William Mraz was named the 10th head coach in Nichols College women's lacrosse program history on October 1st, 2019.
In 2025 his sixth season at the helm, the Bison continued to thrive under Mraz' tutelage, with the program enjoying its winningest season of all-time. The team posted a 13-4-1 overall record, which included five victories over conference opponents, securing a berth into the 2025 Conference of New England (CNE) Tournament. In the quarterfinals, the Bison claimed their first-ever postseason victory, dispatching the University of New England at home in overtime, 14-13 on Vendetti Field. In addition to their record 13 wins, Mraz coached the Bison to new program highs for single-season assists (88), caused turnovers (214) and free-position goals (62), and five players garnered All-CNE recognition including First Team selections Seniors Hadley Houghton and McKenzie Muir, repeat honoree Junior Emma Patton, and first-time recognition for Junior Briar Slattery and First-Year Sienna Reeves.
Across his six seasons on The Hill, and has mentored seven total All-CCC/All-CNE players, including a trio who have received postseason honors multiple times in that span. He also boasts a 46-31-1 overall record, and is the program's all-time leader in coaching wins.
Mraz, as well as coaching the Bison, also currently serves as the head coach for the Haudenosaunee Nationals Lacrosse Organization Women's U20 Team.
A veteran of more than 30 years of coaching at both the collegiate and international levels, Mraz is currently the Haudenosaunee Nationals Women’s U20 head coach. He served as the head coach of the Czech Republic Women’s National Team from 2016-2020. He guided them to a tenth-place finish in the World Cup in 2017, making them automatic qualifiers for the next World Cup, and a fourth-place finish at the 2019 European Cup. The team set European Cup records for most goals scored and fewest goals allowed, and were invited by the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) to compete at the 2021 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama.
Mraz – who served two stints as the head coach of the Fairfield University women’s club lacrosse program (2012-16; 2018-19) – spent the 2017-18 school year as an assistant coach at William & Mary, which is a member of the Colonial Athletic Conference (CAA). He worked directly with the Tribe goalkeepers and was instrumental in the development of both offensive and defensive game strategies while heading up recruiting and practice planning. Mraz saw two student-athletes earn CCC Rookie of the Week honors while another earned Defensive Player of the Week accolades, and a fourth received All-Rookie Team honors.
As the head coach of Maine Maritime in 2016-17, Mraz helped the Mariners establishes a single-season program record for wins as they advanced to the semifinals of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) for the first time in school history. Maine Maritime set a total of 34 school records during his time as head coach, and the team earned International Women’s Lacrosse Coaching Association (IWLCA)/Zag Sports Academic Honors.
Mraz began his collegiate coaching career in 1993 as an assistant with the DI men’s lacrosse program at Fairfield University. In four seasons with the Stags, Mraz helped the program record their first winning record in 1996 and advance to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) playoffs. He then returned to the collegiate ranks – albeit on the women’s side – in 2014 when he joined the University of Bridgeport. He spent two seasons with the Purple Knights, helping them win a program-record 12 games in 2015 while establishing school records for both goals/game (12.94) and goals against average (GAA) (7.53).
Mraz co-founded the Wakemans; Boys and Girls Lacrosse Club in 1988 and worked as head coach of their Girls Elite Travel Teams until 2016. Mraz saw participation grow from 45 to over 800 boys and girls during that span.
A 1973 graduate of Fairfield University, Mraz was a two-sport athlete and captain of the men's lacrosse team. In addition to being inducted into both the Staples High School and Fairfield University Athletics Hall of Fame for his success in lacrosse (1999), he received the 2016 Fairfield University Founders Award for his 'Outstanding Contribution and Dedicated Service to the Sport of Lacrosse.’
Career record at Nichols
|
W |
L |
T |
| 2020 |
0 |
2 |
|
| 2021 |
0 |
5 |
|
| 2022 |
11 |
7 |
|
| 2023 |
10 |
7 |
|
| 2024 |
12 |
6 |
|
| 2025 |
14 |
4 |
1 |
| Total |
47 |
30 |
1 |
