Tracy Coyne Thrilled to Coach Duquesne in Her Hometown

Coaching lacrosse has brought Tracy Coyne around the country throughout an accomplished career, one in which she has turned around programs and built others from scratch.

It started with Division III stints at Denison and Roanoke, where Coyne led her programs to a combined seven conference titles in nine years. Then it was on to South Bend, where she launched the Notre Dame women’s program and made six NCAA tournament appearances – and earned a national semifinal berth.

In 2006, she was named the IWLCA National Coach of the Year.

Nearly two decades after that storied season, Coyne steered the Saint Francis program through uncharted waters, as the Red Flash made their first two NEC tournament appearances and collected a program-record 10 wins in 2023.

Now, 322 victories later, Coyne prepares to coach the 2025 season while living in the house she grew up in.

A Pittsburgher through and through, Coyne stepped down from Saint Francis during the offseason to take the head job at Duquesne. In an increasingly competitive Atlantic 10, Coyne is looking to jump-start the Dukes while leaning into the city.

“I love the city, and no matter where I’ve been in my career, I’m from Pittsburgh,” Coyne said. “I’ve always honored my Pittsburgh roots, and it helps my understanding of what this city is and what it embraces.”

Coyne inherits a program that went 7-10 a year ago and 2-7 in Atlantic-10 competition, defeating George Washington and La Salle for one-goal conference wins. The fight for one of six conference tournament berths has only become more challenging in recent years, as UMass’ undefeated league slate in the regular season was joined at the top of the standings by a ranked Richmond team that went on to win a second-straight conference tournament championship – not to mention Davidson’s continued improvement. 

Five A-10 teams won 10 or more games last spring, the most in the league since 2018.

A pair of 30-goal scorers are back for Duquesne, leaving Coyne with plenty to work with. Mackenzie Leszczynski and Corinne Webb are the headliners, as is Hanna Pawela, who led the nation in caused turnovers per game (3.76) a year ago.

They return to the field led by Coyne, whose career victory total ranks 17th in NCAA history and 12th among active coaches, bringing some of the same tenets from past program building to the Steel City.

“We are excited to welcome Tracy to the Bluff and bring her back to her home in Pittsburgh,” Duquesne senior associate athletic director Joe Setting said. “Tracy’s career accomplishments and accolades are truly remarkable.  Her passion and dedication to being the best lacrosse coach were evident during the interview process and have been demonstrated since her first day on the job. She naturally has a high standard of excellence she expects of herself and subsequently has begun her journey to establish that same philosophy within our lacrosse program.”

Duquesne will have opportunities to navigate its first year under a new leader, with those returners leading the way.

Their coach is well-versed in the route to program improvement – and most roads around town.