Taylor Woolard has been elevated to associate head coach of the Youngstown State women's lacrosse program, head coach Rob Harris announced.

Woolard joined the Penguins as an assistant coach in August 2023 after spending three seasons as the head women's lacrosse coach at Division II Converse University.

"I brought Taylor here not to be an assistant, but to bring her knowledge as a head coach and apply that to this program to make an immediate impact," Harris said. "Her vision for this program has already made a difference, and it is clear that this program still has more to benefit from having Taylor here at YSU."

In 2023, Woolard led the Converse Valkyries to their first postseason appearance since 2019, leading three student-athletes to All-Conference honors. Under her leadership, Converse was ranked top-25 in the nation in numerous statistical categories: assists per game (20th), draw controls per game (22nd), and caused turnovers per game (24th).

Harris continued, "Taylor brings a complimentary experience to my background, allowing our players to get a complete experience to help them become a well-rounded individual both on and off the field. With one semester under our belts, it is clear that the Youngstown community will be proud of the great things Taylor will accomplish at YSU."

Prior to leading the Valkyries, Woolard served as an assistant coach at Earlham College in Richmond, Ind. where she oversaw the program's defensive system and created practice plans and scouting reports among many other duties.

Before Woolard's stint at Earlham, she was the assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Ferrum College. During her time with the Panthers, she helped lead three student-athletes to USA South All-Conference honors. In addition, three earned IWLCA academic honors while one player earned an All-Sportsmanship team selection.

Prior to joining the NCAA, Woolard led the Hanover High School women's lacrosse team in 2017. The Hawks finished with a 9-8 overall record under her leadership with 14 players garnering all-conference honors and four being tabbed as all-region selections. Before serving the Hawks as head coach, Woolard served as the program's defensive coordinator and assistant coach during the 2014-16 seasons.

As a student-athlete, Woolard spent one season as a defender with Lynchburg College in 2013. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree in philosophy with minors in business and criminal justice from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2015.