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United States Naval Academy

Naval Academy Athletics
151 Cooper Rd. Annapolis, MD 21402
Division 1 Maryland Northeast
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Cindy Timchal

Hall of Fame head coach Cindy Timchal was named the first women's lacrosse coach at the United States Naval Academy on August 5, 2006, and in short order, has laid the foundation for a Navy program that is moving quickly in its quest to become a NCAA Division I power. Timchal, who is entering her 41st year as a head coach, is the NCAA's all-time leader in career wins (550) for division I women's college lacrosse. Additionally, her eight national titles are the eighth most by a coach in a women's sport in NCAA history, and the 26th most in all sports, men and women combined.


In her 15-plus seasons at the helm of the Midshipmen program, Navy has accumulated a terrific 227-71 (.762) record, won six Patriot League Championships and has advanced to seven NCAA Tournaments (2010, ’11, ’12, ‘13, ’17, ’18, ‘19). In 2017, Timchal and the Navy lacrosse team made history as it became the first Service Academy team from a women’s sport to advance to the NCAA Final Four. The Midshipmen followed the 2017 NCAA run with a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2018.


Finished the 2023 season 13-6 overall with a 6-3 record in the Patriot League. Women’s lacrosse finished as the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, advancing to the semifinals.


Freshman attacker Ava Yovino, who was selected to the Tewaaraton Award watch list, was named Honorable Mention All-American by Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine, while also being tabbed Second Team IWLCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region. Yovino joined Kelly Larkin (’20) as the only freshmen in program history to be named Inside Lacrosse All-American. Additionally, Yovino became the first freshman in program history to be named IWLCA All-Region.


Four (4) members of the Navy women's lacrosse team were named to the 2023 All-Patriot League Team with Athena Corroon, Leelee Denton, Emily Messinese, and Ava Yovino being selected to the first team. Additionally, Charlotte Ryan was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team. With Ryan’s selection, the Midshipmen have had at least one student-athlete selected to the All-Academic team each year there was a team since 2011 when the team was founded.


As a team, the Midshipmen have tallied 281 goals with 125 assists, while picking up 337 ground balls, winning 290 draw controls, and causing 181 turnovers. In conference games, Navy recorded 136 goals and 52 assists with 169 ground balls, 135 draw controls, and 97 caused turnovers.


Ava Yovino led the team with 92 points with a team-best 50 assists while adding 42 goals. She was joined atop the Navy leaderboard by Emily Messinese who led the squad with 49 goals, while adding 12 helpers for 61 points. Leelee Denton and Maggie DeFabio tied for third on the team with 45 points. Denton scored 40 goals with five helpers, while DeFabio notched 33 goals and 12 assists. Messinese and Yovino paced the team with eight hat tricks apiece, while Denton and DeFabio had seven and six, respectively.


Charlotte Ryan, Tori DiCarlo, Lola Leone, Lindsay Beardmore, and Isabelle Thornburg rounded out Navy’s double-digit point scorers. Ryan had 27 goals and 10 assists for 37 points, while DiCarlo (28g 5a) and Leone (30g 2a) had 33 and 32 points, respectively. Beardmore (12g 7a) and Thornburg (4g 9a) closed out the double-digit point performances with 19 and 13.


Defensively, Emma Richardell has logged nearly 1,125 minutes between the pipes for the Midshipmen. The sophomore goalkeeper notched 133 saves with 39 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers.


Athena Corroon led the team with 48 ground balls, while Richardell and Grace Peterson followed with 39 and 37 GBs. Corroon led the team with 30 caused turnovers, while Yovino followed with 20. Katie Golbranson and Erin Carson caused 18 and 17 turnovers, with Gabby Lavin, Peterson, and Messinese have registering 12, 11, and 11 CTs, respectively.


Additionally, Alyssa Daley led the team with 77 draw controls, while Messinese was second with 62 DC and Yovino added 51.


Navy spent eight weeks ranked in the ILWomen / IWLCA Division I Poll during the 2023 season, finishing the year ranked No. 25. The Mids entered the rankings at No. 25 (March 20), rising as high as No. 20 (April 3). In its history, Navy has been ranked 78 total weeks, including a stretch of 46 weeks from the final poll of 2017 (May 30) to April 5, 2021.


Following the 2023 season, nearly 100 of the nation's top women's lacrosse players were selected for tryouts for the 2024 U.S. Women's U20 National Team at the USA Lacrosse headquarters with midfielder Maggie DeFabio was among the 99 selected.


During the 2022 season, Navy registered a 15-5 overall record with a 7-2 mark in the Patriot League. The Mids finished as the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, but victories over American and Army lifted the Mids into the championship game.


