Kayla Treanor Aims to Capitalize on Penn State's 'Incredible Potential'

When Kayla Treanor returned to Syracuse to take over as head coach in 2021, the move felt like a long-term homecoming that was a long time coming. Treanor was, after all, a four-time All-American and three-time Tewaaraton Award finalist for the Orange during her own playing days.

She graduated as the program's all-time leader in goals. Taking over for Gary Gait, her former mentor, made all the sense in the world.

“I never really thought I would leave,” Treanor said. “I thought that was the place that I would be for the rest of my career.”

Treanor's place in Syracuse lore as a player is etched in stone. But her plans to remain there as the head coach were not. And on May 21, Penn State officially tapped Treanor as its new head coach, replacing Missy Doherty, who stepped down on May 1 after 15 years at the helm — a decade-and-a-half tenure that included two NCAA final four appearances.

For Treanor, the move was an unexpected leap, not just from her alma mater but also from the ACC. Treanor previously served as an assistant and associate head coach at Boston College, mentoring the likes of Sam Apuzzo and Charlotte North.

It was a Boston College tie that convinced Treanor to do the previously unthinkable. Patrick Kraft, Penn State's Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, worked with Treanor in Chestnut Hill and convinced her the Nittany Lions were a perfect spot for the next phase of her career.

“He gave me a call about the opportunity to come to Penn State, and to be honest, at first I was like, 'Yeah, I don't see myself leaving,'” Treanor said. “But the more I spoke with him and understood what he's trying to do at Penn State, especially in this new landscape of college athletics … I don't think you can find a better, more competitive guy. At the end of the day, it was an opportunity I could not pass up.”

That new landscape includes removal of sport-specific scholarship caps and the ability to share revenue from media rights, ticket sales and sponsorships with student-athletes. It requires investing and intention-setting — and Treanor felt Kraft was willing to do both for women's lacrosse.

“He has seen how much a women's lacrosse program can do for your school,” Treanor said. “I know that he believes in it.”

He also believes in women's athletics on the whole — something Treanor has already experienced firsthand.

“I went to our women's volleyball game. It was the banner reveal for their national championship from the previous year, and it's an absolutely sold-out gym,” Treanor said. “There's a student section. There's the band there. It's unbelievable, and it gave me chills to be in the building. I love that I get to be a part of an athletic department like that, and my goal for the program is to build that kind of environment for women's lacrosse games.”

Syracuse was always in the hunt for its first national crown. At Penn State, a winning tradition has been forged over a 60-year history. The Nittany Lions have won two national championships (1987, 1989) and played in 11 final fours, most recently in 2016 and 2017.

Treanor knew all about those runs as a 2016 Syracuse graduate.

“I've always thought of [Penn State] like a sleeping giant,” Treanor said. “There is this incredible potential that this place has, and it has a foundation of incredible success. I'm just looking to build on that and just elevate it as we move forward.”

Erika Ho was something of a sleeping giant in her own right. An Illinois native, Ho considers herself a “late bloomer” in the game, but she picked Penn State after meeting Missy Doherty and attending a summer camp. She was not an overnight success, playing in eight games as a freshman in 2023, but she worked her way up the depth chart and led the team in scoring last season with 46 goals and 10 assists.

Ho was a consistent bright spot for the Nittany Lions, who, amid a high roster turnover, lost seven of their first nine games, including a six-game losing streak that extended from February to March.

But the Nittany Lions — who had made the Big Ten Tournament final the year before — found their stride later in the spring, scoring wins over Michigan, Rutgers, Ohio State and USC.

“We weren't in a great place [during the losing streak],” Ho said. “But we leaned on each other. We realized that it doesn't matter where we are as long as we are with each and every one of our teammates — then, it'll be fun. We took the pressure off ourselves and took a step back. That's when things started to click, and it became so much fun at the end of the season.”

The season concluded with a Big Ten quarterfinal loss to Johns Hopkins — and a coaching change.

“It was a little heartbreaking, but I am still in touch with Missy ... and she's happy,” Ho said. “That's all I can wish for on her end.”

