IWLCA Announcement
 
NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – Slippery Rock University women's lacrosse assistant coach Jordan Anderson was named the NCAA Division II winner of the 2025 Outstanding Assistant Coach Award when the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association announced a trio of national honorees Thursday.
 
Anderson is joined by NCAA Division I winner Gabby Capuzzi Solomon from the United States Naval Academy and NCAA Division III winner Nicky Clauter from York College as the three winners of the 2025 Outstanding Assistant Coach Award.
 
The award recognizes the outstanding dedication, hard work and sportsmanship of assistant coaches in making a distinct impact on the success of their teams. Anderson and her fellow winners will be recognized formally at an awards luncheon Nov. 19 during the IWLCA Convention in St. Petersburg, Florida.
 
"Jordan has a hand in every aspect of our program," said SRU head coach Taryn Burkholder. "From leadership and player development to operations and team culture, Jordan's dedication and innovative approach continue to push our program forward. It has been an honor to watch her grow as a coach."
 
Anderson finished her fourth season as an assistant coach at Slippery Rock last spring and is set to enter her fifth season with the program in 2026. She has played an integral role in every facet of the team's development. During her tenure, Slippery Rock has won at least 10 games in all four seasons and has posted a 53-21 overall record, including a 32-14 record in PSAC West play, while producing 25 All-PSAC selections, 11 IWLCA All-Region honorees and seven All-Americans.
 
In 2025, The Rock set a program record for wins on the way to an 18-3 overall record, went undefeated in PSAC West play (10-0), knocked off undefeated No. 1 seed West Chester to win the first Atlantic Region title in program history and reached the national semifinals. Burkholder and Anderson have been recognized as the Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year in each of the last two seasons.
 
Anderson's influence extends far beyond the field. She works with the defense and goalies, mentoring standout players who earned top accolades in 2025, including the PSAC Defensive Player of the Year Paige Jenkins, multiple All-Conference and All-Region selections, and four USA Lacrosse All-Americans. Under her guidance, Slippery Rock ranked seventh nationally in caused turnovers per game and 10th in scoring defense while goalie Lily Ventresca set a new single-season SRU record for wins.
 
"I am incredibly honored to receive the Outstanding Assistant Coach award," said Anderson. "I want to say thank you to the committee and to the coaches that nominated me. This recognition reflects the hard work, dedication and passion I strive for every day. I am proud to represent The Rock and am grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a committed program and coaching staff, and I share this honor with all of our players and staff."
 
Beyond coaching, Anderson serves as recruiting coordinator, manages team logistics, oversees budgets, organizes fundraising initiatives that generated more than $35,000 last year, and collaborates with the strength coach to develop comprehensive training programs. Her commitment to academics has also helped Slippery Rock earn the PSAC Team GPA Award for owning the highest GPA of all women's lacrosse teams in the conference for four consecutive years.
 
"Our players went crazy when we told them that coach Anderson was winning this award," says Burkholder. "That should tell you everything you need to know about how important she is to our team and how much of an impact she has on our program."
 
Burkholder and Anderson will attend the IWLCA Convention in November, where Anderson will be formally presented with the award.
 
 
 
 
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