At the Patriot League Tournament, the Midshipmen advanced to the championship with a 16-6 victory over rival Army, avenging a loss earlier in the season in the annual Star Game. With the win, every Navy varsity sport that played Army during the 2021-22 season (24 teams) won at least one game against its rival. The Mids finished 27-9 overall against the Black Knights, including a 20-4 mark in the overall Army-Navy Star Series, presented by USAA. In addition, the win against Army was Timchal's 550th career victory.


Earlier in the year, Navy won its 200th game in program history as the Midshipmen defeated Cal, 18-10, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in the season opener.


Six members of the Navy women's lacrosse team were named to the 2022 All-Patriot League Team, including four – Alexis Bell, Gil Eby, Christine Fiore, and Reagan Roelofs – selected to the first team. In addition, Roelofs was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team, while six women’s lacrosse players combined for nine Patriot League weekly honors.


For the second year in a row, Alexis Bell was named a finalist for the Yeardley Reynolds Love (YRL) Unsung Hero Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of student-athletes who help their teams achieve success in ways that may not be measured in goals, saves or ground balls. The award recipients exhibit leadership as a positive role model and are involved in community service.


The 2021 season saw the Midshipmen finish the season 8-4 overall with a 4-2 record in the Patriot League and a 2-2 mark in the Patriot League South Division. Four members of the Navy women's lacrosse team were named to the 2021 All-Patriot League Team, including three selected to the first team – Gil Eby, Christine Fiore, and Nicole Victory. In addition, three Navy women's lacrosse players were named to the Patriot League All-Academic team – Erin Carson, Caroline Kwon, and Victory. Ten (10) women’s lacrosse players combined for 19 Patriot League weekly honors


The Mids opened the 2021 season ranked #21 according to the IWLCA Coaches Poll. Navy was ranked for nine weeks of the season and 47 consecutive weeks dating back to the final poll of the 2017 season before dropping out of the rankings.


In 2020, Navy women’s lacrosse finished the season 2-4 overall in a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The season concluded prior to the Patriot League season.


Despite the shortened season, the Midshipmen finished the 2020 season ranked #21 according to the IWLCA Coaches Poll, extending their nationally rankings for 38 consecutive weeks, dating back to the final poll of the 2017 season.


Kelly Larkin was named Honorable Mention All-American by Inside Lacrosse, becoming a four-time All-American according to the publication. In addition, Larkin was named the winner of the Vice Admiral Lawrence Sword for Women, which is presented to that woman of the graduating class who is considered by the Association's Athletic Council to have personally excelled in women's athletics during her years of varsity competition.


Navy finished the 2019 season 16-5 overall and 8-1 in the Patriot League. For the third consecutive season (2017, ’18, ’19), the Navy women’s lacrosse team advanced to the NCAA Tournament, finishing the year in the second round. The 2019 season marked the first time in program history that the Midshipmen earned an at-large bid into the Tournament. The Mids won the NCAA First Round game for the third consecutive season, defeating #24 High Point, 16-5.


As a team, the 2019 squad finished in the program's top three in points (494), points per game (23.52), goals (323), assists (171), assists per game (8.14), shots (709), shots on goal (528), draw controls (358), draws per game (17.05), caused turnovers (188), and games played (21).


During the 2019 season, five members of the women's lacrosse team were named to the 2019 All-Patriot League Team, including four selected to the first team.


Kelly Larkin, a junior, became Navy and the Patriot League's all-time leader in points (346), while also becoming the first player in school and conference history with three 100-point seasons. Defensive captain Marie Valenti became the first player in Navy history (sixth in Patriot League history) with 100 or more caused turnovers (114), while also becoming the Mids' all-time leader in ground balls (181).


The Navy women’s lacrosse team advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight for the second consecutive season in 2018. Navy, who finished the year 18-4, ranked sixth in the final national polls, marking the second consecutive season that the Mids have finished the season ranked in the top 10.


During the year, Timchal recorded her 500th career victory, becoming the first Division I lacrosse head coach to amass 500 wins.


On April 14, Navy posted a 20-7 victory over Army West Point at Michie Stadium, marking the first time in women’s lacrosse that the Midshipmen and Black Knights competed against each other as part of the Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA.


As a team in 2018, Navy set the school record for points per game (24.41), goals (378), goals per game (17.18), draw controls (371), free-position goals (78), and saves (167), while ranking second in program history in points (537), assists (159), assists per game (7.23), shots (775), shots on goal (591), draw controls per game (16.86), and games played (22).


