the former UNC Tar Heel and gold-medal-winning defender for the U.S. Women’s National Lacrosse Team is ready to take the Tigers to the next level.
Get to know TU’s new women's lacrosse head coach.
How did you get the nickname Cookie?
I tried out for this under-10 travel soccer team and ended up making the team as a 5-year-old. My teammates started calling me a tough little cookie because I was small. But I was very aggressive and didn't want to back down, and once I finally gained some height, it just became Cookie.
As a Baltimore native, what do you like the most about living here?
I live in Baltimore City, right on the water, so I love walking on the pier and grabbing coffee. I love the convenience of living in the city. My immediate family and extended family are all around the area, so it’s great.
Lacrosse has taken you to a lot of places. Have any stuck with you?
I feel so incredibly blessed with where I've been able to go with lacrosse. Every place had its uniqueness and something very exciting about it. I played lacrosse in college at the University of North Carolina, and the Chapel Hill area is amazing in many ways. From being a part of a college town, invested in all the different sports—on a team that achieved great milestones while I was there—it was fun. Whenever I go back to Chapel Hill, it always feels like home.
What are your hobbies?
I love baking desserts, I have the biggest sweet tooth. I like to try different things: going to coffee shops, pastry shops or dinner and getting dessert.
What is your go-to coffee drink?
I have a multitude of coffee makers. I have a regular coffee pot, an AeroPress, a French press and an espresso machine. I'm really into my espresso machine right now, and I usually have three shots and a little bit of milk.
How have your experiences in lacrosse shaped you as a coach?
Looking back at my journey at UNC, in Delaware, across the country at Stanford and then back to Ohio State and Johns Hopkins, I feel like I was a part of so many incredible programs and learned from mentors that knew the game and were able to teach me and mold me to be at the helm of a program.
I love investing in something bigger than myself. As a coach, you get to do that every single day. There are 34 players on our team, here to learn, grow and continue to improve every day. I want to influence and inspire student-athletes. I want to show them what it means to be believed in and what you can do with that belief. We are working to identify as champions and what that means every single day and how we can build and string pieces together to get there.
Do you have a favorite memory from when you played?
From being a part of a team at Carolina that had never been to the national championship game to playing in Unitas Stadium and beating Maryland in overtime to send us there for the first time in program history is something that still gives me chills.
What can we expect from TU’s women’s lacrosse team?
I think every game will show something else about our team. No matter what, there is always going to be joy and competition with any opponent that you play. I'm just excited to take the field.
TU Athletics
Check out TU Athletics to view the women's lacrosse schedule and spring athletic events.