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Former Syracuse player and Boston College assistant coach Kayla Treanor was introduced as the new women’s lacrosse head coach, replacing Gary Gait after he became the Syracuse men’s lacrosse head coach earlier this month. At 27 years old, Treanor is the youngest of three coaches in Syracuse history and the youngest current head coach at SU.

“She’s one of the best players in the history of lacrosse,” Director of Athletics John Wildhack said. “Kayla’s a perfect fit for our culture.”

Here are three takeaways from Treanor’s introductory press conference:

Bringing BC formula to SU

As Boston College’s associate head coach for the past three years, the Eagles made the national championship in each season. Treanor’s coaching strengths came on the offensive end and in the draw circle. In her time with BC, she coached two Tewaaraton Award winners with Sam Apuzzo in 2018 and Charlotte North this past season.

The Eagles’ only title victory came against Syracuse this season, but the championship pedigree BC built is something Treanor said she wants to emulate with the Orange.

During her first season with Boston College, the Eagles had their most productive season in team history, and it broke the mark of over 400 draw control wins for the first time that year.

“I’m really fortunate that in such a short amount of time, I was able to have a championship experience every year I coached at Boston College,” Treanor said. “I’m looking forward to taking what I was able to learn from that staff and developing my own ideas and philosophies here at Syracuse.”

Treanor also said that Boston College’s postseason experience is similar to Syracuse’s, as the Eagles lost in the championship game in three straight years from 2017-19. Both programs have made deep strides in the playoffs over the last few years, Treanor said.

“Winning a national championship is not guaranteed,” Treanor said. “It’s not something that if you feel the time is right you get it. It’s something that takes a tremendous amount of work and effort. I know what it takes now.”

Succeeding Gait

In her youth, Treanor specialized in soccer and basketball while playing lacrosse until then-women’s lacrosse head coach Gary Gait offered her a spot at Syracuse, she said. Treanor took that opportunity to focus on lacrosse and finished her career as the Orange’s all-time leader in goals scored.

Treanor said she has been asked a lot of questions about taking over for Gait, who’s been coaching the program for decades. But with her experience as a player and a coach in seven of the last eight Final Fours, Treanor has been preparing for this moment for a long time, she said.

“Coaches coach their whole life and never get to coach in the Final Four or the ACC,” Treanor said. “I’ve been able to coach and play at a very high level. That gives me a lot of confidence.”

Replacing Gait means that she doesn’t have to drastically change the program, she said. Instead, she can focus on “building upon the success” that Syracuse has already displayed in the last few seasons, she said.

Looking forward

During her press conference, Treanor said she wants athletes to enjoy their four years at Syracuse and win a national championship.

With her first goal, Treanor said Gait established a culture where players left the program thinking it was “the greatest four years” of their life. But the latter achievement is the most coveted, as Syracuse has been close to a national championship almost every season.

“My goal is to compete for championships every year,” Treanor said.

In order to make these dreams a reality, Treanor mentioned the importance of recruiting and bringing in the needed pieces to get Syracuse over the championship hump. Treanor has a slight advantage while still playing lacrosse with the U.S. national team, she said. Being with the national program and seeing the young talent around the country allows Treanor to scout the best talent and recruit some of Syracuse’s next stars.

Published on June 23, 2021 at 5:48 pm

Contact Anish: asvasude@syr.edu | @anish_vasu