• Alma Mater (year at SRU): Niagara, 2012 (Sixth / Fifth as Head Coach)
• E-Mail: taryn.burkholder@sru.edu
• Office Phone: 724.738.4319
QUICK BIO
Taryn Burkholder was named the permanent head coach of the Slippery Rock women's lacrosse program in June of 2022 after serving as the interim head coach during the 2021-22 academic year.
The Buffalo-area native and 2012 Niagara University alumna will enter her sixth year at Slippery Rock in 2026 after coming to The Rock as an assistant coach prior to the 2021 season. Burkholder has elevated The Rock to one of the top programs in Division II during her time at SRU.
CAREER AT A GLANCE
• 53-21 (.716) at Slippery Rock after four seasons as head coach
• Has posted a .825 winning percentage (33-7) with two postseason appearances – including a spot in the 2025 national semifinals – over previous two years
• First coach in program history to lead The Rock to double-digit win totals in four consecutive seasons
• Has been named the PSAC West Coach of the Year in 2024 and 2025 while also heading the back-to-back IWLCA Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year
• One of just three active, and seven all-time, PSAC head coaches to have won 10 or more games in four consecutive seasons
• Has mentored 25 All-PSAC selections, 11 IWLCA All-Region honorees and seven All-Americans as SRU’s head coach
• Academically, Slippery Rock has posted the top team cumulative GPA of any PSAC lacrosse program during all four years of Burkholder’s reign with seven student-athletes earning CSC Academic All-America accolades
• Also served five seasons as a head coach at the Division III level
• Head coach at SUNY Morrisville from 2017-20
• Won two conference titles and made two NCAA Playoff appearances at Morrisville
• Head coach at Muskingum from 2016-17
• 75-56 (.573) overall record as a collegiate head coach
• Has coached at NCAA Division I, Division II and Division III levels
SEASON-BY-SEASON BREAKDOWN
2025
• Led Slippery Rock to the best season in program history as The Rock went 18-3 overall and 10-0 inside the PSAC West.
• SRU won the PSAC West regular season title, made to the PSAC Tournament championship game, captured an Atlantic Region championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament semifinals.
• Slippery Rock finished the year ranked No. 6 in the final IWLCA Division II national poll and No. 5 in the final USA Lacrosse Magazine national poll, marking the highest rankings in program history.
• The Rock’s NCAA Tournament berth was the first in program history.
• Burkholder repeated as the PSAC West Coach of the Year while the IWLCA bestowed Burkholder and assistant Jordan Anderson with Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors.
• The Rock set program records with eight All-PSAC honorees, including defender Paige Jenkins, who became the first SRU player to be named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year.
• Nicole Masi, Leora Owings, Isabella Buono, Grace Rotter, Reagan Richeson, Amelia Nitsche and Abby Fink garnered all-conference recognition as well.
• SRU also set a program record with five players named to All-America teams, including Jenkins becoming the first player in program history to earn first team All-America status. She was joined by Owings, Masi, Rotter and Lily Ventresca in earning All-America honors.
• In addition to the excellence on the field, The Rock lacrosse program also maintained a team GPA above 3.70 this year to rank as one of the top academic programs in the country.
• Six players were named to CSC Academic All-District honors with Jenkins, Masi, Owings, Rotter, Nitsche and Erin Melcher being recognized. Melcher also took home the prestigious NCAA Elite 90 Award, presented to the athlete with the highest GPA competing at each of the NCAA Championship finals sites.
• Rotter, Jenkins, Masi and Owings went on to collect CSC Academic All-America recognition.
• Statistically, Slippery Rock ranked seventh in the nation caused turnovers per game (12.62), eighth in shots per game (34.05), 10th in scoring defense (8.62), 11th in draw control percentage (.587) and 15th in scoring margin (5.76).
2024
• Guided Slippery Rock to a 15-4 overall record, a 10-2 mark inside the PSAC an appearance in the semifinals of the PSAC Tournament for what was at the time the best season in program history.
• Slippery Rock set program single-season records for total wins, conference victories, home wins (8), total points (423), goals (286), assist (137) and draw controls (346).
• 15-6 victory over Lock Haven in the quarterfinals of the PSAC Tournament served as the program’s first conference tournament win.
