"Gina is guilty of being too honest! She’ll tell you exactly what she thinks whether you are going to like what she has to say or not. My family has experience with other D1 - D3 coaches (basketball, football, baseball and Wlax); she is bar none one of the best. If you did not have the college lax experience you were hoping for, who is to blame? Not the coach! Not your parents! You could have worked harder, spent a little less time partying, or transferred! In today’s world transferring is so easy! Please don’t blame Gina! She is tough, honest, and knowledgeable but above all she is a Mom and treats her players like they’re all daughters. Ask some of the players who have transferred in what their previous coaches were like! How many other D1 athletes have a coach that played at the HIGHEST level, her knowledge and passion for the game shows in every thing she does. The switch to a new league has been good but the geography of it has its challenges, however it wasn’t Gina’s decision to switch but she’s doing a great job managing the change.i would chose Gina every time as a college coach. "

"Wow, where do I start, this woman ruined my life, my swimming career and my self worth as a human being. In this team under Mandy You will be mentally and psychically tortured until you feel like you have no choice but to quit the team and loose your scholarship or be scared forever. I want to warn any swimmer wanting to come here, you will be over trained by coachs who don’t know what their doing, you will be injured by strength coach’s who will train you like a body builder and then receive no support from the administration. I somehow graduated from this team and I warn anyone who wants student athlete experience and to be a better athlete and student, please for the love of God do not go here!!!"

"Hello to current and former players, parents, recruits, and anyone who is interested in the state of Cincinnati Lacrosse. My name is Jamie Redding and I am in my fifth season as an assistant under Gina and I would like to speak up and provide my perspective about her character. I would like to begin by acknowledging that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, feelings, and perspective and likewise, although not anonymously, I will be providing mine. I am speaking on the years that I have been here at UC and what I have witnessed. Yes, I have a different relationship with Gina because I was never coached by her but I have been around her more than any player or parent has, to know enough about her character as a person. I have been in the lacrosse world at the collegiate level as a player and coach almost as long as current players have been alive and through those years, I can truly say that Gina is one of the more caring coaches there is. The amount of time Gina spends meeting and having check ins, initiated both by players and herself, far surpasses what is expected of a head coach. She will stay late in the office after a full work day to go to training room doctors appointments for injured players, go to the hospital and visit athletes post op, attend multiple meetings throughout the athletic department advocating for our team and players in more ways than people know. She's added mental health check ins with our mental health specialist to ensure the players have the resources to take care of themselves on and off the field. In today's world of college athletics and the business-like direction it is going, Gina maintains a personal touch, caring about her players both as people and student athletes. I believe that is sometimes forgotten by players and parents, that she is human too and that respect at a human level is not reciprocated. Some may say Gina is a tough coach, even Gina herself has said that in recruiting meetings I have been a part of. It's all perspective. I believe the standard she holds players to and the discipline she preaches will set players up for success in the real world. She pushes players because she sees a potential in them that they may not see in themselves- because she cares. Yes, there may be a few cuss words from time to time but from my perspective it is never at someone or name calling, more so as an emphasis to get her point across. I stand by Gina, the direction she is trying to take this program, and the life lessons she is teaching along the way. At the end of the day, if Gina isn't the coach for you, that's okay too, that's the beauty of the transfer portal. There is no shame in looking out for yourself and doing what's best for you. For those of you who had made it this far, thank you for reading and I would be happy to discuss further via email. Go 'Cats"

"Too many soft kids these days. Easy to throw the coach under the bus when you don’t like the style. If that’s the case quit. She’s an excellent coach. "

"My recruiter warned me about Gina, and honestly, I should’ve listened. This program is a total joke. There are so many talented players here, but barely anyone gets the chance to actually show what they can do. Any real potential just gets buried under all the manipulation, lies, and straight-up meanness that Gina dishes out nonstop. The person you meet during recruitment is not the same person you get once you’re in the program. She’ll be super nice, funny, and promise you all kinds of amazing things—but once you’re here, you realize none of it’s true. She’s mean to everyone, no matter who you are. It doesn’t matter if you’re one of the top players or barely get any playing time—she’ll find a way to tear you down and never build you back up. There’s no real coaching, no clear feedback, no idea what’s expected of you besides “win.” When you actually ask how to improve, you get nothing. The assistant coaches are great, but they’re not used how they should be and honestly seem scared to say or do anything. I get that a D1 program is supposed to be tough, but this isn’t toughness—it’s cruelty. The athletic department just ignores it, and somehow her contract got renewed. And if you want proof, just ask anyone who was at the end-of-season meeting after the Colorado loss. She yelled and cursed at everyone—players, parents, grandparents, even little kids—and told us if we didn’t like it, we could “get the F out.” Keep it classy, Cincinnati."

