Hofstra has filled its women’s lacrosse coaching vacancy with one of the rising stars of the profession.
The Pride announced Friday that Nicole Levy will take the reins as the program’s 10th head coach.
Levy served as the offensive coordinator at her alma mater, Syracuse, this past season. She was also the recruiting coordinator, helping the Orange sign a recruiting class ranked among the top five nationally.
Levy previously coached at Florida, orchestrating the nation’s No. 1 offense in 2024 and helping the Gators reach consecutive NCAA semifinals in 2024 and 2025. Prior to that stint, she was an assistant coach at Colorado from 2019-23.
In a press release announcing the hire, Hofstra billed Levy as “an elite recruiter, offensive strategist and developer of student-athletes.” She succeeds Shannon Smith, the Pride’s head coach for 14 seasons. Hofstra was 10-7 this year, falling to Towson in the CAA semifinals.
“Nicole understands that developing champions is about much more than what happens on the field,” athletic director Rick Cole Jr. said. “She cares deeply about the student-athlete experience and developing young women as players, students, and people. We believe she is the perfect person to lead the next chapter of this proud program.”
A Long Island native, Levy starred as a player at Syracuse. She was the 2016 ACC Rookie of the Year and finished with more than 200 career points. She also played professionally for Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse.
“We have big goals for this program. We want to compete for championships, earn our way into the NCAA tournament and build a program that makes our university, our alumnae, our families and our fans proud,” Levy said. “This is more than just another coaching position for me. This is home.”
Hofstra last made the NCAA tournament in 2021, when the Pride qualified as an at-large selection. They fell to Loyola in the first round.
Click here to read the full press release from Hofstra.