• Burkholder earned her first PSAC West Coach of the Year award while she and assistant coach Jordan Anderson garnered IWLCA Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year recognition.
• Camryn Whipple (assists / 43), Charleigh Rondeau (draw controls / 190) and Gillian O'Rourke (goalie wins / 15) all set single-season program records.
• Whipple, Reondeau, O'Rourke, Brooke Wisniewski and Paige Jenkins was named first team All-PSAC West performers while Lauren Searles, Nicole Masi and Hailey Ohlsen earned second team honors.
• Jenkins, O’Rourke, Searles and Reondeau received All-Region honors, marking the first time in SRU lacrosse history that four student-athletes made All-Region in the same season.
• Six named to CSC At-Large Academic All-District, with Rondeau being tabbed as an Academic All-American for a third time.
• Rondeau was also named IWLCA D2 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
2023
• SRU went 10-7, marking its seventh 10-win season in program history, the second time the 10-win mark has been eclipsed in consecutive years.
• Charleigh Rondeau broke the all-time Slippery Rock record for draw controls, ending the season with 360, an average of 7.2 per game.
• Rondeau named PSAC West Lacrosse Athlete of the Year, while Lauren Searles was named first team and Leora Owings, Brooke Wisniewski and Nicole Masi made second team All-PSAC.
• Masi and Reondeau named to All-Region honors, marking just the fifth time in SRU lacrosse history that two student athletes made All-Region in the same season.
• Rondeau finished the year with 135 draw controls, averaging 8.44 per game, second highest in program history in both categories, only to her own records set a year prior.
• Four named to CSC At-Large Academic All-District, with Rondeau honored as a first team Academic All-American
2022
• Led SRU to double its win total in 2021 in her first year as head coach
• 10-win season marked just the sixth 10-win season in SRU history
• SRU averaged a program record 15.12 goals per game in 2022
• Five of the team’s seven total losses came by three goals or fewer
• SRU set single-season program records for goals (257), points (389), assists (132), shots (604) and draw controls (293) in 2022
• Emily Benham broke the SRU single-season scoring record and assist record
• Charleigh Rondeau broke the SRU single-season draw control record
• Four players were named to All-PSAC honors
• Emily Benham earned All-Region honors
THE ROCK IN THE CLASSROOM
• SRU won the PSAC Team GPA Award in 2021-22, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25 for having the highest team GPA among all women’s lacrosse teams in the league
• Slippery Rock has posted team GPAs of at least 3.653 in four consecutive academic years
• 18 student-athletes have been named to the CSC Academic All-District Team in addition to 26 IWLCA Honor Roll choices and 100 PSAC Scholar-Athlete selections
• Charleigh Rondeau was named to CSC Academic All-America honors three times, as well being tabbed the 2024 IWLCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year
• Grace Rotter, Paige Jenkins, Nicole Masi, Leora Owings all named to CSC Academic All-America Team in 2025.
CAREER PATH
• Began her coaching career as an assistant at her Alma Mater, Niagara, in 2013
• Became an assistant coach at Buffalo State for the 2014 season
• Served as an assistant coach at SUNY Morrisville in 2015, helping the team to a conference title and NCAA Playoff appearance
• Spent two years as the head coach at Muskingum
• Spent three years as head coach at SUNY Morrisville, going 28-16 with two conference titles and two trips to the NCAA Playoffs
• Became assistant coach at SRU in 2021 and interim head coach in 2022
• Had the interim tag removed following 2022 season
PLAYING CAREER
• Played Division I lacrosse as a defender at Niagara University
• Two-year team captain
• Played in 54 career games and started every game of sophomore, junior and senior seasons
PERSONAL
• West Seneca, New York native
• 2012 Niagara University graduate – degree in sports management
• Father was a longtime NCAA Division I ice hockey coach
COACHING TIMELINE
• 2013: Niagara University (assistant coach)
• 2014: Buffalo State University (assistant coach)
• 2015: SUNY Morrisville (assistant coach)
• 2016-17: Muskingum University (head coach)
• 2017-20: SUNY Morrisville (head coach)
• 2021: Slippery Rock University (assistant coach)
• 2022-Present: Slippery Rock University (head coach)