"Neil Stafford is a FRAUD. He dresses like a coach. He talks like a coach. He is, however, FAR from a coach to the point it is a disgrace to the word "coach". Despite his own high self-assessment of himself, he is a failure in everything he does in this capacity. He may have inherited some decent teams in the past, or been an assistant on successful teams -but he is wholly incapable of actually coaching. He single-handedly has caused numerous girls to quit the game -and not because of a system he established (he knows close to nothing about the actual game), or because his training was too difficult (sitting around listening to him brag about himself is far from difficult) - but because he has the audacity to literally attack the heart and sole of girls' confidence. He's pathetic. I wouldn't allow him to get near my kids. He is a FRAUD. "

"Honestly, I have nothing positive to say about Alvey. It doesn’t matter how talented you are, when you come into her program favoritism will always win. Opportunities aren't given fairly and lineups are not made to win. The players who play are simply the ones she likes the most. Even if you do everything correctly (work hard, communicate, extra reps, film, ect.), like in my case, the cards are still stacked against you… you can never win and it’s defeating. Playing for her felt like being trapped with a dictator. She doesn’t care for her players and only cares about herself. To her, her players are only used scholarship money that she is able to leverage for her own glory. I am so thankful that I left her program. "

"I played lacrosse at Cincinnati for Coach Gina. I really loved my time there. My teammates were amazing—we had each others backs and built a bond on and off the field. Even with the crazy schedule, I didn’t mind the grind. That part was expected. Coach Gina definitely knows lacrosse. She played and coached at super high levels and you can tell she’s all about the sport. Her lacrosse IQ is insane, and shes really good at breaking down skills and the technical side of the game. But honestly, just because someone was a great player doesn’t always mean theyre a great coach. The biggest struggle for me was how she handled people. She was constantly tearing us down without ever really helping us build back up. It wasn’t that the expectations were too high it was the way it was communicated. There was barely any positive feedback and most of the time it felt like we were just getting criticized with no clear path to get better. It got pretty draining especially when she would say one thing and then totally change it later, like nothing happened. A lot of miscommunication and mixed messages. I just wish there was more honesty, clarity and actual support from her as the leader of the team. I get that coaching at this level is tough. D1 sports arent easy for anyone. But after all her years in the game I really expected more growth from her in how she leads people especially when shes always asking us to grow and improve too. The other coaches were honestly the ones who helped make the experience manageable. They brought some balance and actually made us feel supported. This is just me being real. I learned a lot through my time there—some of it the hard way—but Im still grateful for my teammates and everything I took from the experience to my new place in life "

"She belittles her players and plays mind games with them. There is a reason she’s been sued by former players twice."

"Molly Alvey is a nightmare. She rode the coattails of lucking out with Jordan Thompson but Jordan had natural talent, definitely not due to Alvey’s coaching. She’s tyrannical and bullies players. She’ll be nice during recruitment but be prepared to get cussed out and yelled at and have unreasonable demands made of you. She’s also been sued multiple times and where there’s smoke there’s fire. "

"Our daughter has played for Gina for 5 years. It was not an easy path with covid and injuries, but the one thing we maintained focus on for our daughter is what was she doing to be better, to get healthy, and what can she do to be a leader and contributor on the team. I think because of this Gina time and again believed in and pushed our daughter to be better, and trusted her in critical situations. It’s impossible to believe that you’ll agree with every coaching decision a coach makes…but I will say we tried our hardest to trust the woman who has played and coached at the highest levels and dedicates her life to the sport. In our book, Gina has earned that trust and respect. We found Gina not only to be a mentor for our daughter but honestly was there for her both on and off the field. If we had a family issue, we’d call Gina first so she could keep an eye out in case our daughter was having an off day, she’d have some context. She was always there for her and our family (and we dealt with some tough stuff no one should have to experience in their lifetime.) We always found Gina to be direct and fair, from the recruitment process to stepping on the field. I know not everyone perceives her that way, but honestly, our family has been involved in college sports as players and/or coaches for several decades and the current environment of entitlement and playing the victim is such a disservice to the sport and its coaches. Parents you are not preparing your kids for the real world by thinking you’re going to be able to question and undermine their future bosses. You either teach them to adapt to the situation or help them move on to a situation that is a better fit for them. Everyone has choices. Coaching at this level is not just for tailgates and funsies so parents can live vicariously, it is a business. Coaches are in the business of winning and losing, the business of developing players and people, and of generating the next leaders. That’s what Gina does. This program has improved exponentially in our time here, and the wins/losses are reflective of playing better caliber teams to continue to push and challenge the team to be better. I feel like a lot of players and parents feel like as soon as their daughter signs, their job is done and things are just handed to them. The expectations of being catered to and entitlement of playing time. When playing college sports is actually a privilege they should be working for everyday to be a part of. We had such an amazing experience for our daughter on and off the field at Cincinnati, and even with all the challenges we would 100% recommend she choose UC and play for Gina again. It was not always easy…but it was worth it and Gina was a big part of that. "

