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Kayla Treanor will become the head coach of the Syracuse women’s lacrosse team, the third head coach in program history. Treanor replaces Gary Gait, who was named the Syracuse men’s lacrosse’s head coach earlier this month.

“I am so proud to return to Syracuse University. This place has always been home to me,” Treanor said in a press release. “My goal is to compete for championships year in and year out.”

Treanor comes from Director of Athletics John Wildhack’s “short list” of candidates for the head coaching job, he said in a press conference. Her hiring is subject to approval by SU’s Board of Trustees’ Executive Committee.

“We’re excited to bring one of the brightest coaches in the sport home to lead our women’s lacrosse program.” Wildhack said in the release. “Kayla has experienced success at a championship level both as a coach and a student-athlete.”

As a player, Treanor led Syracuse to four appearances at Championship Weekend and a spot in the 2014 national championship game. She was a three-time Tewaaraton Award finalist and is the only player in program history to earn first-team All-American honors in all four collegiate seasons.

She ranks second on Syracuse’s all-time scoring list — and seventh on the NCAA’s — with 393 points. Treanor’s school record for career goals (260) remains untouched. She set another program record in 2016, recording 217 draw controls. That record stood until 2019, when Marist’s Hailey Wagner recorded 224.

After Syracuse, Treanor excelled on the U.S. national team, lifting Team USA to a gold medal at the 2017 Federation of International Lacrosse Women’s World Cup. Treanor recorded a team high 43 points, 24 goals and 19 assists in the tournament.

Treanor began her coaching career at Harvard as an assistant coach under head coach Lisa Miller, the former Syracuse head coach. Treanor joined Boston College’s coaching staff in 2017, coaching the Eagles to the championship game three times before claiming the national title this season.

“Kayla is one of the most decorated players in women’s lacrosse history,” Wildhack said in the release. “She is the right person to guide our program as we take the next step to win a national championship.”

Published on June 23, 2021 at 11:41 am

Contact Skyler: skrivera@syr.edu | @skylerriveraa