During the 2018 season, eight members of the women's lacrosse team were named to the 2018 All-Patriot League Team, four were tabbed All-American, and senior Jenna Collins was awarded the Vice Admiral Lawrence Sword for Women, which is presented to the woman of the graduating class who is considered by the Association's Athletic Council to have personally excelled in women's athletics during her years of varsity competition.


In 2017, the women’s lacrosse team finished the year 18-5 overall with an 8-1 record in the Patriot League. The Mids made their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the first appearance for Navy since 2013. The Midshipmen began their historic run, advancing to the NCAA Tournament after posting a 15-5 victory over top-seeded Loyola in the Patriot League Tournament. The win marked the team’s fifth championship and ended the Greyhounds’ 41-game winning streak against PL foes.


In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Navy defeated No. 7 Penn, 11-10, at Penn Park on Dunning-Cohen Champions Field in Philadelphia, Pa. With the win, the Midshipmen advanced to the second round of the Tournament for just the second time in school history. The victory over the No. 7 Quakers was the first win against a ranked opponent in Navy history. In addition, it was the second NCAA Tournament win for Navy in program history. Navy posted a 23-11 victory over UMass in the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the Mids to advance to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals for the first time in program history. The Mids defeated defending National Champions and No. 2 seed North Carolina, 16-14, to punch their ticket in to the first-ever Final Four appearance in school history.


As a team, Navy set the school record for points (545), goals (358), assists (187), shots attempted (805), shots on goal (607), ground balls (453), draw controls (364), caused turnovers (216), and games played (23). The Mids (18-5) finished one-win shy of tying the school records for wins in a season.


The 2017 Navy women’s lacrosse team finished the year ranked fourth in the final Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and sixth in the final IWLCA Coaches Poll. The rankings mark the first time in program history that the Mids have been ranked in the top 10 in either poll. It is the highest national ranking for any women’s team in school history.


Following the 2017 season, Timchal became one of six coaches inducted into the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) inaugural Hall of Fame class on Nov. 16, 2017.


In 2016, Navy returned to the Patriot League Championship for the second straight year. Earning the second seed in the league tournament, the Mids defeated No. 3 Boston University, 10-7. Navy looked to dethrone two-time league champion Loyola in the championship game, but felt short, 12-8, after a slow first-half start. The Mids finished the season with a 13-6 overall mark.


Timchal guided Navy back to the Patriot League Tournament Championship in 2015, following a year absence in 2014. The Mids cruised to the title game after decisive wins over Holy Cross (17-5) in the quarterfinals and Colgate (16-7) in the semifinals. Navy fell short of its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in six years as it lost to Loyola (Md.), 14-9, in Baltimore. The Mids capped off their season with 19-11 win over ACC foe Virginia Tech finish the season 15-5.


In 2013, Navy went to its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament, following a fourth-straight Patriot League title. The Mids went 6-0 in conference play to extend their unbeaten streak in the regular season to 12. Navy hosted the Patriot League Tournament for the second straight season, following its second Patriot League Regular Season title. The Mids defeated Lafayette (9-8) in the semifinals and Holy Cross (14-4) in the championship game.


The 2012 team advanced to a third straight NCAA Tournament after winning its third Patriot League title game. The Mids posted a 6-0 record during conference play to earn their first outright Patriot League Regular Season title and hosting duties for the postseason tournament. Navy breezed through the four-team tournament, outscoring its opponents by a score of 32-18.


The Mids received a challenging draw following the league title with a NCAA Play-In Game at MPSF-Champion Oregon. Navy rallied from a late 9-7 deficit to defeat the Ducks in overtime, 10-9, to advance to the NCAA First Round where the team would fall to No. 5 North Carolina, 14-7.


Navy finished the season ranked in the deBeer Media Poll for the third straight season in 2012, coming in at No. 19 in the year-end poll. Jasmine DePompeo became Navy's first Academic All-American in 2012, earning third-team honors while also appearing on the IWLCA All-South Region squad for the second straight year.


The Mids posted an 18-3 overall record in 2012, setting a school and Patriot League record for most wins in a season. Timchal was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year for the first time in 2012.


During the 2012 season, Timchal became the first college lacrosse coach, at any level and either gender, to win 400 career games and also received word that she would be a member of the 2012 induction class to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.


The 2011 Navy squad proved that the program was poised to remain on the national scene. Upping its strength of schedule for the fourth-straight season, the Mids gained valuable experience by taking on top teams, including a home game against eventual national champion Northwestern.


The Mids entered the 2011 Patriot League Tournament as the No. 3 seed, but won two straight games, including rallying from a five-goal deficit to defeat top-seeded Colgate in the championship game.


