Experienced coach helps Sewickley Academy girls lacrosse take fast track to success

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, April 13, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Mike Scerbo recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of his hiring as Sewickley Academy’s director of athletics.

“The best part has been the people,” he said. “Everyone — faculty, staff, students and parents — have all been so warm and welcoming. There is truly a passion here for athletics, and I have been amazed at how open everyone has been.”

One of Scerbo’s first official acts after being hired was to assume the coaching duties of the girls lacrosse program.

“This season is going to be a season of growth as we are starting five girls that have never played lacrosse,” Scerbo said. “However, if we can grow, we could find ourselves in a potential playoff race. The girls are working very hard and enjoying the journey so far.”

Scerbo has an extensive background in lacrosse and has brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to Sewickley’s girls team.

He was formerly an associate athletic director for sport and facilities operations at Duquesne University. He spent 11 years coaching women’s lacrosse and seven in administration.

He played three years of college lacrosse as an attackman at Division I State University of New York at Stony Brook and ended his competitive playing days at SUNY Oswego in 1995.

Scerbo attained the Duquesne coaching position in 2005 after a four-year stint as an assistant at Ohio State where he helped guide the Buckeyes to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances and one American Lacrosse Conference title.

Prior to his move to Columbus, Ohio, Scerbo was the women’s lacrosse coach for five seasons at Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C. He coached Limestone’s first team in 1997 and developed the program to national prominence.

Scerbo was also an associate athletic director and an admissions representative at Limestone. In 2007, he was inducted into Limestone’s Hall of Fame.

Sewickley Academy’s busy AD earned the 2021-22 President’s Cup Award presented by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association. The award is given to a member of the lacrosse community who has displayed distinguished contributions to collegiate women’s lacrosse.

Scerbo left Duquesne to take over as director of athletics at Sewickley.

“The tradition and history of successful athletics is one of the reasons I looked at this position,” he said.

Scerbo already has made a substantial impact on the lacrosse program, and the players have noticed.

“Our new head coach brings an incredible amount of lacrosse experience to our young team,” said Emma Eannarino, a sophomore midfielder. “From coaching everything from D1 programs to youth travel teams, coach Scerbo has seen a lot of lacrosse and is leading our team to improve rapidly and win games.

“His organization and practice structures demonstrate his commitment and familiarity with the game, and he challenges us daily with everything from thought-provoking quotes to difficult stick moves and multi-player combinations. He has said many times that our team will be unrecognizable by the end of April, and with the progress we’ve shown in just our first four games, he’s undoubtedly right.”

Eannarino is an impact player; she comes from an athletic family. Her sister Libby was a four-sport standout in high school and currently is a freshman attacker at Vanderbilt.

Eannarino was the leading scorer on the girls basketball team this year before suffering a season-ending injury. She also was an outstanding soccer player for the Panthers.

Now she is one of the girls lacrosse team’s top offensive threats.

“Our roster is now mostly composed of underclassmen,” Eannarino said. “More than 10 new players joined our team this spring.

“Many of my teammates from the soccer team have joined us, bringing their speed and athleticism to the defensive, attacking and midfield lines. One sophomore, Mya Spadafore, even competes on the track team during the lacrosse season.”

There are 10 sophomores and five freshmen on the girls lacrosse squad, along with three seniors and two juniors.

“Our three seniors, Brooke Bussatto, Lauren Retzlaff and Jade Rychel, have done an amazing job of welcoming so many new players and leading them through the start of our season,” Eannarino said. “Along with this leadership, we also have two new coaches this year — assistant Hannah Jozwiak and coach Scerbo.”

Retzlaff moved from defense to attack this season. Rychel also plays at the attack position while Bussatto is a defensive specialist.

“We have a young and developing team,” Rychel said. “Many players are stepping into bigger roles, and we’re already seeing growth. By mid- to late season, I expect us to be playing at a much higher level.

“With a new coach bringing extensive knowledge and strategy, plus moving sections, we’re looking forward to new challenges and successes. Our focus is on improving, competing and building strong team chemistry.”

After four games, Sewickley was 2-2 with wins against North Catholic (17-6) and Franklin Regional (10-8) and losses to Mars and South Fayette. The Panthers were 1-2 in Section 2-2A.

Retzlaff and Eannarino netted three goals apiece against Franklin Regional. Retzlaff racked up seven goals versus North Catholic and Eannarino had five.

“With all this athleticism on our team, we’ve been able to compete throughout long games while also beating our opponents in races to the ball and the net,” Eannarino said. “Ultimately, I expect us to grow and improve with every game and, like coach Scerbo said, improve so greatly that we’re a totally different team by the end of the season.

“Every game is exciting and a great learning experience for the next. I expect the team to make an impressive playoff run.”

Scerbo is assisted by Hannah Joswiak, Holly Seifert and Kim Retzlaff.

Tags: Sewickley Academy