IWLCA Announces 2025 Coaching Staff of the Year Recipients

18 Institutions Recognized
 

he IWLCA has announced the 2025 National and Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year in Division I, II, and III. All three National Coaching Staff of the Year honorees earned a National Title this past season. All winners will be honored at the IWLCA Convention which is set to take place this November at the Tradewinds Resort in St. Pete Beach, FL.

The IWLCA Coaching Staff of the Year Award honors one National and multiple Regional Coaching Staffs of the Year from each NCAA Division and a National Coaching Staff of the Year from the NAIA.

*Prior to the 2024 season, the IWLCA Board of Directors approved changing the name of this award to recognize the entire coaching staff, rather than individual coaches.

IWLCA National Coaching Staff of the Year – Division I

University of North Carolina

Led by Head Coach Jenny Levy and assistants Maiah Bartlett, Marie McCool, and Kayla Wood, North Carolina won its fourth National Championship in 2025 after going undefeated with a record of 22-0. UNC is just the 12th team to produce an undefeated season in women’s lacrosse history. Carolina went 9-0 in ACC play and won the Regular Season and ACC Tournament Championships. It led the country in both scoring offense (17.5 goals per game) and scoring defense (6.9 goals per game) as well as points per game (26.7) and shots on goal per game (27.9). The Tar Heel coaching staff mentored eight All-Americans, eight All-ACC performers, the Tewaaraton Award winner, the IWLCA Player and Attacker of the Year and the IWLCA Defender of the Year. Levy was named ACC Coach of the Year as well.

IWLCA National Coaching Staff of the Year – Division II

University of Tampa

After capturing the program’s first-ever NCAA National Championship a season ago, the Spartans had another historic year. For the first time in program history the team won back-to back NCAA titles after defeating Adelphi University, 15-9 for the second consecutive season. Head Coach Kelly Gallagher and her staff (Assistant Coaches Elizabeth Gainer, Caili Guilday, Samantha Pagliaccetti) posted an overall record of 21-1 which is the most wins ever in a single season in the program’s history. The Spartans won the Sunshine State Conference for the fifth time and were crowned SSC tournament champions for the third consecutive season. Tampa had four student-athletes garner All-American honors including two of which were named as the IWLCA Attacker and Defender of the Year in Peyton Howell and Lexi Waters. Howell was also named as the IWLCA Player of the Year and was the NCAA Championships Most Outstanding Player.

IWLCA National Coaching Staff of the Year – Division III

Middlebury College

Led by head coach Kate Livesay and assistants Olivia Seymour and Amy Patton, the Panthers claimed their fourth consecutive NCAA Championship with a 10-9 victory over Tufts in the title tilt. Under their guidance, Middlebury tallied its fourth undefeated regular season in a row, owning an 89-2 mark over the past four campaigns. The program collected multiple major awards, including the IWLCA National Player and Attacker of the Year, five IWLCA All-American honorees and eight IWLCA All-Region selections. At the conference level, the team boasted the NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year, five all-conference selections and the coaching staff of the year for the second straight campaign. The squad finished in the top-10 nationally in clearing percentage (fourth - .891), total defense (sixth - 6.64) and scoring margin (tenth - 8.82). The Panthers have tallied double-digit goals in the last 72 games and have won 53 consecutive games away from Peter Kohn Field. Middlebury finished the year 21-1 and No.1 in the final IWLCA Division III Poll.

IWLCA National Coaching Staff of the Year – NAIA

Benedictine College

After leading the Ravens to their second red banner in program history and an undefeated 21-0 season, Head Coach Clare Hanson was honored as the 2025 NAIA Women's Lacrosse Coach of the Year — the first such recognition in her four-year tenure. Under Hanson’s leadership, the team topped the nation in ten statistical categories, including draw controls per game, goals against average, and ground balls.

Mid-Atlantic Region
Princeton University

Princeton put together its finest season under third-year head coach Jenn Cook as the Tigers went 16-4 overall and won an outright Ivy League championship with a 6-1 record in the League. Unseeded in the NCAA Tournament, Princeton defeated Massachusetts and No. 8 Johns Hopkins in Baltimore to reach the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 and finished the season ranked No. 7 in the final IWLCA Rankings – the team’s highest end of season ranking since 2019. Princeton’s .800 winning percentage was No. 1 in the Ivy League and No. 5 nationally, and the Tigers were among the nation’s cleanest teams in terms of possession with a national rank of No. 5 in clearing percentage (.939) and No. 3 in turnovers-per-game (11.1). No team in Ivy League history had a more prolific offensive season than the 2025 Tigers who scored an Ivy record 308 goals, led by a second-team All-American attacker in McKenzie Blake who broke a 41-year old Ivy League record with 89 goals herself. She was one of three IWCLA All-America selections for Princeton this season, the first such honors during Cook and staff’s tenure. Improvement has been the hallmark of this group as they have increased their win total each year, including a +5 improvement in victories this year from last. Included this year was an 11-game winning streak, Princeton’s longest in 21 years and eight wins against teams ranked in the Top-25. Cook’s staff featured Maggie Brown, Molly Dougherty, Kerrin Maurer and Ali Robinson.