After the Mids disposed of Quinnipiac in the NCAA Play-In Game, the 2011 season ended at top-ranked Maryland in the NCAA First Round. The Mids posted a 15-6 record in 2011.


Sophomore Jasmine DePompeo became the 54th All-American under Timchal after ranking third in the nation with 99 points scored.


It was a year of firsts in 2010, as Navy set a school and conference record with 17 victories, captured its first league tournament title and concluded the season ranked 19th nationally.


Along the way, the Mids broke their own Patriot League scoring record with 305 goals and produced both the program's first All-American, nation's leading scorer and conference player of the year in Erin Rawlick.


It had been over a decade (13 years to be exact) since a new program qualified for the NCAA Tournament faster than the three years it took Navy. In fact, only two programs ever earned national tournament bids faster, with one of those squads being Timchal's fledgling Northwestern team in 1983. Timchal became the first coach in collegiate women's lacrosse history to lead three different programs to the NCAA Tournament.


Year two saw Navy put together another 13-win season in 2009. The Mids produced four league all-stars and advanced to the program's first-ever Patriot League Championship Game.


During its inaugural Division I campaign in 2008, Timchal led Navy on a historic run which saw the Mids set an NCAA record for wins by a first-year program with 13 and earn their first Patriot League Tournament appearance.


When all was said and done, Timchal and an underclassmen-laden Navy squad, wrapped up the season at 13-4, including an 11-0 mark on its home turf, and as the owners of the second-ranked scoring offense in the nation. Her on-the-field impact was undeniable, as Navy produced the second-highest clip in NCAA history (16.65 goals per game).


In 2007, Timchal provided a glimpse into the bright future for that lie ahead for Midshipmen women's lacrosse by leading the Academy's club squad to an 18-5 mark, including its first win over a Division I opponent and a runner-up finish at the USL/WDIA National Tournament.


Timchal's coaching career got its start at Northwestern in 1982. During her nine-year tenure with the Wildcats, she compiled a 76-40 record (.655) while leading the program to five NCAA appearances. While at Northwestern, Timchal made it to the quarterfinals, earning appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 1983, '84, '86, '87, and '88. In 1991, she made the move to College Park to revive and renew the strong tradition of the University of Maryland lacrosse program.


Prior to her arrival at the storied program, Maryland’s last title had come in 1986, but almost immediately the Terrapins restored their reign atop the sport. Timchal's first year saw a 14-3 mark and a trip to the NCAA finals. By 1992, the lacrosse world sensed something special was on the horizon at Maryland. Despite being at a place with a rich history in lacrosse, few could have predicted that a dynasty so powerful was on the horizon. With a 14-1 record, the Terrapins took the 1992 national title – the third in school history.


The 1993 season would bring a heartbreaking 7-6 loss to the Princeton Tigers in the NCAA semifinals. The following year led to further frustration with the Tigers, as a 10-7 decision left the Timchal's squad just one win away from hoisting the trophy yet again. In 1995, however, Timchal and the Terps turned the tables on the competition.


After the three-goal loss to Princeton in 1994 finals, the Terps went on to win 50 straight games. Timchal led the 1995 squad to a 17-0 run ending in a 13-5 defeat of Princeton for the NCAA title. Maryland went undefeated again in 1996, finishing with a 19-0 record and a 10-5 decision over ACC rival Virginia to take home the hardware.


Wearing the label of back-to-back NCAA champions, Timchal's squad maintained its dominance, posting a 21-1 record and falling just one goal short of putting together its third consecutive undefeated season. The dynasty continued through the '98 season despite a pair of road ACC losses to begin the year. That season ended the same way as the previous three, however, with Timchal's Terrapins being crowned the NCAA champions once again, this time behind an 11-5 win over Virginia.


In 1999, from top-to-bottom, Timchal's crew personified excellence, as they produced yet another undefeated season at 21-0 and the program's fifth-straight national title. The 2000 season saw the Terps stumble out of the gate with an overtime loss at North Carolina, but the "machine" could not be stopped as Maryland went on to win its final 20 en route to their sixth title in a row. Following the 2000 season, Timchal was named the National Coach of the Year by both the IWLCA and E-Lacrosse. She was also tabbed as the IWLCA South Region Coach of the Year.


The 2001 season once again saw Maryland run through its schedule without a blemish as the Terps outlasted Georgetown in a gut-wrenching double-overtime thriller in the title game to finish 23-0. The 23 wins still stand as the most ever by a team in a single season.


