Meet Brad Hillard, Michigan State University Women’s Lacrosse Coach and this week’s GLAMoms Meet a Dad! As a dedicated coach, Brad brings passion and leadership to the field, guiding his team with a spirit of determination and teamwork. Off the field, he’s a proud dad balancing the demands of collegiate sports with family life – and rumor has it, a University of Michigan fan?!?!
GLAMoms recently visited an indoor January practice with Brad and the team! What a driven group of women with dedicated coaches!
Join us as we dive into Brad’s insights on coaching, fatherhood, and how he navigates the challenges and triumphs of both worlds.
Welcome to Greater Lansing Area Moms, Brad!
Welcome Brad, please introduce yourself!
Hi, I’m Brad Hillard. I’m from Dewitt, MI. I went to high school in Eaton Rapids, MI and college at Lansing Community College.
I am a student of athletics. My wife and I used to own Lake State CrossFit for several years and helped countless people learn the importance of self care, nutrition and fitness. We love to coach. I am a servant of my people and I am thankful I get to do what I do.
I started coaching my daughter in 2016 when she was just 10 years old. I followed her all the way through high school and still coach the girls at Dewitt High School.
I love to workout, play pickleball (new to me in 2024), spend time with the fam and coach women’s lacrosse!
How old are your kids?
My daughter just turned 18 and is a Freshman at Hope College, and my son is 15 and a Sophomore at Dewitt High School.
What do you think is one of the best parts about being a dad?
Teaching them to be a good person. Watching them experience life as it comes to them. Loving them passionately.
How did you meet your wife? And what is an area date night favorite:
We met when she was working at a restaurant and I asked her out. A night out for us would probably be playing pickleball with friends for hours
What is a piece of advice for new dads you wish you would have known when you were a new dad?
Enjoy it while they are little, that’s the easy part. Let them experience and try all the things they wish!
Please tell us more about the MSU Women’s Lacrosse Program!
This coming spring, my team will be in its inaugural season. First ever division 2 club women’s lacrosse team at Michigan State University. A great group of girls with unwavering passion and commitment to the team
Could you share some advice with young lacrosse players who are hoping to make it to the collegiate level one day?
Sure, get all the reps. Go to all the camps, watch all the videos and keep a stick in your hand as much as possible.
How can student-athletes become involved in lacrosse if their school does not have a lacrosse program? There are plenty of local clubs nowadays.
They could join a club and meet girls from other communities. I highly recommend it even if their school offers the sport. MD LAX out of SE Michigan is my number one recommendation. High-level coaching and the culture they have is incredible.
What advice do you have for parents whose child is interested in lacrosse, but parents are unsure of the sport?
Talk to some experts. Let them try it. Everything is unsafe to a degree but athletics, team bonding, happiness, accountability, etc., etc. outweigh the risk in my opinion.
Would you like to share anything else about women’s lacrosse at Michigan State?
We are a club sport so we are 100% self funded. The school supports us as much as they can. With over 2,000 club organizations on campus it’s a challenge.
We welcome and encourage anyone who is willing to donate or sponsor us. We would do anything in our power to thank them and we would appreciate it more than words.
What does the offseason look like for MSU Women’s Lacrosse?
We practice and play a few games in the fall and in the winter we try to stick together and bond and practice as much as possible. Summers are off for student athletes.
Here are a couple questions to get to know you better 🙂
Favorite sport to watch on TV? Live?
I love to watch college football or lacrosse
Favorite place to vacation?
St. Maarten
Did you play lacrosse?
I did not. Although the men’s and the women’s game are so different it might not have mattered much. My daughter’s team needed a coach when she was in 4th grade and my wife stepped up to help. I then helped her and I never looked back. I started learning and training to one day be great at it.
Strangest item in your trunk right now?
I drive a truck but the bed is completely full of lacrosse equipment as we practice right now.
Where are some of your favorite places locally to spend time with your family and friends?
Really all we do is play pickleball if we aren’t working. If we go out it’s to Reno’s North Sports Bar!
A little bit more about the history of lacrosse at Michigan State.
The MSU Women’s LAX team has been around since the mid 90’s. The club is solely run by the players. They manage their own budget and personnel. Each team has their own board of directors.
Because the university is so large, there are many girls who miss the opportunity to play after high school as a Spartan. It was decided that adding a second team with a little less demanding commitment would be beneficial to bring in more students.
The teams budgets are made up mostly of the players registration costs. The club does some fundraising but not a lot. There is a large golf fundraiser in the fall, outside of that, not much in terms of fund raising and are always looking for opportunities to host events, obtain sponsors or donations. Why? As Coach Brad shared, “This gives us more freedom to travel and purchase team items for the girls, such as spirit wear, warm ups, etc.”
If you are interested in learning more about ways to work with MSU Women’s Lacrosse Club, please contact Coach Hillard at [email protected]
Also be on the lookout for a lacrosse camp in partnership with a Canadian company, Janie Lax. More details coming soon!
More about Women’s Lacrosse at Michigan State University:
Follow MSU Women’s Lacrosse on Instagram! instagram.com/msu_d2wlax
Learn more about the Division 2 team representing MSU Women’s Lacrosse – from its history to upcoming events – including a fundraiser golf outing in the fall here: msuwomenslacrosse.com/2025-d2-roster/
They kick off their spring schedule on March 16th. See their 2025 Spring schedule below:
March 16th
Play-day @ Oakland
*Oakland
*SVSU
March 22nd and March 23rd
@ Home
* Oakland
* GVSU
* Illinois State
* TBD
March 28th
Game @ Bowling Green University
March 29th
Play-day @ Mt. Vernon University
* MVNU
* Dequesne
* Buffalo
April 6th at 12noon
@ Home v. Northwestern
GO GREEN!
Coach Brad Hillard and the Michigan State Women’s Lacrosse Club was brought to you by Keene Training.
Keene also joined us at GLAM Jam Summer Kickoff last year and we are honored to partner Keene again. What is Keene Training?
Keene is an East Lansing based company that offers employee focused workplace violence training, self defense classes and a variety of other training opportunities. Learn more about Keene Training HERE.
Are you interested or know of someone who would make a great GLAMoms Meet a Mom… or Dad?
Send a message to [email protected] and we will take it from there!
