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Tanya Kotowicz
anya Kotowicz enters her seventh season as the Quinnipiac women's lacrosse head coach in 2022-23.
During the 2022 campaign, the Bobcats had the MAAC's best defense by total goals, allowing 197 on the campaign. They were led by All-MAAC second team goalkeeper Kat Henselder, who led the league in saves per game (10.44) and was second in both goals-against average (12.11) and save percentage (.476).
Quinnipiac's defenders clamped down on opposing offenses as well, finishing with the second-most caused turnovers per contest in the 2022 campaign at 8.88.
The Bobcats won three of their first four contests to begin the 2022 campaign, including a 13-12 victory over Patriot League foe, Boston University.
The All-MAAC 2021 campaign saw the Bobcats lead the league in points per game on the offensive end, finishing with 19.58 per contest. They were also second in assists per game (5.83) and third in scoring offense (13.75).
Quinnipiac earned three, all-league selections in Megan Szawlowski, Sophia Iaccino and Julia Steneck. Maddie Noel and Kalie Moore joined Steneck on the MAAC's All-Rookie team.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the 2020 spring season, Kotowicz and the Bobcats posted three wins, including a 16-11 victory against Old Dominion, the program's first win against a BIG EAST opponent. Again the Bobcats brought in a first year class that made an immediate impact. Midfielder Desiree Kleberg was named MAAC Rookie of the Year twice, and midfielder Sophia Iaccino won the award once.
In 2019, the Bobcats won five games and two in the MAAC. Quinnipiac brought in a successful first year class, which included midfielders Gabby Beckett and Maddie Deegan. Both were named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team for their first campaigns in Hamden. The Bobcats also led the nation in IWLCA Zag Sports Academic Honor Roll selections with 14.
Quinnipiac continued to improve under Kotowicz's watch in 2018, finishing the season with five wins (one more than her first season with the team). One of the bright spots of the season was Kiera Kelly being crowned the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, Quinnipiac's first major award winner since joining the MAAC. Kelly was also a two-time All-ECAC First Team selection and led the nation with 60 caused turnovers.
In her first season with the team, the Bobcats put together their most-successful season in years as she led the program to four wins (all by one-goal margins) including the team's first MAAC Tournament appearance since joining the league in 2013-14. Despite being picked to finish last in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, Kotowicz guided a team that had won just four conference games in their first three seasons in the MAAC (2014-16) to a 3-5 league record in 2017 and the No. 6 seed in the 2017 MAAC Tournament. Her team overcame three-goal second half deficits to win three times in 2017 while she helped guide Kiera Kelly to become the program's first-ever All-ECAC First Team honoree.
Kotowicz came to Quinnipiac with a wealth of NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse coaching experience, most recently as the head coach at Central Connecticut State University for the 2015 and 2016 seasons. Before being hired as CCSU’s head coach, Kotowicz was the first assistant at Yale from 2012 through 2014 and Hofstra from 2008 through 2012. Before taking the position at Hofstra, Kotowicz was the head coach at Quinnipiac’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Marist in 2008 and an assistant at Saint Mary’s College of California from 2006 to 2008.
While at Central Connecticut State, Kotowicz’s program featured eight All-Northeast Conference players, including five last season. In her first season, the Blue Devil defense led the NEC allowing only eight goals per game in conference games. In addition, Kotowicz’s Blue Devils were honored as an IWLCA Division I NCAA Academic Honor Squad in 2015 and 2016 and this past season they featured 17 NEC Spring Academic Honor Roll selections.
Prior to her stint at CCSU, Kotowicz helped Yale’s program double its winning percentage over a two-year period while also coordinating the Ivy League’s top scoring defense in 2014. Kotowicz’s recruiting class at Yale included five All-Americans and one All-American honorable mention. At Hofstra, Kotowicz was part of the coaching staff of a Pride program that ranked in the Top 20 in the IWLCA National Polls in 2010 and 2011 while also featuring a pair of Regional and National All-Americans in 2008 and 2011. In addition, Kotowicz helped develop two student-athletes who were selected to participate as members of the United States National Team in 2009 and 2011.
In her only season as the head coach at Marist, Kotowicz led the Red Foxes to the program’s first MAAC Championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance. She assumed the role after serving as an assistant at Marist in 2005 and 2006.
Kotowicz has also been involved with England’s National Team, as a team selector, as well as an assistant coach with the MAAC All-Star Team that traveled to Japan in 2006 and the USA Athletes International Team in Australia in 2010. In 2013, she competed with Team Germany at the FIL Women’s Lacrosse World Cup.
A native of Hicksville, N.Y., Kotowicz was a two-time team captain in 2004 and 2005 at the University of Connecticut, leading the program to an ECAC Championship in 2005 as the Huskies ranked 15th in the country. She was a four-time BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete and four-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star at UConn. She currently holds a bachelor’s degree in human development and family studies from UConn and a master’s degree in physical education from Hofstra. This past summer she served as assistant general manager for the Long Island Sound, helping the team win the inaugural United Women’s Lacrosse League Championship.
Kotowicz earned a Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership from Quinnipiac in 2020.
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