Katie McConnell begins her seventh season at the helm of the Lafayette women’s lacrosse program in 2025-26.
Lafayette kicked off the 2025 season with the program’s best start through four games (3-1) since 2020. The Maroon and White knocked off four non-conference opponents before earning a striking 10-8 comeback victory at American for the initial Patriot League victory of the year on March 26. Two Leopards surpassed individual milestones throughout the remainder of league play: Sara Rogers (100 career points, 27th in program history) and Molly Terraciano (100 single-season saves, 16th in program history). In the postseason, senior midfielder Sophia Spallone netted her first Academic All-Patriot League laurel on top of an All-Patriot League Second Team selection. Following the spring schedule on May 14, assistant coach Nicole Prestiano was promoted to her associate head coach.
The Leopards finished with a 5-11 (2-7 PL) record for the 2023-24 academic year. The Maroon and White knocked off Wagner and Central Connecticut State to begin the season, before taking down Eastern Michigan at home. The Leopards rounded out the spring with two double-overtime victories on the road at Boston and Lehigh. Lafayette was praised for its excellence in the classroom as it was named an IWLCA Academic Honor Squad with nine individual members named to the Division I Honor Roll with a 3.5+ grade point average. To qualify for this prestigious honor, the team must have posted a 3.2 or higher team GPA for the academic year. The Maroon and White garnered a 3.58 overall, marking the eighth consecutive award since 2016. Senior goalkeeper Lexie Coldiron earned her first Academic All-Patriot League laurel on top of her second consecutive All-Patriot League Second Team selection. The Leopards also paced the conference's Winter-Spring Academic Honor Roll, adding 33 athletes to the listing.
Lafayette defeated Canisius and conference foe Boston U. on its home turf in 2022-23. Junior Lexie Coldiron was named All-Patriot League Second Team prior to senior Katie Chiasson earning her second Academic All-PL honor. McConnell welcomed a two-time Leopard captain, Sarah Bennett '23, to her coaching staff following the season in late June.
In 2021-22, McConnell finished her third year at Lafayette and her first full campaign after a pair of shortened seasons in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The young Leopard squad finished at 2-13 overall (1-8 PL), earning victories over La Salle and conference foe Boston U. Senior Olivia Cunningham scored her 25th goal of the season against Lehigh on April 20, 2022, marking her 100th career point during her time on College Hill under McConnell. Lafayette was honored for excellence in the classroom as the team was named an Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Academic Honor Squad with seven individual members named to the Division I Honor Roll following the season on July 27, 2022. Junior Katie Chiasson earned a spot on the 2022 Academic All-Patriot League Team and sophomore Colleen McNamara was chosen as one of 200 NCAA student-athletes to attend the Career in Sports Forum in June.
Before arriving on College Hill, McConnell spent the previous three seasons as head coach at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York, leading the Jaspers to an 11-6 record in 2019 and the team’s first postseason appearance since 2009. For her efforts, she was named the 2019 MAAC Coach of the Year and the 11 wins were tied for the most in program history.
McConnell’s six league victories were the most for Manhattan since 2005 as she flipped the script on a program that had not eclipsed the five-win mark overall since an 11-5 record in 2009 when they went 4-3 in league play. Additionally, McConnell has proven an ability to recruit top talent with the Jaspers’ Cassidy Burns being named the 2019 MAAC Rookie of the Year this past season.
Taking over the Manhattan program in August 2016, McConnell led a programmatic effort to increase fundraising through an annual phone-a-thon, fundraising dinners, camps and clinics, and private donations. She coached six all-conference players in 2019 and her student-athletes excelled academically as well, carrying a team GPA of 3.45.
Prior to her tenure at Manhattan, McConnell spent the 2015-16 with Coastal Carolina, running the defensive side. In her lone season, she helped to lower the team’s goals-against average by more than a goal per game (9.82 in 2015 to 8.5 in 2016), leading to a semifinal appearance in the Big South Tournament.
McConnell was a four-year starter at Division II Lock Haven in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, where she won three PSAC championships and made quarterfinal, semifinal and final appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Following her playing career, she served as an assistant coach at her alma mater for three seasons before moving to Coastal Carolina. She received her Masters in Sport Science from Lock Haven in 2015.
In her three coaching seasons at Lock Haven, she made NCAA Championship game appearances in 2014 and 2015, presiding over the nation’s top-ranked defense in 2015. She was named the 2014 IWLCA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year and coached five all-americans, six all-region performers and eight all-conference players.
Outside of college athletics, McConnell is also heavily involved in a number of clubs and organizations in the New York area, fostering connections with programs such as For the Love of the Game (FLG) in Long Island, House of Sports in Westchester, Harlem Lacrosse and Leadership in Harlem and the St. Baldrick's Foundation and Love Your Melon in Bronx.
McConnell is part of an athletic family with both of her brothers, Tim and Frank, and her father, Jerry, involved in football. Jerry is the Offensive Coordinator for the sprint football team at Penn, Tim is an assistant coach with special teams at Rice and Frank coaches the offensive line for the sprint football team at Penn. Tim and Frank both played Division I football at Duquesne and Sacred Heart, respectively.
Updated 5/25