On her end, Ho is also looking forward — and she didn't need to do much research on her new coach. Treanor has long been a role model.

“I used to watch her battle at Syracuse, so it felt surreal when we got her,” Ho said. “I idolized her and still do. She was one of the big reasons why I decided in eighth grade that I wanted to play college-level lacrosse. I used to sit in my room and watch highlights of Kayla Treanor all the time. She wasn't just traditional. She was so authentically herself with her playing style. Her personality showed when she played, and it was cool to watch and so inspiring.”

Authenticity was at the heart of one of Treanor's first orders of business in her new job. She and her staff brought the team back a week early for an overnight retreat 45 minutes from campus, but seemingly a world away, for a key reason.

“There was no cell service,” Treanor said.

It left plenty of time for distraction-free conversation,

“We talked about culture a lot,” Treanor said. “It wasn't just [the new staff] coming in and saying, 'This is what we want to be.' It was hearing from the athletes and their perspective on what Penn State lacrosse is — all the good things, all the bad things. It helped our staff and team get aligned. What stands out most is how much these kids want to win and be a part of something special. They're really unselfish.”

Much of what's next is to be determined — fall practices are just underway, and Treanor is looking at how what she saw last year on film will translate on the field with new additions mixed in.

No. 1 Class of 2027 recruit Riley Davis, who committed verbally to Penn State on Sept. 18, won't arrive until the fall of 2027 (and Treanor can't comment on this year's verbal commits, per regulations).

What she can say is that she wants to build a brand of lacrosse that packs stadiums like her volleyball counterparts. Offense is one lane that Treanor historically owns.

“I like to coach an exciting offense,” Treanor said. “I want it to be where fans can come to our games and enjoy watching what our product is. We want to share the ball and play great team offense.”

Ho figures to play a significant role, having stood out to Treanor on film as a key contributor last year. Ditto for Kelly MacKinney, who paced Penn State with 37 assists.

“[Kelly is] a kid with a great IQ,” Treanor said. “She's a feed-first kind of kid, and my hopes for her and any player we're working with are that she hasn't reached her potential. I want her to go out and reach it.”

Treanor also highlighted a trio of new offensive additions reeled in from the transfer portal —  and one who flipped from Syracuse to Penn State shortly after Treanor did. Anna Salerno, a midfielder who led Mount St. Mary's with 52 goals as a senior, also fit in quickly with the offense. And midfielder Julia Basciano decided to follow Treanor from Syracuse to Happy Valley after sitting out the previous year due to an injury.

Rocquette Allen, a four-star recruit out of Lone Tree, Colo., opted to change her commitment from Syracuse to Penn State and will be a freshman in 2026.

Ultimately, with a new staff, fall is a new and open season with each position on the depth chart up for grabs, including in a loaded goalie corps with four options.

Sydney Manning (11.27 GAA, .437 SV%), the 2024 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, was the squad's primary netminder last season, playing in 15 games and making 12 starts. Treanor called her “excellent.” Sophomore Arden Jansen and senior Emily Bette, who were both on the roster but did not see minutes last season, also return. Makenna Gagliardi enters the fold as a freshman out of West Islip, N.Y.

“It's going to be a battle back there and all over the field,” Treanor said.

But Treanor — ever the student of the game — is looking forward to watching it play out, taking notes along the way.

“As a brand new staff, we're trying to get together and figure out: What are our strengths? What are our weaknesses? How can we specifically coach this team?” Treanor said. “We don't want to come in with all these systems we run and [tell them], 'You've got to fit into it.' We want to know what we're working with and develop systems around that.'”

Scrimmages and play days this fall will help in that regard. January will be “go time,” but Treanor knows all too well that championships are not won in the dead of winter. But she makes no secret that titles are the goal.

“I'm [unafraid] to talk about it,” Treanor said. “My vision for the program and why I am here is that I want to help them win the national championship, and I wouldn't be here if that weren't my goal.”

Ho and Treanor may still be in the getting-to-know-you phase. But they are on the same page on endgames.