An alumnae of the Golden Bears, Megan Sengelmann first started playing lacrosse in 4th grade in the Upper Arlington Lacrosse Association spring league. Megan continued her love for the game and played at Upper Arlington High School under coaches Wendy Pinta and Sue Stimmel. She won two DI State Championships in 2013 and 2015 with the Bears. After graduation, Megan traveled south to continue her lacrosse career at The University of Tampa in Florida. The Tampa Womens' Lacrosse program was only in its' second year when Megan joined the team as a freshman. By her senior year, Tampa won their first Conference Championship, was ranked #5 in the country and made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Megan graduated with a Bachelors in Communications and Minor in Graphic Design.

After graduation, Megan moved back to Columbus to begin her coaching career. She has been on staff for the Golden Bears since 2020 and with the Varsity team since 2022. She won her first State Championship as Varsity Associate Head Coach in 2023.  The girls' Varsity team finished as state runner up in the title game in 2022 and 2024, where both games ended with one-goal margins.  

In the off season, Megan continues to help grow the game by coaching with the Resolute Lacrosse Club. She is excited to help all athletes reach their goals and support growing the love of lacrosse in Columbus! Megan lives in Worthington, OH with her husband DJ & loves to walk her dog Bo in her free time.

Before coming to Upper Arlington, Sue Stimmel spent 21 years coaching at the collegiate level, finishing her career with a 198-130 record. Coach Stimmel was the Head Women's Lacrosse Coach at the Ohio State University. She was Buckeye's first coach, starting the program in 1996. During her 15 year leadership, the Buckeyes became a Top 20 team, playing in one of the toughest conferences in the country. Ohio State made back-to-back NCAA appearances in 2002 and 2003. The 2003 team won the ALC Championships and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals. Stimmel was named the ALC Coach of the Year and was also honored as the IWLCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year. During her tenure, eight Buckeyes were named All-Americans and three went on to play in World Cup competitions.

Before Ohio State, Coach Stimmel coached for six years at Denison University, where she guided the Big Red to a 76-18 record. Denison won five NCAC Championships and made five NCAA appearances. Two of Stimmel's student-athletes won National Player of the Year honors. She was named the IWLCA Regional Coach of the Year in 1991, 1992, and 1994 and NCAC Coach of the Year in 1990, 1992, and 1993. In 1995 she coached the North Team in the annual Division III North/South game. Her coaching career began in 1984 when she was named an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts.She was inducted to the Dennison Hall of Fame

A native of Boyertown, PA, Stimmel is a 1984 graduate of Temple University, where she received a degree in mathematics. A four-year varsity starter and member of Temple's national championship teams in 1982 and 1984, she was named a Regional All-American in 1984 and was invited to the U.S. team tryouts. Her championship teams were inducted into the Temple University Hall of Fame in 2011. Stimmel was inducted into the Ohio Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame in 2000. She is a math teacher at Upper Arlington High School.

A standout goalkeeper at the University of North Carolina, Taylor was the 2021 National Goalkeeper of the Year, 5x ACC Conference Champion, a National Champion, and a Tewaaraton Finalist. Professionally, she competed in Athletes Unlimited, winning their individual crown in 2022 and 2023. Additionally, she competed in the inaugural debut of the Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL) with the California Palms. Taylor is also a member of Team USA, representing the country in their Field, Sixes and Box disciplines. This past September she was a member of the first ever U.S. Women’s Box National Team that took home the first Women’s Gold Medal at the World Lacrosse Box Championships.

Coach Sam graduated from New Albany High School in 2011 as a three-sport athlete, competing in ice hockey, field hockey, and lacrosse. She won two state championships (2008, 2009) and made two Final Four appearances (2010, 2011) in lacrosse. She played one year at Presbyterian College before transferring to Columbus State, where she served as a volunteer goalie coach for New Albany’s 2013 state championship team. She then transferred to Limestone University, playing lacrosse for three years and earning a Sports Management degree in 2016.

From 2011 to 2022, Samantha worked as the Ohio Goalie Coach for MFL Lacrosse. She coached at New Albany High School from 2017 to 2018, then became head coach at CSG from 2019 to 2021. In 2022, she joined Upper Arlington’s coaching staff as the Goalie Coach for all three teams.

Outside of coaching, she plays tennis with her mom in a summer league and participates in a Friday night adult ice hockey league. She lives in downtown Columbus with her husband, William McCandlish, and their four dogs—Lily, Coco, Sweety (Sweet Tea), and Coffee.

She continues to grow the game of lacrosse in the off-season with Major Force Lacrosse Club. She has been a part of the Columbus Ohio MFL coaching staff since 2012.

Meet Grace Dower, a volunteer assistant coach for all teams!

Grace grew up playing lacrosse as an attacker in Skaneateles, NY, winning 3 sectional championships and 1 state championship. She committed to play lacrosse at Ohio State University where she played for 2 years before transitioning into a coach at Upper Arlington.

Riley Kuehn was born and raised in Upper Arlington and graduated from Upper Arlington High School in 2020. She began playing lacrosse in 3rd grade with UALA and went on to play for the Golden Bears and Lucky Lax Lacrosse Club. As a member of the Upper Arlington high school team, she won three consecutive State Championships in the 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons under the leadership of coaches Wendy Pinta and Sue Stimmel. She was named a captain for her senior season before it was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

After graduation, she continued her lacrosse career at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. In her junior season, she was named as a part of the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll. During college summers, she began coaching at the club level and discovered her passion for working with younger players. After graduating with a degree in International Business and Management she moved back to Columbus to start working full time and is eager to return to Upper Arlington to share her love for the game with the next generation of Golden Bears!

Coach Becca brings a wealth of experience and passion to the Upper Arlington Lacrosse Program. Growing up in Hilliard, Ohio, Becca honed her lacrosse skills at Hilliard Darby High School and with the Northstar Club Lacrosse Team. She was a multi-sport athlete, playing in both soccer and lacrosse at Walsh University (GLIAC), where she played for four years and earned Defensive MVP honors in her junior and senior seasons.

After college, Becca began her coaching career as the Varsity Assistant at Walled Lake Northern High School in Commerce Township, Michigan, a role she held for six years. She then joined Coach Sam at CSG, where she spent two years further developing her coaching style and building strong relationships with players. Following that, she stepped into the role of Varsity Head Coach at Bishop Hartley, successfully leading the lacrosse program before joining Upper Arlington in the fall of 2023.

Now in her second year with the program, Coach Bernhard is dedicated to fostering a love of the game and a thirst for success, both on and off the field. Her coaching philosophy centers on promoting self-confidence, grit, and perseverance, helping each athlete become the best version of themselves. She values the opportunity to connect with her players, building a program rooted in teamwork, determination, and personal growth.