Taylor Marshall was announced as the new assistant coach of Winthrop’s women’s lacrosse team. Marshall, an assistant coach at Florida Tech the past two years, joins head coach Julika Blankenship who is entering her third year as Winthrop’s head lacrosse coach. Blankenship has high praise for her new assistant.
“Taylor brings tremendous enthusiasm and knowledge of the game. She is no stranger to success, having helped her program to two consecutive NCAA appearances. Taylor brings the kind of leadership and energy that this young team will thrive on,” Blankenship said.
Perhaps Marshall brings defensive knowledge to the team from her past career. Before her coaching career began she played in 53 games as a defender for the Detroit Mercy Titans. During her four years she recorded 39 ground balls, 15 draw controls and 24 caused turnovers. She earned All-Conference honors her sophomore year and helped the Titans make the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship three seasons in a row (where Marshall earned an All-Tournament selection as a senior).
While at Florida Tech, Marshall coached the defense and goalies, producing incredible results. Her defense notably led all Division II schools in caused turnovers last season, averaging 15.9 per game. This is an encouraging statistic for Winthrop who ranked 38th among Division I schools in the same category last year, averaging only 9.15 caused turnovers per game.
Marshall is fired up about Winthrop and ready to get to work. “This program has had a lot of success and their positive team culture is really significant and enthralling. I can’t wait to be a part of it all, share my passion and help them grow,” Marshall said.
During the program’s six years of existence, Winthrop’s women’s lacrosse team has had four winning seasons. In 2015 and 2016 they won back-to-back Big South Conference Championships, securing a berth in the NCAA Tournament both years. Last season the Eagles finished with a record of 14-6 but came one game shy of winning the Big South Tournament.
Winthrop has a lot to be excited about regarding the women’s lacrosse team and the addition of assistant coach Taylor Marshall should only increase optimism for this upcoming season.