Individually, her athletes have earned countless accolades and awards. Maryland had 21 first team All-Americans in her last nine years, and 13 players took home national offensive, defensive or goalkeeper of the year awards. Jen Adams became the first-ever winner of the Tewaaraton Trophy, which recognizes the top collegiate men's and women's player in the country, and Kelly Coppedge was a finalist in 2004 and 2005. In 1996, Kelly Amonte became the Terps' first four-time All-American, including first-team honors in 1995 and 1996.


From Kelly Amonte Hiller to Cathy Reese, Alex Kahoe to Alexis Venechanos, Jen Adams to Kelly Coppedge, the one constant amongst all of the great Maryland players was Timchal. In just five of her 16 seasons at College Park did Timchal lose more than three games in any one season, highlighted by spectacular undefeated runs in 1996 (19-0), 1999 (21-0) and 2001 (23-0). She took Terrapin teams to the NCAA finals in 11 seasons, including an unprecedented stretch of seven straight national championships – the third-longest championship streak in women's NCAA history. In addition, the run puts Timchal in the company of coaching legends like UCLA's John Wooden who won seven straight titles with the UCLA men's basketball program from 1967-73.


A total of 53 different student-athletes earned All-America recognition a total of 95 times under Timchal including Kelly Amonte Hiller's four, (1993-96), and three each for Betsy Elder (1992-94), Sarah Forbes (1995-97), Laura Harmon (1993-95), Sascha Newmarch (1996-98), Jen Adams (1999-2001) and Kelly Coppedge (2002-04). In 2005, Acacia Walker earned first team honors, Greta Sommers was named to the second team and Annie Collines was named third team All-America. Adams' third-consecutive selection as Player of the Year in 2000 marked the 10th time one of Timchal's players have earned National Player of the Year honors, including Amonte Hiller, who was named the 1996 NCAA Division I Most Valuable Player. When the ACC's 50th anniversary Women's Lacrosse Team was announced in 2002, Timchal was selected as the head coach of the squad and had coached 22 members of the team.


Nationally, 18 of Timchal's players have played on the U.S. Developmental team and five were members of the most recent championship U.S. World Cup team. Seven former Terrapins helped lead Australia to the 2005 World Cup title in Annapolis, including tournament MVP Sarah Forbes. All totaled, 13 Terps represented three countries at the World Cup.


Beyond the numbers, though, Timchal has done her part to revolutionize the sport of women's lacrosse. Timchal brought some of the most influential names in the sport through College Park, including former assistant and lacrosse legend Gary Gait, and Terrapin stars Cathy Nelson and Jen Adams.


In addition, former Maryland players have become a fixture on national teams and within the collegiate coaching ranks, demonstrating the breadth of Timchal's influence. In 1996, she introduced a new wrinkle to her vast coaching repertoire as she brought aboard the wisdom of California-based spiritual advisor and renowned author Dr. Jerry Lynch to enrich the minds of her student-athletes. That decision complemented the already high level of physical conditioning it takes to excel at the Division I level and has since become a widespread trend used throughout the world of sports.


Since her first days in coaching at Northwestern, Timchal's focus has always been on the experience. And as impressive as her on-field success has been, her greatest accomplishments have come off of it. Throughout her career, her athletes have set the bar within the classroom as eight athletes have garnered a total of 10 Academic All-America accolades. In 2010, Mary Ruttum (`10) became the first member of Navy's program to be named the Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Jasmine DePompeo (’13) became the first Mid to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors when she was named to the third team in 2012.


Her dedication to her players has inspired a remarkable number of them to follow her into the coaching ranks. Twenty (20) of her former Maryland players patrol the sidelines on coaching staffs across the country, including Kelly Amonte Hiller (Northwestern head coach), Jen Adams (Loyola head coach), Kerstin Kimel (Duke head coach), Cathy Reese (Maryland head coach) and Karen McCrate (head coach of 2001 NCAA D-II Champion C.W. Post). Timchal's coaching tree also extends outside the sport and into field hockey, where former player Jennifer Averill has won three national titles at Wake Forest. She also served as a mentor to former Dartmouth head coach Amy Patton at Unionville High School.


Timchal, a graduate of Haverford High School, lettered in lacrosse, tennis and track and field at West Chester (Pa.) University before beginning a now legendary career coaching lacrosse at Unionville High School, where she coached field hockey, lacrosse and basketball. In 1979, she joined the collegiate ranks, becoming an assistant lacrosse and field hockey coach at the University of Pennsylvania.


Altogether, Timchal is a member of eight different halls of fame.


In 2012, Timchal was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and in 2017, she became an inaugural member of the IWLCA Hall of Fame.


