Marissa Higgins, Head Coach mchdpt@gmail.com
Coach Marissa has been involved in Florida lacrosse as a player and coach since 2003. She played high school lacrosse at Vero Beach High School, where she helped lead the team to the state championships in 2006 and 2007. She played for the NCAA and WCLA programs at the University of Florida from 2007-2011 and then in 2014 while pursuing her doctorate in physical therapy. During her playing career, she was a 4-time All American and was named Goalie of the Year for the WCLA in 2014. Marissa coached for the UF Club program from 2011-2014 and brought the team to the national championships during each of those seasons. She was an assistant coach for Florida Southern College from 2015-2019. During that time, the program won the national championship in 2016 and was the national runner up in both 2017 and 2018. She was named NCAA D2 Assistant Coach of the Year in 2016. Also, during that time, she was an assistant coach at Plant High School, where she helped the team reach the Sweet 16 in 2016 and 2017 and the Elite 8 in 2018 and 2019. In addition to coaching at Buchholz, Marissa is also an owner of Pipeline Lacrosse in Gainesville.
Bridgette Welch, Assistant Coach bcwelch9634@gmail.com
Coach Bridgette is a third year student at the University of Florida, studying event management with a minor in business administration. She was a four year starter for Woodmont High School in South Carolina, playing goalie her first two seasons and midfield her junior and senior seasons. Bridgette was a team captain for her varsity lacrosse and cross country teams during her high school career. She briefly played for the club lacrosse team at UF prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bridgette has been involved with VIVA Lacrosse since 2016, coaching and assisting with lacrosse program development domestically and internationally.
Buchholz Girls Lacrosse 