Women's Lacrosse
Kathy Taylor
Women's lacrosse coach. 30+ years. National champion. 233–76 career record.
Kathy Taylor is a women’s lacrosse coach with more than 30 years of experience across high school, Division III, Division II, and Division I athletics. She is the 2018 NCAA Division II National Champion, the 2018 IWLCA Division II National Coach of the Year, SUNYAC Coach of the Decade, and former president of the International Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association.
Thirty years of coaching. The record.
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.
What former players say
“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.”
“Having Kathy Taylor as a coach has made the biggest impact on me as a player and human being.”
“Kathy possessed an uncanny ability to identify untapped strength within her players and worked tirelessly to draw it out.”
2018 NCAA Division II National Champions — Le Moyne College · Tampa, Florida
In the news
Tough Coaching Isn’t The Problem; Soft America Is
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.
Kathy Taylor on Coaching, Accountability, and the Standard Athletes Sign Up For
Coverage of Taylor’s public commentary on what elite competition requires and why the line between demanding leadership and misconduct matters.
Kathy Taylor on Tough Coaching, Women’s Lacrosse, and Accountability
A profile examining Taylor’s coaching philosophy and her response to the public narrative surrounding her tenure at Colgate University.
How Coach Kathy Taylor Shaped a Leader Far Beyond the Lacrosse Field
U.S. Army Major Jordan A. Miller on how Taylor’s coaching became the foundation of her military leadership through multiple combat deployments.
Why Most Parents Are Killing Their Kid’s Love of Sports Without Knowing It
Taylor on modern coaching, parental involvement in youth sports, and why high standards and genuine athlete support are not in conflict.
College Lacrosse Coach Kathy Taylor
Host Linda Martindale on Taylor’s lacrosse career, the Colgate controversy, and what resilience looks like when the full story is more complex than the headlines.
50 Voices Rally Behind Kathy Taylor as Championship Coach Breaks Silence on Lawsuit Allegations
Coverage of the more than 50 former players who came forward publicly in support of Taylor following her statement breaking three years of silence.
Common questions
Who is Kathy Taylor?
What is Kathy Taylor’s coaching record?
Did Kathy Taylor win a national championship?
What happened at Colgate University?
IWLCA Tribute
International Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association recognition of Kathy Taylor's career
Where they are now
Former players, across 30+ years and four programs.
Multiple combat deployments. Led 500+ soldiers. Credits Taylor with building the foundation of her leadership.
Nearly quit as a freshman at F-M. Became a champion coach, then an AD — because one conversation changed everything.
Four-time All-American. SUNYAC Athlete of the Decade. Models her entire program on what she learned at Cortland.
The lessons she learned about leadership, confidence, and integrity have stayed for decades.
Traces her approach to patient care directly to what Taylor taught her about believing in people’s potential.
Played for Taylor at F-M in 1996. Still coaching. Still using what she learned.
About Kathy Taylor
Kathy Taylor is a retired women's lacrosse coach whose career spanned more than 30 years across 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. 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.
The record
233–76 career. 212–29 collegiate. One national championship. Four consecutive Final Fours. Thirty years of coaching.