In 2000, Timchal was inducted into the Haverford High School Hall of Fame. In 2004, she was inducted into the West Chester (Pa.) University's Hall of Fame. In 2009, Timchal was inducted into the Delaware County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Timchal is also a member of two US Lacrosse Hall of Fame Chapters: The Philadelphia/Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter (2002) and the Potomac Chapter (2006). Timchal was inducted into the University of Maryland Hall of Fame in 2012.

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Gabby Capuzzi Solomon

Gabby Capuzzi Solomon returned to Annapolis for as the associate head coach in July 2023. Capuzzi Solomon was a member of the Navy women’s lacrosse coaching staff for six years (2015-20) before returning to her alma mater Ohio State University from July 2020 through the 2023 campaign.


Capuzzi Solomon, a four-year letter winner from 2009-12 and assistant coach from 2012-14 with the Buckeyes, spent six seasons at Navy, where she held the titles of assistant coach (2015-18) and associate head coach (2019-20). Capuzzi Solomon’s primary focus was on Navy’s defense, while she also had an active role in recruiting.


Additionally, Capuzzi Solomon served a term as the Division I representative for the IWLCA Board of Directors from 2020-23.


A Second-Team All-American during her time with the Scarlet and Gray, Capuzzi Solomon led the Buckeyes with 42 goals, 52 draw controls, 38 ground balls and 31 caused turnovers in 2012. She ended her career as the program’s leader in draw controls (166), owning two of the top-10 single-season records in that category.


Following her playing days, Capuzzi Solomon remained with the program for the 2013 and 2014 seasons as an assistant coach. She served as the Buckeyes’ offensive coordinator and draw specialist. In 2014, Capuzzi Solomon helped Ohio State finish 13-7 and earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.


Over her six seasons at Navy, the Midshipmen won 80 games and in 2017 became the first Service Academy team from a women’s sport to advance to the NCAA Final Four. Navy won Patriot League titles in 2017 and ’18 and registered at least 13 wins in every full season it played during Capuzzi Solomon’s tenure.


Despite the shortened season, the Midshipmen finished the 2020 campaign ranked No. 21 in the IWLCA Coaches Poll, extending their streak to 38 consecutive weeks in the national polls, dating back to the final rankings of the 2017 season.


Capuzzi Solomon coached Navy student-athletes to a pair of Tewaaraton Award Nominations (top 25 finalist), eight All-America selections (two IWLCA, six Inside Lacrosse), seven IWLCA All-Region accolades and three Patriot League Midfielder of the Year awards. A total of 17 student-athletes garnered 28 All-Patriot League honors between 2015-19. Her impact on Navy’s program was immediate: in 2015, her first season, Navy ranked 10th in the country in scoring defense at 7.75 goals per game. The Mids held 13 of their 20 opponents under 10 goals and 10 players finished with 10 or more caused turnovers. Under Capuzzi Solomon, Navy recorded three of the top-5 seasons in school history for caused turnovers and two of the three best performances for ground balls. In 2017 and ‘18, the Mids set the school record for draw controls.


Following the 2017 campaign, Capuzzi Solomon competed as part of Team Italy in the FIL Rathbones Women’s Lacrosse World Cup in England. She finished with 29 goals – tied for most in the tournament – to help Italy to an 11th place finish in its first World Cup. The next year, Capuzzi Solomon led the New England Command to the inaugural Women’s Professional Lacrosse League (WPLL) championship title with a 12-11 victory over the top-seeded Baltimore Brave at Tierney Field at the US Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Md.


Capuzzi Solomon returned to Ohio State as the associate head coach for three seasons (2021-23). In 2021, the Buckeyes played a Big Ten-only schedule, with the slate highlighted by sweeps of a two-game series against both Michigan and Penn State. Three Buckeyes earned All-Midwest Region honors and All-Big Ten accolades, led by first team choice Liza Hernandez. The following season, Ohio State was 9-7 overall with a pair of All-Region selections and four All-Big Ten honorees. The 2023 Buckeyes faced one of the toughest schedules in the nation and ended 5-12. The squad was led by Jamie Lasda, an All-Big Ten selection, and goalie Regan Alexander, who was among the NCAA leaders in saves and save percentage.


Academically, the Buckeyes’ produced 37 Ohio State Scholar-Athletes each season Capuzzi Solomon was associate head coach. In addition, the 2021 squad had 24 Academic All-Big Ten honorees and 14 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars, while the 2022 team registered 25 Academic All-Big Ten selections and 10 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars.


After earning her bachelor’s degree in strategic communication with a minor in media production and analysis from Ohio State in 2012, Capuzzi Solomon went on to graduate with a master of science in sports administration and leadership from Duquesne University in June of 2014. She completed a graduate certificate in public management from Ohio State’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs in Spring of 2022.


