AU announced the hiring of a new women’s lacrosse coach on Saturday, who will fill a head coaching position that has been vacant since December when the former head coach, Jenna Petrucelli, was released from her contract.
Lindsay Teeters will replace interim head coach Maureen Breslin. Breslin, along with assistant coaches Alix Lopez and Lindsey Ronbeck, led the team to a program-record 7-0 start before the coronavirus pandemic cut the season short.
"I'm tremendously excited to announce Lindsay Teeters as the new Head Women's Lacrosse Coach at American University," Athletics Director Billy Walker said in a statement. "I'm convinced Lindsay will help build on the momentum we had this year and take our program to new heights.”
Teeters comes to AU with 13 years of coaching experience and a playing career at Boston University, where she was a two-time All-American. Since 2006, Teeters has been an assistant coach at James Madison University, George Washington and Virginia Tech, where she served as associate head coach in her final season. She was also the National Teams Manager for Team USA lacrosse in 2013.
Most recently, Teeters served as the varsity head coach of girls’ lacrosse at Mount de Sales Academy, a Catholic high school in Maryland. Teeters also served as the director of recruiting for PRIDE Lacrosse, a competitive program based in the D.C. region.
“She has an impressive playing and coaching background and has very strong ties within the lacrosse community,” Walker said. “Her passion and sincerity really shine through, and I know she'll serve as a positive mentor and role model to our student-athletes.”
Petrucelli was released due to accusations of “violations of university policy,” following her decision to cut five freshman athletes from the team without renewing their athletic scholarships. Players also alleged that the program became a “toxic environment” under Petrucelli.
Next season, the team returns star senior Emma Vinall, the first All-American athlete in AU Lacrosse history, along with several other key players from last year's team.
"I want to personally thank Dr. Billy Walker, Josephine Harrington and AU Athletics for their belief in me and their dedication to this selection process," Teeters said. "I also want to send a special thank you to Maureen Breslin, Alix Lopez and Lindsey Ronbeck for their leadership last season. We will continue to build upon the success of 2020, and will hit the ground running this fall.”
