The Youngstown State women's lacrosse program has named Taylor Woolard an assistant coach, head coach Rob Harris announced on Friday.

Woolard most recently spent three seasons as the head women's lacrosse coach at Division II Converse University. In 2023, she led the 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).

"Taylor is someone I completely trust to help build this program where we know it can be. She is a dedicated coach, mentor, and friend. Her love for lacrosse knows no limits and her players have all greatly benefited from their relationship with her. I am excited to get her to Youngstown so we can immediately get started working on achieving the goals of this program," Harris said. 

"Over the last handful of years I've gotten to watch Taylor's career blossom. She's done more with less than anyone I've known. She is a phenomenal coach, not just with her knowledge she shares, but her ability to empathize with each player on a deeper level. She will come to YSU and immediately make an impact."

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.