Lasell alumni return to coach the next generation of Laser athletes playing baseball, lacrosse, softball, and volleyball
By Samantha Mocle
Since 2020, four Lasers have returned to their alma mater to coach the next generation of Lasell athletes. All former players for the teams they now oversee, these leaders are eager to motivate their players and impart life lessons to carry beyond their playing careers.
Uberti was a four-year player and two-year co-captain of the Lasers baseball team. He earned All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) postseason honors in his junior and senior years. In 2019, he returned to Lasell as the full-time head baseball coach and athletic recruitment coordinator for undergraduate admission.
“This was always part of my plan,” he says. “I believe that the characteristics learned in athletic competition directly translate to everyday life, and I became a coach to help young men develop into professionals who make a positive impact on society.”
Doing so at his alma mater, he says, is a privilege. “It’s very special. I am motivated to take the baseball program to new heights and provide my athletes with a great experience.”
"Coaching at Lasell is very special. I am motivated to take the baseball program to new heights and provide my athletes with a great experience."
Wuorio competed from 2010 through 2014 and was a two-time All-New England selection by the Eastern College Athletic Conference. She coached at the varsity level at Newton South High School until 2021, when she received the offer to work at her collegiate alma mater.
“Deep down, I think I always knew that returning to Lasell would be part of the plan,” she says.
She credits her coaches, Cait Connolly and Adam Green, as inspiration.
“They were both firm but rewarding, and that’s how I desire to coach,” she says. “As a former athlete, I learned the value of hard work, dedication, teamwork, friendship, perseverance … the list goes on. I want my girls to be overall better people from playing lacrosse at Lasell.”
"Deep down, I think I always knew that returning to Lasell would be part of the plan."
Woodside played for the Lasers in 2004 and 2005, returning more than a decade later as head coach for her former squad. After graduation, she pursued a career in forensic criminology but opted to shift her focus after having her first child.
“I wanted a job where I could be a mom and still do what I loved, so I applied for a coaching position at my local high school,” she says.
Returning to Lasell in 2020 felt particularly special, as she left softball for personal reasons in her junior year. “I always felt like I had unfinished business,” she says.
She draws inspiration from former coaches — most notably her father.
“My dad was my first coach, and his approach was to demonstrate your own love of the sport. I hope that is something I bring every day, showing my players how much I love softball.”
"I hope that is something I bring every day, showing my players how much I love softball."
Throughout his life, Vautrin has been drawn to teaching, medical science, and sports. Coaching, therefore, was always
part of his career plan.
“It’s a great balance of those passions,” he says. He returned to Lasell as a coach in 2020 as a way to give back to the community. “My time as a student-athlete was enjoyable, but a bit neglected. The opportunity to come back and help the volleyball program grow to its potential was something I felt I had to do.”
As a leader, Vautrin draws inspiration from Olympian Kevin Wong, under whom he worked for a short time.
“The way he cared about his athletes and community is something I try to embody in my programs,” he says. “I hope that my teams enjoy playing the sport they love, and that they grow together as individuals, teammates, and friends.”
"I hope that my teams enjoy playing the sport they love, and that they grow together as individuals, teammates, and friends."