Ottawa University

• Coach Beard is in his fourth season as head coach of the OU women's lacrosse program and first has head men's lacrosse coach
• He has an overall and OU coaching record of 15-13 and a KCAC mark of 6-2.
• Beard has coached two KCAC Offensive Players of the Year, 15 All-KCAC performers, three KCAC Scholar Athletes, one CSC Academic All-American, and one CSC Academic All-District selection.

Beard has served as the head coach of the Ottawa University women’s lacrosse team for the past four seasons, accumulating an overall coaching record of 23-22 and a conference record of 12-4. Under his leadership, the Braves have seen significant individual and team success, including two Conference Players of the Year and 21 All-Conference selections. In his first season in the Heart, Beard led the women’s lacrosse team to a third-place finish in the Heart Tournament Semifinals.

Before assuming the role of head coach for the women’s program, Beard spent three years as an assistant coach for the men’s lacrosse team, where he helped guide the Braves to a 24-21 record and a KCAC Championship in 2019. During that time, he coached nine First Team All-KCAC selections and three NAIA Second Team All-Americans. Beard’s experience as an assistant coach, paired with his impressive playing career, has given him invaluable insight into the game.

As a player, Beard was a two-time Second Team All-KCAC selection as a defender for the Braves in 2015 and 2016. In his two-year playing career, he appeared in 26 games, scooping up 55 ground balls and causing 30 turnovers. Following his playing career, Beard served as a student assistant during the 2017 season before transitioning into a graduate assistant role for the next two seasons.

Beard is an alum of Ottawa University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Studies in 2018. He later completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Ottawa University in 2020.