This summer, Germantown Academy Director of Lacrosse and Girls Lacrosse Coach Colleen Dawson will step onto the international stage as an assistant coach for the Australian women’s national team, which will compete at the 2026 World Lacrosse Women’s Field Championship in Tokyo. The appointment places Dawson on a world-class staff guiding one of the sport’s most storied programs as it looks to return to the medal stand.

While the honor is significant, the journey that led her there is rooted in relationships and a lifelong commitment to the game.

“I’ve been connected to Australian lacrosse for a long time,” Dawson said. “So to now be on the other side of it, actually coaching, is a really unique opportunity.”

Dawson’s connection to Australia began shortly after she finished her playing career at the University of Maryland, when she moved overseas to play and coach club lacrosse alongside a former teammate. What began as a planned one-year experience quickly became something deeper.

Unlike the United States, where high school and college teams anchor the sport, Australian lacrosse is built almost entirely around club competition. Players start young, progress through age groups, and often remain involved for life.

“It’s a full family atmosphere,” Dawson said. “You play, then your kids play, and you stay connected forever.”

The environment left a lasting impression. Dawson has returned to Australia numerous times to attend senior and under-19 World Cups, support friends and former teammates, and recruit Australian student-athletes during her collegiate coaching career. Over time, the lacrosse community became something closer to a second home.

“They really just adopt you,” she said. “Into their families, into their homes. It’s special.”

The opportunity to join the national team staff came this fall, when head coach Max Madonia was appointed and reached out to Dawson about joining him for the 2026 cycle.

The two have known each other for years through the Australian lacrosse community, but their coaching partnership took shape more recently when Dawson helped coach Madonia’s club team.

“We just clicked right away,” Dawson said. “Same vision, same philosophy, same way of thinking about the game. It’s a really high-level staff, and everyone understands what it takes to compete on that stage.”

As an assistant coach, Dawson will focus primarily on offense, working closely with Madonia while supporting a staff that includes former World Cup athletes and gold medalists across multiple positions.

For Dawson, the role represents a return to the pure craft of coaching. “It’s been really reinvigorating,” she said. “I’m locked back into the details of how to make a team better and how to make players better.”

That growth, she said, will carry back to Germantown Academy, from new drills and concepts to refined approaches in communication and decision-making.

“You can always get better as a coach,” Dawson said. “Being around elite players and elite coaches helps with that.”

Beyond competition and strategy, Dawson sees the role as an opportunity to give back to a community that has played a major role in her life. “Australian lacrosse has given me so much,” she said. “It means a lot to be able to help them now.”

And while the stage may be larger, the motivation remains the same.

“It’s about the people,” Dawson said. “It’s about the game.”