Her husband, Greg Solomon, was a catcher for the Ohio State baseball team from 2011-13. The couple has one son, Santino.

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Brooke Shriver

Brooke Shriver joined the Navy women’s lacrosse program as the associate head coach in August of 2021. In her role, Shriver works with the Midshipmen’s defense and midfielders, as well as having an active role in recruiting.


Finished the 2023 season 13-6 overall with a 6-3 record in the Patriot League. Women’s lacrosse finished as the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, advancing to the semifinals.


Four (4) members of the Navy women's lacrosse team were named to the 2023 All-Patriot League Team with defender Athena Corroon, attacker Leelee Denton, midfielder Emily Messinese, and midfielder Ava Yovino being selected to the first team. Additionally, attacker Charlotte Ryan was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team.


Defensively, Emma Richardell has logged nearly 1,125 minutes between the pipes for the Midshipmen. The sophomore goalkeeper notched 133 saves with 39 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers. Corroon led the team with 48 ground balls, while Richardell and Grace Peterson followed with 39 and 37 GBs. Corroon led the team with 30 caused turnovers, while Yovino followed with 20. Katie Golbranson and Erin Carson caused 18 and 17 turnovers, with Gabby Lavin, Peterson, and Messinese have registering 12, 11, and 11 CTs, respectively.


Additionally, Alyssa Daley led the team with 77 draw controls, while Messinese was second with 62 DC and Yovino added 51.


Navy spent eight weeks ranked in the ILWomen / IWLCA Division I Poll during the 2023 season, finishing the year ranked No. 25. The Mids entered the rankings at No. 25 (March 20), rising as high as No. 20 (April 3). In its history, Navy has been ranked 78 total weeks, including a stretch of 46 weeks from the final poll of 2017 (May 30) to April 5, 2021.


Following the 2023 season, nearly 100 of the nation's top women's lacrosse players were selected for tryouts for the 2024 U.S. Women's U20 National Team at the USA Lacrosse headquarters with Navy midfielder Maggie DeFabio was among the 99 selected. Shriver joined DeFabio in Sparks, Md. as one of the U20 National Team evaluators.


During the 2022 season, Navy registered a 15-5 overall record with a 7-2 mark in the Patriot League. The Mids finished as the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament, but victories over American and Army lifted the Mids into the championship game.


Six members of the Navy women's lacrosse team were named to the 2022 All-Patriot League Team, including four – Alexis Bell, Gil Eby, Christine Fiore, and Reagan Roelofs – selected to the first team. In addition, Roelofs was named to the Academic All-Patriot League team, while six women’s lacrosse players combined for nine Patriot League weekly honors.


Defensively, the Mids picked up 393 ground balls, won 309 draw controls, caused 162 turnovers, and tallied 168 saves. Christine Fiore grabbed a team-high 45 ground balls, while Grace Loughery added 42. Gil Eby and Jo Torres picked up 34 GBs apiece, while Alexis Bell added 30 ground balls. Alexis Bell led the team with 25 caused turnovers, while Grace Loughery, Erin Carson, and Christine Fiore followed with 23, 20, and 16 CTs. Jo Torres led the team with 155 of Navy's 168 saves in 1,199 and a half minutes of action. Torres earned 14 victories with a 47.7 save percentage and a 9.12 goals against average. Emma Richardell was second on the team with a victory in nine appearances with 13 saves, a 61.9 save percentage, and a 6.37 GAA in just over 75 minutes of action.


Prior to joining the Navy women’s lacrosse staff, Shriver was an assistant athletic director and varsity lacrosse coach for the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Md. She helped the Mawrtians to a 21-17 overall record in four seasons, which included a shortened season due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to her coaching responsibilities, Shriver served as a scheduling coordinator for all sports. She scheduled all games for all teams, as well as organized and planned athletic-wide events, including NLI Signing Day, sports assemblies and spirit days. Shriver also ran a leadership program for team captains of every sport and led discussions on ways to improve leadership.


Shriver served as an assistant coach for the USA U-19 Women’s Lacrosse Team (2018-19), helping the U.S. win the gold medal at the 2019 World Cup Championship in Peterborough, Ontario. Shriver primarily coached the defense and assisted with scouting and film breakdown sessions.


Shriver worked as an assistant coach at Penn State for five years (2012-17). She helped lead the team to an overall record of 71-31 with five NCAA Tournament appearances, including four NCAA Quarterfinals (2013, ’15, ’16, ’17) and a pair of Final Fours (2016, ’17). Penn State won the 2015 B1G Tournament Championship, while earning a share of the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC) regular-season title and reaching the ALC Tournament semifinal game in 2013.


