Colgate Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Nicki W. Moore has announced the selection of Kathy Taylor as the new women's lacrosse head coach.
 
Taylor joins the Raiders after most recently serving as the women's lacrosse head coach at Le Moyne, where she garnered a 97-12 overall record through five seasons and led the Dolphins to the 2018 Division II National Championship.
 
Taylor will be formally introduced at a press conference on Wednesday, June 26 at 11 a.m., in the Class of 1965 Arena. The press conference will be streamed live on the Patriot League Network.
 
"I am so very excited to welcome Coach Taylor to our fantastic Colgate coaching community," said Moore. "The more we got to know Coach Taylor, the more impressed we have become with her. Not only has she elevated programs and won championships at every step in her career; she has done so while mentoring student-athletes to become leaders on the field, in the classroom and in life. Coach Taylor has also consistently served her profession and advanced the game of lacrosse as President of the Coaches' Association, and as a three-time member of the US National Team Selection Committee. On top of all of her qualifications, she is a really good person whom we have enjoyed getting to know through our process."
 
Two-time National Champion and two-time Division I Coach of the Year at North Carolina Jenny Levy shared, "Kathy Taylor is a great fit for Colgate, she has been a proven winner and leader at every stop in her coaching journey. Her competitive fire and championship mentality has always been the margin of victory for every group of student-athletes she has led. Besides having a great passion for the game of lacrosse, Kathy is a great teacher and mentor for women. She uses the game of lacrosse to teach life lessons, helping her athletes find the best in themselves. The Colgate women's lacrosse program is in great hands."
 
In her tenure, the Dolphins captured three Northeast-10 Regular Season championships, one Northeast-10 tournament championship, and competed in five NCAA region championships, advancing to the NCAA Semifinals in her first four seasons. Under her tutelage, student-athletes have earned IWLCA All-Region accolades 28 times, and IWLCA All-America honors 16 times.  
 
Most recently, the Dolphins posted a 20-2 record with a perfect regular season in the 2019 campaign just a season after capturing the program's first national championship. Behind an NCAA Division II record of 22-1, Taylor was named IWLCA Division II National and East Region Coach of the Year, while players collected IWLCA Defender of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year accolades in the 2018 championship season.
 
"I am thrilled to be named the next head women's lacrosse coach at Colgate University," Taylor said. "I want to thank Dr. Nikki Moore and the entire Colgate University community for providing me this opportunity. I'm excited about the future of the program and look forward to working with the University, athletic department and the student-athletes to develop a championship culture that transcends the classroom and the playing fields."
 
Taylor was recognized yet again in 2017 as she was named Northeast-10 Coach of the Year and guided the Dolphins to an undefeated 13-0 mark in Northeast-10 action. The Dolphins won their first 18 games of the season, which marks the most wins to start a season and the longest winning streak in the program's history.
 
"Kathy Taylor is a great coach and an even better person," said Syracuse Head Coach and lacrosse Hall of Famer Gary Gait. "I know that she will help take Colgate's Women's Lacrosse Program to the next level. I look forward to having some great match-ups against Colgate in the future."

Consistently making appearances in the postseason, Taylor led the Dolphins to back-to-back NCAA Championships semifinal appearances in her first two seasons with the program in 2015 and 2016, while she mentored the Division II Attacker of the Year in her first with the team.
 
"I want to thank Matt Bassett and the Le Moyne College community along with my remarkable players and parents for their support and efforts during my tenure.  It was truly an outstanding experience," added Taylor.
 
A 2010 inductee into the Upstate New York Chapter of the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Taylor joined Le Moyne after turning the women's lacrosse program at SUNY Cortland into a national power. Taylor, who guided the Red Dragons to the NCAA Tournament six times and to the NCAA Semifinals each of the last four seasons, compiled a record of 115-17 (.871) over her six years at Cortland. In her final season at Cortland, Taylor guided the Red Dragons to a school-record mark of 22-1 and the program's 16th straight SUNYAC title.
 
In addition to posting a 48-1 mark in SUNYAC action, Taylor led the Red Dragons to six straight SUNYAC Tournament Championships and five consecutive SUNYAC regular season championships. Named the IWLCA Empire Region Coach of the Year each of the last four years and the SUNYAC Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2014, Taylor led the Red Dragons to 41 consecutive SUNYAC regular-season victories and 53 straight wins against SUNYAC opponents. Under her guidance, 15 of her student-athletes received IWLCA All-America accolades, including nine first-team selections, while 27 were tabbed with All-Region honors. She coached 34 student-athletes to All-SUNYAC honors, with five of her players being named SUNYAC Player of the Year and two as SUNYAC Rookies of the Year.
 
IWLCA President and Service to the sport of lacrosse
In addition to her coaching duties, Taylor was elected President of the IWLCA in 2017 after serving as a member of the IWLCA National Board of Directors, a position she first began in 2012 and was re-elected to in 2014. She has been a member of the All-America Regional Committee since 2012 and the IWLCA Rules/Safety/Games Administration Committee since 2013. In 2014, she coached the North team to a victory over the South team in the North-South All-Star Game for the second time in three years and was also chosen to the United States Women's Team Tryout Selection Committee.
 
Before her stint at Cortland, Taylor served as the girl's lacrosse coach at Fayetteville-Manlius High School from 1988 to 2006. She led the Hornets to an overall record of 245-62-3 (.795), captured two New York State championships (Div. I in 2004 and Class A in 2005), five Section III titles and was named the Central New York Coach of the Year on two occasions. Twelve of her student-athletes were selected as high school All-Americans and five went on to be named to the United States National Team. Additionally, she developed the growth of the girl's lacrosse program at Fayetteville-Manlius from one team to five teams.
 
A 1984 graduate of Cornell University, Taylor holds a bachelor's degree in communications and was a three-year letterwinner for the Big Red. As a senior, she became the first Cornell women's player to be selected to the All-Ivy First Team after posting 49 points by 36 goals and 13 assists.