Joelle Prata is in her fourth season as an assistant women's lacrosse coach at the College of the Holy Cross in 2025. Prata is heavily involved with all facets of the program, including skill instruction, game preparation and recruiting.
In 2024, Prata helped the Crusaders to an overall record of 12-6 and a 6-3 mark in conference play. Holy Cross placed fourth in the Patriot League regular season standings, and advanced to the conference tournament semifinals. The Crusaders also set school single-season records for points (378), goals (241) and assists (137).
During the 2023 campaign, Prata helped Holy Cross finish in fifth place in the Patriot League to earn a spot in the Patriot League Tournament. The Crusaders’ fifth-place finish in the conference was their best since the 2014 season.
Prata joined the Crusaders after spending three seasons as the head women's lacrosse coach at Tusculum University in Greeneville, Tenn., where she posted an overall record of 8-21. During an abbreviated 2021 campaign, she led the Pioneers to a 1-6 record, with Juliette Cusano leading the South Atlantic Conference with an average of 7.57 draw controls per game. Previously in 2020, Prata's team went 3-3 with a 20-6 victory over No. 10 Tennessee Wesleyan, before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. In 2019, she led Tusculum to an overall mark of 4-12 and a 2-6 record in the SAC, with Cusano being named second team All-SAC after setting a school single-season record with 61 goals scored. Prior to her time as the head coach at Tusculum, Prata served as a graduate assistant coach for the Pioneers during the 2018 campaign, helping the team to a fourth-place finish in the SAC.
A native of New Bedford, Mass., Prata played collegiately at St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, N.C., for two seasons. She then transferred to Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C., starting all 32 of the team's games during her junior and senior years. Prata totaled 64 ground balls, 23 caused turnovers and 32 draw controls during her time with the Bobcats, while being selected to the Academic All-Conference Carolinas team and the Conference Carolinas Presidential Honor Roll.
Prata graduated from Lees-McRae in 2017 with a bachelor's degree in psychology, and was a member of the National College Athlete Honor Society. She went on to receive her master's degree in organizational training and performance management from Tusculum in 2021.