"I had the honor of being coached by GIna in my time at cincinnati. In all honesty I was not the easiest player to coach. She never gave up on me. She knew my passion for the game and never let me give anything less than my best. Heading into college I had a lot going on in my head and brought a lot of baggage with me mentally. I was a broken soul, that wore her heart on her sleeve which at times was not what was best. Gina and Shannon both guided me with tough love as well as their own actions of grace and compassion. Their knowledge of the game, passion for what they do, and true care for their players is inspiring. While I ended up transferring after my sophomore year for personal reasons, they still remained in my corner and I am glad to share a career with the both of them. They have inspired me to become a college coach and I appreciate how much they taught me about life and lacrosse. I will say, division 1 lacrosse is NO JOKE. Not many people realize how much you have to be willing to sacrifice to chase a dream. You have to be willing to run through a brick wall if your coach asks you to. That is what you sign up for. While it is a hard journey. it pays off and not only teaches you about hard work and determination. It also gives you a family that you can lean on for life. "

"Decent coach, can get carried away by the game but who does not. He is more of an old school coach "

"He is super nice in the beginning, but then his true colors show. He cannot control himself on the sideline, at times makes borderline inappropriate comments. He knows the game a bit, but treats it like men's soccer so he does everything that the Premier League teams try to do. He can be nice, but it does not last too long. I do not recommend it at all. His only objective is to collect the paycheck and thats about it. "

"Molly is an exceptional coach and cares about her players, both as athletes and human beings. She motivates young women to be the best version of themselves. Her passion and knowledge of the game is top notch. She is honest and communicates in a way that is both empathetic and inspiring."

"Now that a new year is approaching and girls are heading back to school, I have been asked more than once about Coach Gina. My experience so far has been a good experience. I find that she is direct and knowledgeable. I also believe that she has high expectations of her players. Coaching youth and working at clinics for many years I have come to realize that preparing your young adult for the leap to any college level of play is the parent's responsibility. Getting there is only a small part of it. College level play is a full-time job. I have told many parents if you get the offer, prepare your player to work just as hard to keep it each year. Coaches change, new classes come EVERY year. Coach Gina has been fair to my daughter. Of course, I get the phone calls about how unfair things are at times and we discuss why that is. I encourage my daughter to talk to the coaches, get feedback. Not always easy and I have received a few phone calls after those meetings too. I also feel that there is balance in the coaching staff. Different personalities, different views provide a good mix and options for communication. I have never questioned a coach why my child was not on the field, I never ask my daughter that question, I leave that up to her father. Motivation comes in many forms. I believe that the desire to play is enough motivation for my daughter. Coach Gina was the ONLY D1 coach that we visited with that we could be honest about what my daughter wanted to study. Most players finish 4-year degree in 4 years. UC and the coaching staff want the team to accel academically. THIS is important when that academic 5th year is really expensive. I as a parent do not always understand choices made on gameday, just like other teams. I believe that UC and Coach Gina are a good fit for my daughter's first full-time job."

"I heard the warnings, but thought it would be better than all the previous ratings here. Mandy does not understand the definition of student-athlete. She is a bully who intimidates her swimmers with threats of removing their scholarship if they don’t improve. She is not able to show care and concern for swimmers facings challenges or hardship, only cares about the “numbers”. Most swimmers quit or transfer. Not sure how she keeps attracting talented swimmers. Please do not think Mandy will change and you will have a good experience here. So unfortunate that the Athletic Department will not address this bad situation at UC."

