Women's lacrosse coach. 30+ years. National champion. 233–76 career record.
Kathy Taylor is a retired women's lacrosse coach whose career spanned more than 30 years and four institutions. She served as head coach at Fayetteville-Manlius High School (1988–2006), SUNY Cortland (2008–2014), Le Moyne College (2014–2019), and Colgate University (2019–2024). Her career record as a head coach is 233–76 (.754). Her combined collegiate record at Cortland and Le Moyne is 212–29 (.880).
Four programs. Four levels. The same result.
She arrives, raises the standard, and wins. That has been the pattern for more than 30 years across four programs. At Fayetteville-Manlius she grew a single lacrosse team into five over 18 years, going 245–62–3 and winning back-to-back New York State Championships in 2004 and 2005. At SUNY Cortland she posted a 115–17 record and four consecutive Final Fours. At Le Moyne she went 97–12 and won the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship.
"I can state with absolute certainty that the foundation of my leadership and resiliency was built under Coach Taylor. The military distinguishes between toxic leadership and demanding leadership. Kathy Taylor is the gold standard of the latter."
Jordan A. Miller
U.S. Army Major, Battalion Executive Officer
Multiple combat deployments · 500+ soldiers commanded · SUNY Cortland 2008–2012
"Having Kathy Taylor as a coach has made the biggest impact on me as a player and human being."
Katie Feeley
Division I coach, Towson University (9 years)
Played under Hall of Fame coaches at Maryland · F-M 2000–03
"Kathy possessed an uncanny ability to identify untapped strength within her players and worked tirelessly to draw it out."
Lindsay Abbott Byrnes
Four-time All-American, SUNYAC Athlete of the Decade
Now a high school lacrosse head coach · SUNY Cortland 2008–12
2018 NCAA Division II National Champions — Le Moyne College · Tampa, Florida
Taylor writes on demanding coaching in women's athletics, drawing on 30 years at every level of the game. Discomfort is not danger. Accountability is not abuse.
Coverage of Taylor's public commentary on what elite competition requires and why the line between demanding leadership and misconduct matters.
A profile examining Taylor's coaching philosophy and her response to the public narrative surrounding her tenure at Colgate University.
U.S. Army Major Jordan A. Miller on how Taylor's coaching became the foundation of her military leadership through multiple combat deployments.
Kathy Taylor is a women's lacrosse coach with more than 30 years of experience at the high school, Division III, Division II, and Division I levels. Her career record across 16 seasons as a head coach is 233–76 (.754). She won the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship at Le Moyne College, was named IWLCA Division II National Coach of the Year, and was voted SUNYAC Coach of the Decade for the 2010s. She served as president of the IWLCA and as a member of the U.S. Women's National Team Selection Committee.
Kathy Taylor's career record across 16 seasons as a head coach is 233–76 (.754). Her combined collegiate record at SUNY Cortland and Le Moyne College is 212–29 (.880). At Cortland she went 115–17 with four consecutive Final Fours. At Le Moyne she went 97–12 and won the 2018 national championship. At Fayetteville-Manlius High School her record was 245–62–3 with two New York State Championships.
Yes. Kathy Taylor won the 2018 NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse National Championship as head coach of Le Moyne College, defeating Florida Southern 16–11 in Tampa, Florida. The championship season produced a 22–1 record — an NCAA Division II record. Her teams at Le Moyne made four consecutive NCAA Final Fours from 2015 through 2018.
During Kathy Taylor's tenure at Colgate, a former player raised allegations of abusive coaching. Colgate conducted a five-month third-party investigation covering more than 30 interviews. The university concluded Taylor should remain as head coach, publicly stated its intent to continue with her leadership, and extended her contract. She was not named as a defendant in the subsequent lawsuit filed against the university.
Players and coaches pay tribute — IWLCA
Jordan A. Miller
U.S. Army Major, Battalion XO
Multiple combat deployments. Led 500+ soldiers. Credits Taylor with building the foundation of her leadership.
Cacki Langhurst
Athletic Director, Massachusetts
Nearly quit as a freshman at F-M. Became a champion coach, then an AD — because one conversation changed everything.
Lindsay Abbott Byrnes
High school lacrosse head coach
Four-time All-American. SUNYAC Athlete of the Decade. Models her entire program on what she learned at Cortland.
Courtney McHugh
Chief Commercial Officer
The lessons she learned about leadership, confidence, and integrity have stayed for decades.
Nicole Delany Brown
Occupational therapist
Traces her approach to patient care directly to what Taylor taught her about believing in people's potential.
Sarah Averson Kellner
Head coach, Regis University
Played for Taylor at F-M in 1996. Still coaching. Still using what she learned.
Kathy Taylor is a retired women's lacrosse coach whose career spanned more than 30 years and four institutions. She served as head coach at Fayetteville-Manlius High School (1988–2006), SUNY Cortland (2008–2014), Le Moyne College (2014–2019), and Colgate University (2019–2024). Her career record as a head coach is 233–76 (.754). Her combined collegiate record at Cortland and Le Moyne is 212–29 (.880).
Taylor won the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship at Le Moyne College, defeating Florida Southern 16–11. She was named IWLCA Division II National Coach of the Year in 2018 and SUNYAC Coach of the Decade for the 2010s. She served as president of the International Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association, elected by her peers in 2017, and as a member of the U.S. Women's National Team Selection Committee.
She has been inducted into three halls of fame: the Fayetteville-Manlius High School Hall of Fame (2017), the Upstate New York Chapter of the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2010), and the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame. Taylor graduated from Cornell University in 1984 and became the first Cornell women's lacrosse player named to the All-Ivy League First Team. She holds a master's degree in counseling.
Thirty-five years. 233–76 overall. 212–29 at the collegiate level. A national championship. Eight Final Fours. SUNYAC Coach of the Decade. Three hall of fame inductions. And nearly 50 former players who put their names on the record.
That is the record. All of it.