Pro Athlete Alex Aust Holman Is Leading the Way for New Women’s Lacrosse League

The professional lacrosse player, former Swim Search finalist and soon-to-be mom is a member of the WLL’s Maryland Charm.

Alex Aust Holman / Courtesy of the WLL

Alex Aust Holman is already a household name to lacrosse fans, and with the inaugural season of the Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL) set to debut in summer 2026, she’s about to become even more prominent in the sports world.

The professional athlete has been playing her sport for as long as she can remember, and had an esteemed collegiate career at the University of Maryland, where she was a two-time All American and named 2013 National Attacker of the Year. In addition to being a former Division I athlete, Aust Holman earned a gold medal with the U.S. women’s national lacrosse team in 2017 and is an assistant women’s lacrosse coach for the Terrapins. The powerhouse athlete is also an ambassador for the WLL and a member of the league’s Maryland Charm.

“ It’s honestly an honor and it really is just a way to continue to push forward in this sport,” Aust Holman says of being named an athlete ambassador for the league. “I think it’s important to continue to try and fight for women’s sports in general, and so any hand that I can have in being a part of that fight is really special to me.”

The WLL is poised to be ‘the best lacrosse that’s ever [been] played’

With the 2025 Lexus Championship Series in February in Springfield, Va., in February and the WLL’s All-Star Weekend in Kansas City at CPKC Stadium in July, Aust Holman saw firsthand just how hyped sports fans are on women’s lacrosse. The Championship Series was the most streamed women’s professional lacrosse game ever on ESPN+, which saw the Boston Guard claim the Championship Series Trophy over the New York Charging in the final round.

“ I was blown away by the amount of eyes and support and young children, like boys and girls, families, that just loved our game,” Aust Holman says. “Even lacrosse fans that, you know, their kids play, but they have never seen it at this level with so much competitive fire and talent and skill. It’s gonna be the best lacrosse that’s ever [been] played.”

Alex Aust Holman / Courtesy of the WLL

Being part of the WLL is a dream come true for Aust Holman, who has previously played professional lacrosse for the Athletes Unlimited Pro Lacrosse league and the Women’s Professional Lacrosse League, both of which are now defunct.

“There’s just so much excitement and buzz around the WLL, so having a full season to be able to play on a team and fight for a championship is just incredible,” she says.

Merging her athletic and feminine sides

When she was younger, Aust Holman really struggled with embracing her femininity as an athlete. Sometimes that meant feeling embarrassed to slick on a coat of mascara before taking the field for fear of not being taken seriously, she says.

“ For so long, I had personal struggles of how to express myself in sports,” Aust Holman admits. “[I struggled with] not really understanding my balance between being feminine  and wanting to care about my confidence on the field and how I looked and that kind of soft part of me that I always had. I think that [duality] also makes me the teammate that I am and the player that I am—without dulling the fierce, competitive, badass side that it takes to be a premiere athlete.”

Today, Aust Holman feels much more comfortable expressing herself and showing up as her full self, whether that’s on the field or off. She says now that she’s in her 30s, she’s embraced the mindset that femininity looks different to everyone, athlete or not. As for her legacy, the 2021 Swim Search finalist says it won’t be about her performance on the lacrosse field—it’s all about the lasting impact she’s creating for the next generation of athletes to come.

Alex Aust Holman / Courtesy of the WLL

“You get to a point where it’s no longer about just you,” she says. “ ... You can end your career and you can have all these wins and championships and this, that or the other, but it’s really not what people remember. They remember how you made them feel, so I think that to me is something that’s always stuck out to me, especially with even just little moments.”

It’s one of the reasons why Aust Holman loves coaching so much—she’s able to not only share her expertise of the game, but also encourage young players to have the confidence to believe in themselves.

“That’s just me being who I am, and I think showing young women that you just need to be exactly who you are is the most important message,” she says. “So whatever that looks like for you, you don’t need to fit a mold. You can truly just be vulnerable and be exactly who you are on the field and off the field and you’re perfect that way.”

Training for her newest role

With her mission of cultivating confidence in today’s young athletes, Aust Holman’s newest role comes as no surprise: being a mom. She and her husband, Marcus Holman, are currently expecting their first child, due in November.

Marcus Holman and Alex Aust Holman / Courtesy of the WLL

The power couple—Marcus is a professional lacrosse player for the Boston Cannons of the PLL—plan to demonstrate to their child how to achieve his or her dreams through the hard work that they put in out on the lacrosse field, while also teaching their little one to be empathetic, loving and kind.

“ I honestly think this is the coolest thing that I have ever done,” Aust Holman says of her pregnancy. “ ...  Like I said, you get to a certain point where you’re like, ‘My purpose is not just me anymore,’ and so now every time I work out, every time I fuel myself or I speak about myself [or other] women, I have that with my baby in mind. [I want] to be the best role model for this human that I have a responsibility to raise in the most positive and loving environment. It’s very powerful and really incredible and it also makes me feel like I can literally do anything.”