"Our daughter’s decision to attend UC and play lacrosse for Coach Gina has proven to be one of the best decisions she has made in her young life so far. As parents we recognized years ago that her lacrosse journey would eventually end like it does for 99.9% of Women’s Lacrosse Student Athletes, but our daughter’s development and lessons learned while playing in college would last a lifetime. We have found through our own interactions with Coach Gina and with what our daughter has shared with us that Gina is extremely knowledgeable, motivational, direct and genuinely cares about all her players and the team. Coach Gina and her staff helped our daughter recover from an accident (not lacrosse related) both physically and mentally. They helped teach our daughter life long lessons like over coming adversity, working hard and setting goals so much so that by the end of her career, she was in the best shape mentally and physically that she had ever been in. If ever asked, we would absolutely recommend a young student athlete to play for Coach Gina. Gina and her staff have had a positive and profound impact on our daughters life! "

"Unfortunately being a player under Tom is anything but wonderful. To say that “if you don’t have thick skin he’s not the coach for you” is an understatement. If you enjoy being ridiculed, lied to, made fun of in front of your teammates, turned against your teammates and struggling with mental health then he is definitely the coach for you. He might have “turned the program around” but it was short lived as playing in fear is not long lasting. And neither is the human body when put through unnecessarily demanding physical conditioning that only hurt more players than helped. Physically wrestling other players on the field with no objective but to shove them out of the circle resulted in many dislocated joints and concussions. Drilling soccer balls straight into girls faces resulted in many concussions, not to mention a record of 10 concussions in one season. I have to say we did play in the SEC where soccer was kickball against most teams like arkansas and mizzou for starters, but most of those concussions were earned in practice. Most girls enter college soccer knowing it wont be easy, the training will be physically tough, sacrifices are made, but no one should ever be expected to sit silently and accept treatment like we were forced to under this man's leadership."

"This is a coach who has a very difficult time preparing her team for games and even great difficulty making any kind of adjustments during the game. She is a poor communicator and stubborn to a fault. She demonstrated favoritism and communicated with only a select few members of the team and their families. She makes empty promises and does not hold all players to the same standards. Basically lacks the integrity, intelligence and communication skills to be an effective coach. If you actually break down her coaching record her wins are against teams that have losing records. Regret my decision to play for her, but taught me so much about how I will carry myself as I move into coaching this beautiful sport . "

"How does Mandy still have a job? Mandy creates an unhealthy/toxic team environment. She hand picks her team captains based upon who will not challenge doing what is right. She encourages her students to take easy majors and defer challenging classes. She threatens removing scholarships if you do not hit your goals. She pits team members against one another. Do not consider joining this team until this coach is no longer leading the Bearcats."

"Horrible team culture, divisive, berating, has favorites, divide and conquer leadership, has been sued i court several times due to her unbearable, brutish coaching style "

"Mandy recruits team members and then disposes of them quickly instead of nurturing them and coaching them to reach their true potential. She does not care about divers! She does not care about your commitment to the school for your education despite not having a scholarship. She does not care about the athlete but only their ability to perform but doesn't help the athlete attain their potential. She creates a toxic team culture because of all of the above. In the 2023/24 season half of the team was new and many team members were cut from the roster or lost their scholarship."

"I played 4 years under Gina and wouldn't change my college experience at all. As a division 1 athlete, I expected to be pushed to my highest potential every single day and that's exactly what she did. Gina was always direct and honest when it came to playing time and performance which I appreciated and made me a better player. Yes, we had "punishment workouts" aka EIs but they were to hold us accountable for things we were supposed to do (be on time, wear the correct practice clothes that day, etc.) so when those standards weren't met, we had a consequence just as you would for anything else in life. At the same time, we were also rewarded for things and did A TON of fun activities. Red/Black days where we competed in fun activities as a team, went to Disney World, cool restaurants on the road, etc. Gina is tough and hardcore but by no means a "bully" or inconsiderate to player's feelings or health. I sustained an injury during two seasons and was never expected to play hurt, come back too early or push myself to a point of anther injury. The coaching staff, strength and conditioning staff, and athletic training staff all worked together and were all more than supportive in my recovery and getting me back on the field. I feel as a head coach, Gina's leadership is top notch and she also focused on building us as young women preparing for the real world, not just lacrosse players. As a captain, we focused a lot on leadership techniques which I have very much so taken into the professional world and has helped me greatly in my career. I give a lot of credit to Gina and UC lacrosse when it comes to my success as an adult, being able to manage my time, and navigate the real world. I would 10/10 recommend Gina as a coach and like I said, wouldn’t change my college experience at all. I could go on and on, but I think there are people who expect to have their hand held in college athletics and while Gina won’t do that, she will push you to be the best version of yourself which will get you much further in life than being coddled. "