Syracuse was a second home to Nicole Levy, first as a player, where she was an All-Region performer and the 2016 ACC Rookie of the Year. Last year, Regy Thorpe brought her with him from Florida when he took the head coaching job at both his and Levy’s alma mater.
Entering the offseason, Levy knew it would take the “perfect” opportunity to leave her second home.
That came August 14 when Shannon Smith stepped down after a 14-year tenure at Hofstra. Levy, who found out about the job on Hofstra’s Instagram, saw a door opening to return to her first home.
The East Islip-born Levy didn’t double-tap on the Instagram post. She just applied for the job. On September 11, she was announced as the next head coach of the Pride.
“It’s home to me,” Levy said. “This is a full-circle moment. I fell in love and saw the potential in Hofstra.”
Some people hop from job to job or career to career, but Levy has known precisely what she wanted to be since high school: a head coach. She studied human development and family science at Syracuse, but that’s not what she tells people.
“People ask me, ‘What did you get your degree in, and what did you study?” Levy said. “I always just say, ‘Lacrosse — what do you mean?’”
Levy got a masterclass in lacrosse coaching watching her father, Steve, run Legacy Lacrosse, of which he is the founder and director. The program regularly participates in tournaments with and against Smith’s Top Guns.
But nepotism and connections didn’t land Levy her first job. In fact, she said it was hard to find a coaching job after graduating from Syracuse in 2019. When she got an initial phone call from Colorado head coach Ann Elliott Whidden, Levy didn’t pull any punches.
“I remember telling her, ‘I am not just some kid who doesn’t know what they want to do with their life, so they’re going to coach for a couple of years. This is my passion. This is my dream. This is what I want to do, and I want to learn from the best,’” Levy said.
Levy got the job and learned to call plays, run offensive drills in practice, and collaborate. Collaboration was the name of the game at her next stop, Florida, where she served as an assistant coach from 2023-25. There, she helped the Gators reach back-to-back final four appearances in 2024 and 2025, ending a 12-year drought of national semifinal trips.
When Thorpe, who was also on the Florida staff, got the head coaching job at Syracuse, he made her an offer she couldn’t refuse.
“I’m such a proud alum of Syracuse,” Levy said. “Syracuse lacrosse is based on history and tradition.”
Levy only spent one year on the Hill. Now, she’s ready to carry old traditions and make connections with alumni at Hofstra.
“I want them to feel supported,” Levy said. “It’s not just about the team we have now. It’s about every single person who has come through this program. Syracuse taught me more about that.’
Indeed, for Levy, Hofstra is not “her team.”
“We had a team meeting on day one, and I told the players, ‘This is your team,’” Levy said. “At the end of the day, I’m making decisions, but we can make them together, for the most part.”
Levy will decide which recruits to offer. She didn’t have the summer to settle in, build a staff and hit the circuit. You could say she’s “behind the 8-ball,” but it helps when you’re in a region surrounded by talent.
Recruiting trips are day trips. It doesn’t hurt that Levy has connections with local club coaches from her days recruiting for Colorado, Florida and Syracuse and from growing up on Long Island.
“I want to build a fence around the Island,” Levy said. “I want to keep these kids home. I don’t care what club team they play for. I want Long Island kids.”
That includes her father and Legacy Lacrosse.
“He’s very professional,” Levy said. “He knows I’m going after the best kids, not just his kids.”
If the “I-want-to-keep-Long-Island-kids-home” refrain sounds familiar, it’s because Stony Brook’s Joe Spallina has been saying it for years. Levy is aware.
“Joe’s done a great job — he’s an amazing coach who wins wherever he goes,” Levy said. “I was inspired by that because I want to do the same thing. I want to compete with them. They’re an established program, but I think we’ll be right up there with them from a facility and recruiting standpoint. Our academics are off the charts, and the location is close to New York City and Long Beach.”
The newest Pride members won’t arrive for a year or two. In the meantime, Levy is committed to the “right now.” And in Hempstead, it’s a clean slate.
“We don’t have starters or non-starters,” Levy said. “It’s us. It’s not a scout team. Everyone’s getting playing time and learning. That’s not just a fall thing. That’s a year-round thing for me. No matter where you are on your roster, I want you to feel valued because everyone is a huge part.”
But Levy is using the fall to help get the Pride ready to compete, which she plans to do in year one.
“We want to play in May,” Levy said. “We have a good schedule, decent RPI. I want to win some of those big games, compete for a CAA championship and get a bit into the NCAA tournament. I know year one is going to be tough, but I am not shying away from that. I am driven and goal-oriented, and I believe that we have what it takes in our locker room.”
Levy has lofty goals, but to her, they’re realistic ones.
“It’s doable,” Levy said. “We have something to prove here, and I think the sky is the limit. We have all the resources, all the support from the athletic director and beyond.”
