Taryn VanThof was named the new head coach for the ASU women’s lacrosse team. She was named the new leader by Ray Anderson, the vice president for University Athletics, on July 5.
"Taryn VanThof is a tremendous addition to the Sun Devil Family,” Anderson said in the press release announcing the hire. "We identified her as the right person to lead this program on the rise because of her energy, passion, and desire to be at Arizona State."
VanThof most recently spent six years as an assistant coach at the University of Florida. During her time with the Gators, VanThof served in several roles: offensive coordinator, goalie coach and draw specialist. She was also the recruiting coordinator for the school.
VanThof helped lead Florida on a run of success with head coach Amanda O’Leary, bringing the team to five consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. The Gators made the Elite Eight in the past two seasons and won 78% of their games under O’Leary and VanThof.
“I could not be more thrilled to coach at this extraordinary university,” VanThof said in the press release. “Arizona State offers an exceptional experience for their student-athletes. That is what made this such an easy decision and appealing situation. The program is in a great position with an excellent foundation. I look forward to being a Sun Devil.”
As well as bringing a wealth of experience as a coach, VanThof herself was a successful athlete on the field. VanThof spent four years at Loyola Maryland from 2011 to 2015 where she garnered All-American status before she became a coach.
VanThof was also selected as a member of the United States Women’s National Team in 2017. Most recently she competed at the professional level in the Athletes Unlimited League for the 2021 season, which features “a short form, fast paced format” of the game, according to its website.
ASU lacrosse just wrapped up one of the most successful seasons in school history, in which the team set new records for overall (11) and conference (7) wins. The Sun Devils made the Pac-12 Tournament Championship game for the first time in 2022.
“I am beyond excited,” VanThof said in her initial hire press conference. “Ray talked about my passion and my desire, and lacrosse being a lifestyle and it's so very true. I've dreamed of being a head coach, and here at ASU, we'd offer an exceptional experience to our student-athletes, support staff and coaches alike. I think for us moving forward, we're going to bring your brand and creativity, excitement, speed in fundamentals. And you're gonna see my passion with it.”
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Logan Stanley is a senior reporter at The State Press. He previously served as the managing editor of the school newspaper at Eastern Washington University. He has four years experience as a freelance journalist and is a graduate student in the master of arts of sports journalism program.
