Penn State has made a splash hire to lead its women’s lacrosse program. Kayla Treanor, who helped Syracuse reach the NCAA Tournament in each of the past four seasons, was announced as the Nittany Lions’ next head coach on Wednesday. She will replace Missy Doherty, who resigned from her post earlier this month after 15 years in State College.
Treanor has been one of the most consistent forces in women’s lacrosse since returning to her alma mater as the head coach of the Orange in 2022. Over her four years at Syracuse, Treanor compiled a 59-24 overall record and led the Orange to consecutive national semifinal appearances in 2023 and 2024.
“I’m honored to be named the head coach of Penn State Women’s Lacrosse,” Treanor said in a statement. “I want to thank (athletic director) Pat Kraft and the entire athletics department for their trust in me and for the significant investment they’re making in this program. Penn State is committed to winning at the highest level, and so am I. Our sights are set on bringing a National Championship to Happy Valley, and I’m excited to lead this team into a new era of success.”
The Nittany Lions missed out on the NCAA Tournament this past season, finishing the year with a 7-9 record. Penn State hasn’t surpassed the first round of the tournament since 2017, the most accomplished season of the Doherty era, when the Nittany Lions rode a 17-4 record into the national semifinals.
Doherty began her tenure at Penn State at a fast pace. She coached Penn State to seven straight NCAA Tournament bids from 2012 to 2018, including two consecutive semifinal appearances in 2016 and 2017. The heat ultimately settled, however, as Doherty failed to reach the tournament from 2019 to 2022.
Treanor, the leading goal scorer in Syracuse program history who also appeared in the 2014 national championship game, will look to return the Nittany Lions to their winning ways of a not so distant past.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kayla Treanor to our Penn State family as our women’s lacrosse head coach,” Kraft said. “Her unparalleled experience as both a player and coach make her the perfect leader for our program. I know Kayla will elevate our program to new heights after seeing firsthand her passion for developing student-athletes, championship mindset and commitment to excellence.”