In 2017, Penn State went 17-4, finishing second in the Big Ten and securing the second-most victories in program history, reaching the NCAA Final Four for the second straight season. The Nittany Lions had three IWLCA All-Americans during the 2017 season including the program’s 43rd first-team All-American, Steph Lazo, and the first in 13 seasons. Katie O’Donnell and Madison Carter earned second-team recognition.


The Nittany Lions set program records for goals with 303 and points with 427 while their 124 assists were the second-most in a single-season in program history. Penn State earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and hosted the first three rounds and advanced to the Final Four at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.


In 2016, Penn State went 14-7 finishing second in the Big Ten. The squad earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and caught fire outscoring their opponents 38-23 en route to the Final Four, bowing out to eventual National Champion North Carolina, 12-11. Madison Carter was the 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, while two players earned IWLCA All-America status and five earned IWLCA All-Region accolades. Penn State finished fourth in the final IWLCA national poll.


During the 2015 season, the Nittany Lions posted a 16-5 mark, capturing the Big Ten Tournament Championship. Penn State went 13-1 late in the season to reach the NCAA Quarterfinals. PSU had three IWLCA All-Americans, six IWLCA All-Region players, and five All-Big Ten honorees including Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year Emi Smith.


Prior to Penn State, Shriver served as an assistant coach at Mount St. Mary's. In 2012, she helped The Mount win eight games and reach the Northeast Conference championship game.


Collegiately, Shriver was a four-year starting midfielder for Northwestern (2008-11). She was a part of 85 wins, three national championships (2008, ‘09, ‘11) and four American Lacrosse Conference titles (2008, ’09, ’10, ’11). She finished her career with 106 points (88 goals, 18 assists), including a career-high 32 (25 goals, 7 assists) in her senior season, 74 ground balls, 34 draw controls and 18 caused turnovers. Appearing in four-consecutive NCAA Championship contests, Shriver totaled 14 goals in 16 NCAA postseason games. An excellent student, Shriver was a three-time ALC Academic Honor Roll and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, and a two-time recipient of the Big Ten Distinguished Honors Scholar Award (2009, ’10).


She received a degree in communication studies from Northwestern in 2011, and went on to earn her master’s degree in education leadership from Penn State in 2016.


A native of Baltimore, Md., Shriver gained experience as a coach with the Wildcat Elite Club, TLC Lacrosse and at the Amonte Sports Lacrosse Camps. The former Brooke Matthews is married to David Shriver, who is an assistant men’s lacrosse coach at Georgetown. The couple has one son, Lane, and currently resides in Annapolis.

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Taylor Pinzone

Taylor Pinzone, who was part of two Final Four teams at Northwestern before earning First-Team All-Pac 12 honors at Arizona State, joined the Navy women’s lacrosse coaching staff as an assistant coach in October of 2023.


Pinzone came to the Naval Academy after spending a season at Cornell with the women’s lacrosse coaching staff as an assistant coach. She coached the offensive side of the ball, while also working with the Big Red draw control unit. During the 2023 season, the Big Red posted top 10 season marks in goals (193, ninth), draw controls (220, second) and free position goals (50, fourth).


Prior to Cornell, Pinzone coached with the Mass Elite Club Lacrosse program beginning in 2015, while also doing personal instruction and training. Experienced in skill evaluation and assessment, as well as practice planning and execution and skill level evaluation, she served as an instructor at Northwestern coach Kelly Almonte Hiller’s camps and clinics as an undergraduate.


A 2022 First-Team All-PAC 12 and PAC-12 All-Tournament selection in the midfield at Arizona State as a graduate transfer, Pinzone ranked third on the team in scoring (41g, 13a, 54pts), draw controls (42), ground balls (30) and caused turnovers (20) while pacing the team in free position goals (10). She earned National Player of the Week honors from Inside Lacrosse after leading ASU to a win at Rutgers. Upon graduation, she earned an invitation to compete at the IWLCA Senior All-Star Game.


Her Arizona State experience came on the heels of an excellent four-year career at Northwestern, posting 34 goals and six assists in 50 games, including two starts. She helped lead the team to a pair of NCAA Final Four appearances with two Big Ten Tournament and one conference regular-season crown. She was chosen as a three-time Academic All-Big Ten pick and captured league freshman of the week accolades once.


Pinzone, a 2021 graduate of Northwestern with a degree in Communication Studies, earned a Master's in Leadership and Management from Arizona State in 2022.

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