Northeast Region
Boston College

The Eagles went 19-3 this past season while earning a third straight trip to the ACC Championship game and an eighth straight trip to the NCAA Semifinals under the direction of Acacia Walker-Weinstein. Assisted by Sam Apuzzo, Callahan Kent, Jen Kent, Emily McDermott, BC started the season 13-0 en route to setting a program record with 21 straight wins. The Eagles finished third in the country in scoring offense (17.05), second in scoring defense (7.73), first in assists (9.41), first in save percentage (.550) and second in GAA. BC had no less than six players named an AllAmerican through IWLCA, ILWomen.com and USA Lacrosse. Three players were named ACC Attacker of the Year, Defender of the Year and Back-to-back Goalkeeper of the Year, while two players were Tewaaraton finalists and Honda Sport Award finalists. BC’s goalkeeper was also named IWLCA Goalkeeper of the Year, giving the Eagles back-to-back IWLCA Players of the Year. A senior attacker for BC set the single-season program and ACC record in goals (106) and second all-time in a single season with 128 points for BC.

South Region
University of North Carolina
(see above)

West/Midwest Region
Northwestern University

Head Coach Kelly Amonte Hiller and her staff—Scott Hiller, Charlie Leonard, and Alexis Venechanos—guided Northwestern to its third consecutive national championship game appearance, capping off the season with a 19-3 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in Big Ten play. The Wildcats claimed both the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles for the third straight year and finished the season ranked No. 2 nationally. Northwestern earned numerous accolades, including four IWLCA All-Americans, eight All-Big Ten selections, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and Coach of the Year honors for Amonte Hiller. The Wildcats were led by the nation’s top goal scorer, who set NCAA single-season records with 109 goals and 4.95 goals per game. Defensively, the ‘Cats were among the nation’s best, ranking third in goals allowed per game (8.64) and sixth in draw control percentage (.632).

Atlantic Region
Slippery Rock University

Taryn Burkholder and Jordan Anderson led Slippery Rock to the national semifinals in the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after earning an upset win on the road at undefeated top seed West Chester to win the Atlantic Region. The Rock lost to No. 2 Adelphi 15-13 in the semifinals, coming up just short of reaching the national title game in their first trip to the postseason. SRU also had to play on the road at East Stroudsburg in the second round, despite being the higher seed, due to its own facility being unavailable. The Rock went 10-0 in the PSAC West to win their first-ever division title and finished the year 18-3 overall for the best season in program history. Slippery Rock finished the year ranked No. 6 in the IWLCA rankings, marking the first top 10 ranking in program history. SRU set program records with eight All-PSAC honorees, four IWLCA All-Region honorees and three IWLCA All-Americans, including the first player in program history to be named as an IWLCA first team All-American and the first PSAC Defensive Player of the Year in program history.

East Region
Adelphi University

Pat McCabe, Associate Head Coach Frankie Caridi, and assistants Danielle Marino, and Kelly-Ann McGrath led the Panthers to their second straight NCAA Division II Championship appearance and the program’s 12th trip to the title game. Along the way, Adelphi posted a 19-4 record, and ended the season ranked No.2 in the final IWLCA Division II Poll. Additionally, the Cats took a share of the Northeast 10 Conference regular season crown and won the program's eighth NE10 championship (first in eight years). Five Panthers garnered IWLCA All-Region honors and three took home All-American accolades, while Amanda Lee, Sonny Lionetti and Ashley Kolomechuk earned inclusion on the NCAA All-Championship Team.

Midwest Region
University of Indianapolis

The young and talented staff of Peyton Romig, Casey Korb and Olivia Bakowski led the Greyhounds to their seventh straight at-large bid to the NCAA tournament this spring, advancing to the program’s second-ever national semifinal after boasting one of the country’s toughest strengths of schedule and winning the Midwest Region. Finishing with an overall record of 15-7, UIndy fell to eventual national champion Tampa in the NCAA Semi-Finals. Romig and her staff mentored three IWLCA All-Americans, six IWLCA All-Region honorees, and 10 All-GLVC performers in the process, as well as two selections to the All-Tournament Team at the national championship. The Greyhounds possessed one of the best defensive units in the nation, finishing the season ranked third in clearing percentage (.910) and sixth in scoring defense (8.36). UIndy ended the season ranked No. 4 in the IWLCA Division II Coaches Poll.

