If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Or rather, if you can’t beat ’em, take from them.
After falling to Boston College in the National Championship, Syracuse women’s lacrosse poached BC associate head coach Kayla Treanor, tapping her as the next head coach of the Orange.
Treanor’s name had been in the ring since the onset of the search process to replace longtime Orange head coach Gary Gait, but she had reportedly turned down the position at first.
Gait coached the Syracuse women’s program for over a decade and led the Orange to eight Final Four appearances, but in early June, he announced that he would take over the Syracuse men’s lacrosse program following John Desko’s retirement.
Treanor’s hiring is likely a boon for an already dominant Orange program that has consistently been one of the top teams in the nation since its founding in 1998. Syracuse handed BC two of its three losses last season and has played a score of other tight games against the Eagles in recent years.
The switch will be a homecoming for Treanor, who starred on the Orange from 2013 to 2016 and holds the record for most career goals in program history. She was named a Tewaaraton Award finalist three times and has represented the United States on the international stage since 2013.
Her tremendous success on the field translated into a key role on BC’s coaching staff, as she joined the program in 2017 and was on staff for three National Championship appearances. In 2019, Treanor presided over a BC attack that scored over 400 goals to break the program record.
Treanor’s status as a draw specialist also paid dividends for the program, as players such as Sam Apuzzo, Dempsey Arsenault, and Charlotte North all developed top-notch draw control skills under her tutelage.
