Brian Reese leaves No. 1 Maryvale Prep lacrosse, cites lack of support from administration
By Michael Howes
UPDATED: May 25, 2026 at 4:05 PM ET
The coach who led a program to back-to-back IAAM girls’ lacrosse titles and a No. 1 national ranking this season is departing, saying the school has not done enough to support the program.
Brian Reese will not return as Maryvale Prep’s lacrosse coach next season, he told The Baltimore Sun on Sunday.
Reese leaves after five seasons with a 75-17 record, two consecutive Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championships and a perfect 18-0 finish this spring. The titles were Maryvale’s first since 2002, ending a championship drought that had stretched more than two decades.
Reese said his decision stemmed from growing frustrations with the school’s administration, which he said created increasing resistance toward the girls lacrosse program and made it difficult for him to continue coaching.
“My decision to step away from Maryvale has nothing to do with the players, their families or my daughter graduating,” Reese told The Sun. “The president and athletic director who hired me five years ago are no longer in their roles, and I simply haven’t felt the same level of support from the new administration. It eventually became too difficult and unenjoyable for me to continue doing my job effectively, and I left when my contract was over.”
Reese had also previously worked full-time at Maryvale in other athletic department roles, first as assistant athletic director after his 2021 hiring under athletic director Terri Moeser and School President Tracey Ford, and later as director of athletic operations. He was only the girls lacrosse coach this past season.
Current Maryvale President Malika DeLancey started in July 2023 after Reese was hired and announced earlier this year that she would conclude her tenure at the end of the 2026-27 school year. Telia Marks, who served as athletic director and basketball coach beginning in the 2024-25 school year, also left her role during Reese’s final season. Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts has since hired her.
Reese, who had told the Baltimore County school ahead of the season that he would not return, said the prep academy denied some initiatives that had previously been allowed, including bringing in guest speakers to discuss topics such as mental health and nutrition. Reese said those events were paid for through team fundraising efforts. Routine requests, he said, became “a battle for everything.”
Maryvale said it is “extremely supportive” of student-athletes in a statement to The Sun, noting 85% of students participate in athletics, and said the school has schoolwide mental health resources for all students. The school also said it “celebrates lacrosse” and is dedicated to athletics, arts, academics, leadership and service.
“This is disappointing at a time when we should be celebrating the lacrosse team’s championship season,” Maryvale’s director of communications and marketing, Erin MacPherson, said in a statement Sunday.
The coach also said comments from administrators regarding the lacrosse program frustrated him, including sentiments that Maryvale was “not going to be a lacrosse school.”
Reese said he never expected lacrosse to be prioritized over other sports, but believed the program’s success benefited the school broadly because many of the players also competed in multiple sports.
The concerns extended beyond Reese. In a December 2025 email obtained by The Sun, a group identifying itself as “Concerned Maryvale Parents” wrote to Maryvale leadership and members of the board of trustees asking for “clarity and reassurance” that student-athletes and programs were being supported in a “fair and consistent manner.”
“Some parents and students have heard remarks and observed decisions that have created a sense of uncertainty about the level of support for lacrosse and about the overall consistency in how athletic programs are being guided,” the email read. “Comments about resource allocation, expectations for multi-sport athletes, and adjustments to the Athletic Director’s coaching duties have left many in the community unsure of what to expect moving forward.”
”They also wrote that Reese’s leadership, professionalism and the stability of the program were meaningful to families and had played a significant role in their commitment to Maryvale.
An anonymous parent said the message sent to school leadership and the board on behalf of the lacrosse community was never formally addressed through either a meeting or a board response.
Maryvale disagrees with Reese’s suggestion that there’s a lack of support for the lacrosse team.
“Brian Reese previously twice resigned from full-time positions at Maryvale, and this year shared he was not going to come back as a coach,” MacPherson’s statement said. “We took him at his word, respected his decision, and began the search for a new lacrosse coach. Our goal in the search process is to identify a coach who would model professionalism and provide consistency in the program.”
MacPherson later clarified that Reese first resigned by text message in May 2023 as assistant athletic director and lacrosse coach under the previous administration. Maryvale administration then spoke with him about staying and revised his job description, leading to the director of athletic operations title, she said.
Reese disputes that there was a formal resignation attempt in 2023. Maryvale maintains that Reese attempted to resign in 2023 before the two sides agreed to a change in title and responsibilities.
Reese later resigned as director of athletic operations by email, and his last day in that role was in October 2024, MacPherson said. Reese confirmed the resignation. He stayed on as lacrosse coach for the 2025 and 2026 seasons, telling families in January that the 2026 season would be his last at Maryvale.