Taylor Talks About Leaving Le Moyne for Colgate

HAMILTON – The Colgate Athletics family welcomed the Kathy Taylor family Wednesday to officially begin the next era of Raider Women's Lacrosse.
 
Colgate Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Nicki Moore made the official introduction before a crowd of athletics onlookers and well-wishers. And then Taylor took her turn in front of the microphone to speak her first words to Raider Nation.


 
Here are a few excerpts:
 
Dr. Nicki Moore
"We have come up with a leader who we are collectively convinced, is the right person to lead our program as we inspire our student-athletes to be champions in the classroom, in competition and in their careers.
 
"We are confident that our new women's lacrosse head coach is just the person to advance this program toward this vision through the development of a championship culture.
 
"And why are we so certain of this choice? She comes to us as a seasoned head coach with an impressive winning percentage (.890 since 2014). She knows what it takes to win it all (2018 NCAA Division II national championship and two high school state titles in New York).
 
"She is a leader in the profession. She currently serves as the president of the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association, and she served on the U.S. Women's National Team Selection Committee for three years. She also happens to be in two sports halls of fame.
 
"She has a deep appreciation for Central New York. She has coached for 25 years in the state, and she calls Hamilton her 'vacation location.'
 
"Perhaps most importantly, she is a good person who we have come to really respect and enjoy through this process. Words that kept coming to mind were thoughtful, engaged, dynamic, open, competent, competitive, confident and caring.
 
"So coming to us from Le Moyne College, I am grateful and excited to formally introduce our new head coach of Colgate Women's Lacrosse, Kathy Taylor."


 
Kathy Taylor
"It's great to be here. I grew up as a young girl just over the hill and spent my summers on a little lake. This was our summer place, so we really love Hamilton, New York, and it's great to return.
 
"The academics are so important here, but so are the athletics. What a great combination. This is what you would want if you could put it all together in a perfect world. That alignment has always fit with me, having grown up in a family where academics was very important and athletics were very competitive.
 
"So while you may realize that I value the academics, it's the combination of the two that makes for a special environment.
 
"Being in the Patriot League, not only can we compete but we can win. We can win here.
 
"I'm smiling as I look back at Liz Beville. I coached Liz at Cortland. The former coach, Heather Young, was on my high school team for four years. So I have followed Colgate very closely through the years and I really understand what Colgate is all about in many sports.
 
"I have two sons-in-law in the room and I have my two daughters in the room – and I have four grandchildren in the room. I come with a posse. My mom is in the room. You are getting a lot; we travel well.
 
"Kathy Taylor right now: I am a mom, I am a grandmother, I am a sister, I am a daughter, I am a friend, I am a competitor, I am a coach. And I look forward to exploring even more sides of myself here at Colgate. It's the perfect place for me to grow and to grow with a young team that is in a good place thanks to the women who came before me.
 
"29 years I've been leading teams and my position has always been head coach. I have always been the person who had to make the tough decisions, set the culture and build the program – some from scratch; some I took over. Transitions can be difficult, but I welcome the opportunity to help this team win.
 
"I like to believe that I'm a person who stretches people. Because of my coaching experience at the high school level, developing talent is a big deal.
 
"We will have to recruit good talent – all we have to do is get them to this place because this place is gorgeous. It sells itself. We will recruit that student profile that is the Colgate student-athlete and then we will develop them and inspire them to stay and grow and graduate in four years, and then to come back and remain a part of this program.
 
"What we really want to do is build something that nobody wants to leave. We are in a good place right now. I cannot wait to meet the student-athletes in person.
 
"You're going to see an exciting, fast-paced game. This game has evolved and as I stand before you, so have I. And I love to play it the way it is now being played. We have a shot clock, we have limited possessions, we have free movement – it has come so far from the days when I used to play at Cornell.
 
"But I'm chasing it, I'm with it, I'm current and I can't wait to help this next group of players play this game at a fast level as we chase the Patriot League and beyond."


 
On succeeding at different levels of coaching
"The game stays the same, and the student-athlete is a very similar population. Young girls to young women, high school to college. Division III to Division II was still a college female playing the game of lacrosse.
 
"The privilege of moving up is the opportunity to get athletes who might be a little bit faster as a collective group; who might be a little bit stronger, a little bit more skilled.
 
"You have a destination. And the grander the university, the grander the opportunities. So I'm really excited about stretching our boundaries."
 
On benefits to the recent rules changes
"This has really worked out great because I always liked to play fast, so I was glad the rules caught up with me. I love the transition game, I love the two-way middie instead of specialized positions, and the fast movement forces us to be in great shape. That's always been a value.
 
"Those of you who have heard about my coaching will know that we are a fitness-driven, fundamental, fast team – but there is definitely some lacrosse strategy in there too."

SpectrumNews.com interview 
Taylor Talks About Leaving Le Moyne for Colgate