South Region
University of Tampa
(see above)

Berkshire Region
Wesleyan University

The Cardinals completed another tremendous year under head coach Kim Williams and her staff, winning 15 games for the third straight year while prolonging a streak of seven straight double-digit win seasons in non-COVID impacted campaigns. Wesleyan rattled off seven straight wins including a 13-10 triumph over Middlebury in the NESCAC Semifinal, as the Cardinals snapped the Panthers’ 67-game win streak in the process. With that win over Middlebury, Wesleyan advanced to the NESCAC Championship game for the second straight year and later qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the seventh straight non-COVID impacted season. The team defeated Babson and Rowan in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Quarterfinal round (Elite 8) for just the second time in team history. Coach Williams was supported by Clara Bissell, Peyton Mulhern, Breanna Cavanaugh and Jesse Hollander.

Boardwalk Region
Rowan University

Lindsay Delaney and staff guided the Profs (16-4) to one of their best seasons ever with a school record in victories after starting the year with an 8-0 mark. The Profs earned their first NCAA berth since 2018 and reached the NCAA Third Round, which was the furthest advancement in the 18 years under Delaney. Rowan, which was ranked #23 in the final IWLCA Poll, made its fourth straight appearance in the NJAC Championship game and earned two of the top player awards from the conference. Two Profs were named to the IWLCA All-America Team, marking Rowan's first All-Americans since 2019, while they placed six on the All-Region Teams. Delaney was assisted by Lindsey-Kate Smith, Nicole Valianti, Reilly Shaup and Olivia Elwell.

Chesapeake Region
Salisbury University

The Sea Gulls embarked on another deep postseason run in 2025 with Nestor and his staff guiding the Sea Gulls to a 16-5 overall record and a 22nd consecutive NCAA Tournament bid, reaching the Regional Final for the eighth time in the last 10 years while hoisting a fifth consecutive and 23rd overall conference trophy. The program garnered nine all-conference nods as well as the league’s Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Coach of the Year laurels, while six were picked for IWLCA All-Chesapeake Region teams and two were crowned IWLCA All-Americans. The squad also landed three USA Lacrosse Magazine All-Americans and one All-ECAC honoree. The Sea Gulls ended the year ranked fifth in the final IWLCA Division III Coaches Poll. Nestor’s staff featured Mary Hanzsche, Allie Hynson, Liz Marr, Kellan McAleer and Katelin Talbert.

Empire Region
St. John Fisher College

Head Coach Linda Michele and her staff—husband Mark Michele, former Fisher standout Courtney O'Dea, and former Siena goalkeeper Alexis Bower—guided St. John Fisher to its 13th consecutive Empire 8 championship this season. For the fifth straight year, Michele and her staff were named the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. The Cardinals capped off one of the best seasons in program history with a 19-1 record, falling to No. 7 Salisbury in the NCAA Division III Tournament Round of 16 with a 10-5 loss. Following the conclusion of the 2025 season, Coach Michele announced her retirement, closing an incredible chapter in St. John Fisher women's lacrosse history.

Great Lakes Region
Denison University

Amanda Daniels, Maddie Morrell and Tori Vernau led the Big Red to its third-consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference tournament title and 10th overall. Denison boasted an undefeated 6-0 NCAC record while finishing the 2025 spring campaign with an overall mark of 16-5. The Big Red earned an at-large bid to their 27th NCAA tournament appearance. Denison earned an NCAA Sweet Sixteen victory over No. 5 Franklin and Marshall on the Diplomats' home turf to advance to the Elite Eight. The program collected two major NCAC awards and had nine players earn All-Conference honors. Denison finished the season No. 8 overall after sitting around No. 20 all season. Six players were named to the IWLCA All-Region Teams, and four earned All-American awards after the season.

Metro Region
Gettysburg College

Head Coach Charlotte Hibbard and her staff—Lauren Asher and Katie McAllister—guided Gettysburg back to the national semifinals for the second time in their three years at the helm. The Bullets spent the entire season ranked in the top 10 of the IWLCA Division III poll, finishing with a 19-4 overall record. All four of their losses came against teams ranked in the top five. Gettysburg faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation, playing 15 games against teams ranked in the final IWLCA poll and posting an impressive 11-4 record in those matchups. The Bullets led the Centennial Conference in multiple statistical categories, including points per game (21.70), goals per game (14.57), assists per game (7.13), shots per game (30.65), shooting percentage (.475), and caused turnovers per game (9.83). Seven players earned All-Centennial Conference honors, with the team also capturing two of the league’s major awards—Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Three Bullets were named All-Region, and two earned All-America recognition.

Pilgrim Region
Middlebury College
(see above)

West Region
Colorado College

Colorado College’s Susan Stuart Elliott and her staff—Ashley Johnson, Ryan Murphy, and Evelyn Pickett—were named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Coaching Staff of the Year after an outstanding 2025 season. The Tigers captured both the WIAC regular season and tournament titles, finishing with an 18-4 overall record. Their 18 wins tied the program record for most in a single season. Colorado College’s impressive run came to an end in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship with a loss to Pomona-Pitzer. Following the season, Coach Stuart Elliott announced her retirement, marking the end of a remarkable coaching career and her final year at the helm of the Tigers program.