Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Rutgers University Women's Lacrosse
Hale Center - 1 Scarlet Knights Way Piscataway, NJ 08854

Division 1 New Jersey Northeast

Public Very Large National competitor

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Coaches

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Melissa Lehman

Melissa Lehman enters her fifth year as head coach of Rutgers women's lacrosse in 2023-24. In just four seasons, Lehman has led the Scarlet Knights to two NCAA Tournament appearances after RU qualified for just one in its previous 43 years as a varsity program. Under Lehman's guidance, Rutgers has produced 13 All-Big Ten selections, 11 All-Region picks and has landed nine student-athletes on All-America lists.

A native of the Garden State, Lehman was named the seventh head coach in program history on June 17, 2019 after she served as associate head coach and assistant coach at Penn from 2009-2019, helping the Quakers to 10 NCAA Tournament berths and eight Ivy League titles. Since her arrival. Lehman has earned both Big Ten (2022) and IWLCA Mid-Atlantic Region (2022) coach of the year accolades.

Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country this past spring, Rutgers finished with eight victories and its third consecutive Big Ten Tournament Semifinal appearance during the 2023 campaign. The Scarlet Knights picked up wins against three ranked opponents – No. 6 Stony Brook, No. 16 Johns Hopkins, and No. 19 Jacksonville – and closed the season receiving votes in the final IWLCA Coaches Poll - its third consecutive season appearing in the final IWLCA rankings.

Standouts Meghan Ball and Cassidy Spilis continued to excel under Lehman's guidance, with both earning All-America laurels for the third consecutive season. Ball was named both Big Ten and ECAC Defender of the Year, while Spilis repeated as a First Team All-Big Ten selection in the midfield. Ball, Spilis and Marin Hartshorn earned All-Region accolades for the third consecutive season, as Spilis surpassed current assistant coach Taralyn Naslonski as the school's all-time goal scorer with 192 during her collegiate career. Ball, Hartshorn, Spilis and Ashley Campo all represented RU as all-conference picks to close out the campaign.

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Allyson Heavens

A former Big Ten standout, Allyson Heavens enters her fifth season as an assistant coach with Rutgers women's lacrosse in 2023-24. In her first four seasons "On the Banks", Heavens has helped the program to two NCAA Tournament appearances after RU qualified for just one in its previous 43 years. With Heavens' help, 13 Scarlet Knights have earned All-Big Ten recognition, 11 have secure All-Region status and nine have landed on All-America lists.

As the program's defensive coordinator, Heavens has mentored three All-Big Ten defensive standouts - Meghan Ball, Jessica Beneducci and Dana Pena. Ball established herself as one of the best defenders in the country this past season, earning All-America laurels for the third consecutive year. The 2023 Big Ten and ECAC Defender of the Year, a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection and a First Team IWLCA All-Region pick, Ball led the conference in caused turnovers per game (3.53) and ground balls per game (3.00), finishing second and 12th, respectively, in both categories nationally.

Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country this past spring, Rutgers finished with eight victories and its third consecutive Big Ten Tournament Semifinal appearance during the 2023 campaign. The Scarlet Knights picked up wins against three ranked opponents – No. 6 Stony Brook, No. 16 Johns Hopkins, and No. 19 Jacksonville – and closed the season receiving votes in the final IWLCA Coaches Poll - its third consecutive season appearing in the final IWLCA rankings.

Rutgers enjoyed its best season in program history in 2022 with Heavens on staff, as the Scarlet Knights finished with a program-record 16 victories and a final No. 10 ranking in the IWLCA Coaches poll - their highest final ranking ever. RU knocked off six ranked opponents for the second consecutive season and defeated No. 4 Northwestern to advance to its first Big Ten Tournament final. Rutgers finished 16th in thr country in scoring defense (10.19) and 19th in caused turnovers per game (9.29). Ball and Beneducci were pegged All-Big Ten, making it back-to-back season the Scarlet Knights finished with multiple defenders on the all-conference team.

Rutgers closed out the 2021 season with a final No. 14 ranking in the IWLCA Coaches Poll – its highest ranking since 2010. The Scarlet Knights picked up their first ever wins over Big Ten Conference foes Johns Hopkins, Maryland and Penn State and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals for just the second time since it began league play in 2015. RU advanced to the NCAA Tournament for just the second time since 1999 and earned a win in the first round over No. 10 Drexel for the program's first win in school history.

Heavens previously served as an assistant at La Salle from 2017-19, where she worked as the defensive coordinator for the Explorers during the past three seasons. Three defenders were All-Atlantic 10 selections under Heavens’ mentorship, including 2019 all-rookie defender Amanda Farnsworth. Heavens also worked as the program’s social media and recruiting coordinator.

A native of Garnet Valley, Pa., Heavens played collegiately at Penn State from 2013-16, where she helped the Nittany Lions to an NCAA Final Four appearance as a senior captain in 2016. Penn State muscled 14 victories during her senior campaign en route to the program’s first trip to an NCAA semifinal since 1999. That season, Heavens started all 21 games on defense, collected 25 ground balls and caused 26 turnovers. Heavens also earned a Big Ten Championship in 2015 as a junior.

Heavens graduated from Penn State in 2016 with a degree in kinesiology.

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Taralyn Naslonski

Taralyn 'TT' Naslonski returns for her second season on staff and first as an assistant coach in 2024. One of the top scorers in program history and a 2022 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient, Naslonski previously served as a volunteer assistant last spring.

"I am ecstatic about TT becoming a full-time member of our staff," Lehman said. "TT demonstrated last year that she is one of the bright young minds in the sport. She is passionate about coaching and Rutgers University. We cannot wait to continue to work alongside her as we continue to take Rutgers lacrosse to the next level and build the program into a championship contender."

"Rutgers has such a special place in my heart and being able to continue to represent the 'Block R' as an assistant coach means everything to me," Naslonski said. "Working with Melissa and having the trust and support from the rest of the staff is truly an honor. This program has seen tremendous growth within the last few seasons and has set the standard for years to come."

Naslonski finished her career as the most prolific scorer in Rutgers women's lacrosse history. A consensus Second Team All-American by the IWLCA and Honorable Mention All-American by USA Lacrosse Magazine and IL Women, First Team IWLCA All-Region, First Team All-Big Ten selection and IWLCA Senior All-Star Game selection in 2022, Naslonski set program records for career points (226) and goals (187).

Naslonski set the RU record for points in a single season (90) while her 22 points in four career NCAA Tournament games made her the top postseason scorer in Rutgers history. Her performance on the field helped the Scarlet Knights to their best season in program history, as RU finished with its highest final ranking (No. 10) in the IWLCA Poll and a team-best 16 victories. Altogether Naslonski and the Scarlet Knights topped six nationally ranked teams, advanced to the Big Ten Tournament Final for the first time and produced their second-consecutive NCAA Tournament opening-round victory with a win over No. 23 Saint Joseph's.

A two-time team captain, Naslonski finished her collegiate career as a two-time All-Big Ten selection and two-time IWLCA All-Region pick. The Randolph, New Jersey, native was also a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and earned back-to-back Big Ten Distinguished Scholar accolades.