Lazo Lands in Lehigh Feeling Grounded After Hectic Summer

Steph Lazo arrived at Lehigh for her interview as the newly minted assistant coach at Temple. She had recently left Penn State, her alma mater, following the transition from Missy Doherty to Kayla Treanor.

As she toured the facilities, Lazo noticed a few familiar faces in a photo hanging on the wall. There was a former teammate at Penn State and a Lehigh player she had matched up against. Then, she looked closer and noticed someone she knew even better — her father.

“[The picture is] from my senior year at Penn State,” Lazo said. “I’m like, ‘That’s so funny.’ Then, I was like, ‘Hold on, that’s my dad.’ My dad was in the stands and in the picture. People thought I was kidding. I was like, ‘No, that’s actually my dad.’ So, the [players] have been calling it my invisible string.”

Lazo’s string was pulled in multiple directions in a short time. She started 2025 as an assistant coach at Penn State, the position she held from 2021-25. Happy Valley had been her home on and off for more than a decade. Lazo starred for four seasons at Penn State as an attacker, leading the Nittany Lions to four NCAA tournament appearances and two final fours. She also served as a volunteer assistant from 2018-19.

But Doherty stepped aside in 2025 after a young Penn State team struggled early, improved late in the season and finished the year with a 7-9 record. Lazo was named the interim head coach, but the full-time job ultimately went to Treanor, who brought in her own staff after departing Syracuse.

Lazo holds no ill will. As an alum, she’s in touch with Treanor and excited to see what she does next. She looked ahead herself, trying to keep a positive attitude.

“I knew that something else was in store for me, and I just had to be patient,” Lazo said. “That can take an emotional toll sometimes, but I knew I was going to end up somewhere where I was meant to be.”

Initially, that place was a Temple. Lazo joined the Owls as an assistant in early August. The move from the Valley to the City reunited Lazo with her former college teammate and Temple associate head coach Cat Rainone. That, though, was short-lived.

“I accepted [the Temple] offer, and the next day, Sue Troyan, our Deputy Director of Athletics [at Lehigh], reached out to me, and I was like, ‘OK, so if I get this job, what furniture am I bringing? We're just going to start fresh. We'll start fresh — not a big deal.’”

Lazo temporarily moved in with her sister and brother-in-law, who lived near Temple, as she went through the process at Lehigh. Lazo wasn’t a stranger to the Mountain Hawks, having competed against Lehigh as a player and coach.

“It was always a really gritty, disciplined team,” Lazo said. “I knew that was the culture that Jill had [Redfern] created.”

Redfern formally announced she was stepping down at Lehigh on September 9 after 17 years leading the program. Lehigh announced Lazo as its new head coach six days later.

Lazo moved in with Troyan temporarily — sans couch. Now? She has her first head-coaching job, a place to live, furniture and a team. She’s a one-coach show at the moment, planning to wait until fall ball winds down to make hires out of respect for other programs.

But much like their new coach, the players are seizing an opportunity to fill in the blanks.

Lazo rattles off the names of those who have helped with organization, communication and whatever else it takes to lay a new foundation for success and calm amid upheaval — junior Molly Snow and senior Kacie Wines on attack; senior Kenna Winters and juniors Camilla Madonna and Brynn Freeman defensively; senior Lizzie Bozza, junior Grace Martel and sophomore Chloe DelNegro in the midfield.

While last year’s Lehigh finished 6-10, Lazo sees strength in her returners. For starters, Snow’s impact off the field is significant, but her hard skills aren’t lost on Lazo. She led the team with 57 points and 38 goals in 2025. Snow was also second with 48 draw controls.

“She’s such a dynamic player [with] her ability to dodge and get to cage, get her hands free and shoot and her ability to dodge and feed,” Lazo said. “Even her cutting ability is impressive — she’s always open in practice. I want to push her in the best way possible to be one of the most dynamic attackers in the Patriot League.”

But Lazo also wants to tap into the potential of the supporting attackers around Snow, including Wines (28G, 17A) and juniors Gracie Shoup (20G, 6A) and Shannon Nolan (12G, 7A).

The Mountain Hawks also have a hole to fill in net with the graduation of last year’s starter, Julia DeLitta (41.8SV%, 13.69GAA).

Sophomores Jane Hughes and freshman Michaela Jennings are the two options. Lazo admits she doesn’t have a former goalie's perspective, but she is drawing on the mentorship she received while serving under one-time James Madison netminder Amy Altig at Delaware for five seasons. It’s too soon to tell who will get the starting nod, but Lazo is encouraged by what she’s seen so far.

Lazo is also looking past February 2026 and into 2027.

“My second priority was our 2027 recruits, and I knew that I was behind the 8-ball,” Lazo said.

Lazo is tapping into an alumni base that spans 51 seasons — and her longtime roots in the Pennsylvania hotbed.

“Pennsylvania clubs have been a huge asset,” Lazo said. “I’ve developed relationships with club coaches and worked events. But I’m also like, ‘Hey, we’re not that far from Philly. We’re not that far from New York.’ It’s a great advantage location-wise at Lehigh.”

Lazo hopes to pull out all of these stops as she tries to reel in her own recruits. She already has a blueprint in mind as she seeks to put her stamp on the program.

“I’m looking for a disciplined athlete with grit,” Lazo said. “I want to make sure they’re gritty with all the ground balls, a great team player [with] a high work ethic. But I’m also looking for people with compassion that aren’t afraid to hold themselves accountable and their teammates accountable. And [I’m looking for] someone who is competing and having fun doing it. You only get four years here. I want to make sure they’re enjoying the process.”

Lazo hopes the process includes a Patriot League title, something Lehigh has not won since 1984. But she’s practicing what she preaches and is digging in for a long-haul journey.

“My goal this year with the players is for them to fall in love with the game of lacrosse, to enjoy the process and be process-driven,” Lazo said. “I wish we could have overnight results, but everyone knows that doesn’t happen. We can develop high drive, competitive, strong-willed, and confident young women. That’s my ultimate goal.”

And it’s why Lazo is encouraging everyone on the team to find their lane. She may not have brought furniture from Happy Valley, but she comes bearing more than a decade of mentorship from Doherty.

“Missy Doherty has told me, ‘Never doubt your ability to make an impact, whether you’re on the sideline, on the field, injured — whatever it is, everyone on this team is impacting each other,’” Lazo said. “We’re only as strong as we’re 35 strong, and every single person is important to this team.”