Katrina Silva enters her sixth season as head coach as well as her 12th year with the Robert Morris women’s lacrosse program.
Silva was named head coach prior to the start of the 2018 slate, after working as an assistant for five seasons (2013-2017). She also served as a volunteer assistant with the program during the 2012 campaign.
RMU qualified for the Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament in seven of the nine years Silva has been on staff before the Colonials joined the Mid-American Conference (MAC) prior to the 2021 season.
Under Silva’s guidance, the Colonials captured the 2021 MAC Championship in their first season in the conference. They posted a 14-3 overall record behind a perfect 10-0 mark in league play, while appearing in their first ever NCAA Tournament. RMU's 14 wins set a single-season program record and also going undefeated in conference play for the first time in program history. The Colonials led the NCAA in ground balls per-game (26.12), ranked second in caused turnovers per-game (12.88) and third in assists per-game (9.00) during their championship run.
In route to their MAC Tournament title in 2021, Silva produced 10 members who earned all-conference honors (six First-Team, four Second-Team), while earning herself Coach of the Year accolades. It was her first ever Coach of the Year honor since taking over the helm of the Colonials. Katelyn Miller took home Goalkeeper of the Year and First-Team honors, while Shea McArdle earned Defensive player of the year and First-Team accolades.
Since joining the MAC, the Colonials have made two consecutive MAC Tournament title game appearances. The Colonials registered an 8-2 mark in league play during 2022, while earning a spot in the championship game. Under Silva, Jamie Keller was named Goalkeeper of the Year by the MAC, while Madison Griffin collected the Defender of the Year title. Jenna Irwin, Keller and Griffin all earned a place on the All-MAC First Team. Additionally, juniors Colleen Tifft, Jordan Anderson and Jerica Obee all made it on the All-MAC Second-Team.
During her four years as the head coach at Virginia Tech, Silva helped guide the program to four straight Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament appearances and led the program to its first ever win in ACC play.
Before her time at Virginia Tech, Silva served as the head coach at Colgate University for seven seasons. During her tenure with the Raiders, Silva led the team to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, two Patriot League Tournament titles, and three Patriot League Regular Season championships. She was named Patriot League Coach of the Year twice and produced four Regional All-Americans under her watch.
Silva got her start as a head coach at Roanoke College, coaching both the women’s lacrosse and field hockey teams. She led both teams to winning records during her tenure and even led the women’s lacrosse team to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Tournament in 1997. She held multiple assistant coach positions before her start at Roanoke College, including stops at Virginia Tech, Colgate University, and Goucher College.
Silva is a 1993 graduate of Towson University with a bachelor's degree in physical education studies, and a minor in psychology. A three-year letter winner with the Tigers, Silva served as the starting goaltender for their nationally ranked team. She still sits in the top-10 of the record books for career saves and save percentage.
In addition to her years as the lacrosse goaltender, Silva also was a four-year letter winner for the school’s field hockey team. In her field hockey career, Silva was named the Southeast Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1993.
