Who Will Be the Next Head Coach of Syracuse Women's Lacrosse?
The cat is out of the bag. Gary Gait is moving to take over the Syracuse Men's Lacrosse program. Who will replace him to take over an elite Syracuse Women's Lacrosse program that was just inches away from being national champions? Here are six people who could realistically replace long time head coach Gary Gait.
Caitlin Defliese
Caitlin Defliese joined the Orange staff in 2016 after spending five years at Stony Brook. One thing to keep in mind is that Syracuse is a university that likes to keep it in the family. Meaning, it would not be a surprise to see Syracuse hire either 1) a former player or 2) someone who coaches/previously coached for Syracuse Women's Lacrosse.
In the case of Coach Defliese, she falls under the category of current assistant at Syracuse. She serves as their defensive coordinator and has been a staple of the program for the past few years. The word I would use to describe her is consistent. The sense I get from members of the women's lacrosse team is that Coach Defliese is trustworthy.
As we have seen, Syracuse's defense has excelled under her leadership. With her family already located in Syracuse, this could be a decision that makes sense for her. That being said, the one backdrop is she did just recently have a baby, so there are a few factors she would likely be considering if presented with that opportunity.
Coach Defliese was previously at Stony Brook as their defensive coordinator, leading one of the top defenses in the nation. In 2016, the Seawolves ranked second in the nation in scoring defense (6.1 gpg) and fourth in scoring margin (7.33). Goalkeeper Anna Tesoriero was second in the country with a 6.07 goals-against average. During her time at Stony Brook, Defliese mentored two All-Americans, two all-region honorees and seven all-conference selections.
Before that, Coach Defliese played at Boston University and earned a spot on the All-America East Second Team in 2010. This came after she was named to the conference’s All-Rookie Team in 2007, recording 13 caused turnovers, 23 draw controls and 21 ground balls.
Regy Thorpe
When you ask any women's lacrosse player from Syracuse how big Regy Thorpe's impact on them was, the answer is "tremendous." Regy Thorpe joined Gary Gait's staff in 2010 as an assistant coach. He was promoted to associate head coach in January 2015 and served in that role through the 2019 season. This was after Thorpe captained the Orange men’s squad to the 1993 national championship.
During his 10 years on the sidelines, he helped produce 22 IWCLA All-Americans, six IWCLA Players of the Year, and six Tewaaraton Finalists. The Orange were 158-62 and have made the NCAA tournament in nine of his 10 years. In those nine NCAA Tournament appearances, Syracuse made six trips to the Final Four, while appearing twice in the national championship game.
After Thorpe's time at Syracuse, he joined the Pitt lacrosse program in June of 2020 as an assistant coach. He spent the last year as the New York Riptide head coach and general manager in the National Lacrosse League.
Thorpe would make sense because this is a coach who has positively impacted so many of the players. He would feel familiar to some of them. While he would not have previously coached many of them, he would be welcomed right away because he isn't new to the program or the school. Ask most any alumni, though, and they'll tell you Regy Thorpe was aces. Not just for his wealth of knowledge, but because of who he is as a person.
SUBSCRIBE TO ALLSYRACUSE.COM NOW TO GET ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE INSIDER CONTENT
Kayla Treanor
I'm not even sure an explanation is needed as to why this would make sense. Not only is Kayla Treanor one of the main faces of Syracuse Women's Lacrosse, but many would argue she is THE face of Women's Lacrosse. That is how much she has brought the sport forward.
A former Orange, here are some of Kayla Treanor's most important accolades from her time as a player at Cuse: Tewaaraton Award finalist, IWLCA Attacker of the Year for three consecutive years, Syracuse Female Athlete of the Year, Ended her career ranked fourth on the Division I all-time scoring list (393 pts.) and sixth in career goals (260), Syracuse’s all-time goals scored leader and is second in career points and third in career assists (133), and she set the Division I single-season record with 217 draw controls. All of this to say, she was elite as a player.
She is elite as a coach, too.
Currently, Treanor resides in Boston where she is the assistant of the Boston College Women's Lacrosse team. Which, if you remember, is the team that took down Syracuse and won the national championships not too long ago.
In 2019, Treanor's guidance led the Eagles to their most productive offensive output in program history, combining for 404 goals on the season. As a draw specialist, she led the team to their first ever season breaking the 400 mark in draw wins, led by Sam Apuzzo (191 wins) and Dempsey Arsenault (100 wins).
This year, she led BC to a national championship and guided Charlotte North, who won the Tewaaraton Award and set the NCAA's single-season record for goals with 102.
However, an important note about Treanor is that there have been reports that she was offered the position but turned it down. She is living in Boston, and she is a part of the team that just won the national championship. She also coaches under the leadership of Acacia Walker-Weinstein who she loves and respects, so there are a lot of reasons she might stay.
Michelle Tumolo
Michelle Tumolo is another Syracuse great who could potentially return to her alma mater. Here's the story with Michelle Tumolo. She's an All-American player at Syracuse, member of the 2017 gold medal-winning U.S. National Team and, most recently, completed her third season as head coach at Wagner in 2021.
Tumolo guided the Seahawks to their seventh straight appearance in the Northeast Conference Championship Game, a conference record. The 2021 Seahawks finished the season 10-5, with a 9-3 mark in conference play.
At Syracuse, Tumolo finished her collegiate career with 141 goals and 137 assists, ranking in Syracuse's career top 10 for goals, assists and points. Her assist total ranked ninth in NCAA history at the conclusion of her career. She was also a Tewaaraton Award finalist in 2012.
Again, Syracuse has been known to keep their coaching picks "in the family" which Tumolo certainly is. That being said, she resides in New York city so she would have to relocate, and choose to give up the head coaching job she already has.
Katie Rowan
Katie Rowan returned to the University at Albany in June of 2018 (after formerly being the asst. coach) when she was hired as the Great Danes' women's lacrosse head coach.
In Rowan Thomson’s first season, Albany finished 11-7 overall, qualifying for their ninth-straight America East title game. The Great Danes boasted eight America East All-Conference First Team selections, including Offensive Player of the Year Madison Conway. Additionally, midfielder Sam Tortora set the program’s career record for assists.
Before her coaching career, Rowan was a player at...you guessed it, Syracuse. At Syracuse, she led the nation in scoring in 2008 on her way to totaling 396 points (232 goals, 164 assists) in her career. She set Syracuse single-season records for points (142) and assists (69) in helping the Orange to the 2008 Final Four and was a four-time All-Big East First-Team honoree.
She is thought to have a brilliant coaching mind, and she has been coaching for longer than several of the other candidates. She has knowledge, coaching experience, and a strong understanding of the way Syracuse Women's Lacrosse operates. Already located in upstate New York, Rowan's move would not be as far as some of the other candidates.
Joe Spallina
More of a dark horse here, but Joe Spallina is someone who definitely could be in the pool. Joe Spallina took over the Stony Brook program in 2012 and has never looked back. He single-handedly turned Stony Brook from a team with a losing record to a team that is consistently ranked in the top-10. This year, his squad made it to the elite 8 where he was inches away from knowing out UNC, a team that was ranked number one for most of the season.
The interesting thing about Spallina taking over is that he is the only person on the list who did not either play at Syracuse or coach at Syracuse ever, and his coaching style is drastically different than Gary's. Coach Gait is more hands off where as Coach Spallina is more hands on. They run different offenses. Their defenses are somewhat similar (both zones) but have differences as well. It would be a more drastic change from some of the other options, and the team culture might shift as well with him at the helm. That being said, he is a very well-respected figure in the lacrosse community and I don't think it would come as a surprise to anyone if he was offered the job.