Buffalo Wild Wings April 2017 Coach of the Month: Mary Hain, Western Girls Lacrosse

Mary Hain, who coached the Western High School girls lacrosse team in Baltimore City to an 8-2 record during the regular season, is the County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month for April!

Coach Hain has coached lacrosse since 1984. She had stints at Friends School of Baltimore and Roland Park Country School before coming to Western, where she's been head coach for eight seasons.

Coach Hain has turned the Doves into a consistent contender, with Western finishing second place in Baltimore City in all of her seasons in charge. She works at the school as a Physical Education Instructor.

"I've always loved teaching others who don't know how to play a sport. That's something that's been very important to me," Coach Hain said. "My mother found a letter I wrote in the third grade that said I wanted to become a physical education teacher and a coach - she saved it for me, so it's cool to see how long I've wanted to do this."

Being at Western, which Coach Hain referred to as a breath of fresh air, certainly gives her the chance to introduce girls to a new sport. Coach Hain says a lot of the girls she gets have never played lacrosse prior to attending the school, which means teaching the fundamentals is a big part of the job.

Watching her players' progress is one of the biggest thrills of the job for Coach Hain.

"I love coaching when I see the improvement, and they're smiling and enjoying themselves," Coach Hain. "To me, that is the most fulfillment I can get from my players."

Nowhere was that more apparent than this season's group on defense. The Doves had to learn a zone defense, and after tirelessly working at it throughout the first half of the season, it clicked.

"They perfected it midway through the season and it really paid off the last two games we played," Coach Hain said. "We kept our game against City real close, and we actually beat Poly because of our zone."

Another aspect of Western's campaign that made it particularly special was the season sweep over the Doves' main rival, Poly. The two schools share a campus, meaning the two teams regularly practice next to each other. It's the first time the Doves have swept Poly during Coach Hain's tenure.

It's when talking to her players that the impact Coach Hain has becomes apparent. To them, she's done a great job of challenging her players, but also being approachable.

"She's definitely demanding on game day because she knows what we have in us, and she wants to pull that out," senior goalkeeper Randi Vereen said. "Off the field she's a mother figure. Coach Hain has built up my confidence as a girl. I can come to her with personal problems and know she'll be supportive. She's a coach and a friend - we get the best of both worlds."

For being named County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of the Month, Coach Hain received a gift certificate, sauces and a hat from Buffalo Wild Wings, as well as a County Sports Zone t-shirt.

If you'd like to make a nomination for next month's County Sports Zone/Buffalo Wild Wings Coach of The Month, click here.

Congratulations to Coach Hain!