Syracuse names Regy Thorpe 4th head coach in program history
Former Syracuse assistant and SU alumnus Regy Thorpe, who spent a decade on the women’s lacrosse staff, will take over as the program’s fourth head coach next season. Courtesy of SU Athletics
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Former Syracuse assistant coach Regy Thorpe has been named the program’s fourth head coach, SU announced in a press release Friday. The decision comes just over two weeks after previous head coach Kayla Treanor accepted the same position at Penn State on May 21.
“(Thorpe) is a championship-caliber coach with tremendous experience coaching both offense and defense, an elite recruiter and passionate mentor, and has deep ties to the Syracuse University and Central New York communities,” Syracuse Director of Athletics John Wildhack said.
Thorpe’s arrival marks the Orange’s third head coach in the last six seasons, with their most recent campaign standing out as one of their worst yet. An SU graduate, Thorpe brings years of experience as both a coach and a player with the Orange and elsewhere.
During Syracuse’s run to its fifth national title in 1993, he served as a team captain and would go on to enjoy a successful 15-year professional lacrosse career following his graduation. He also competed with the United States men’s indoor team before transitioning to the sidelines as a coach in 2007.
Throughout his coaching career, Thorpe held roles on the college, professional and international stages. His coaching acumen allowed him to assume various positions behind the bench in the National Lacrosse League, Major League Lacrosse and the United Women’s Lacrosse League.
In 2010, Thorpe burst into the college landscape by joining Gary Gait’s staff at Syracuse as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator and spent the next decade with the program. Halfway through his tenure, he was promoted to associate head coach, a position he held until his departure. Under Thorpe’s guidance, SU boasted a 158-62 overall record and qualified for the NCAA Tournament in all but one season. During that span, the Orange made six trips to the Final Four and appeared in the National Championship two times.
Thorpe joins Syracuse after serving as the associate head coach at Florida for the past four years. He helped the Gators capture four straight conference titles and molded six players into Tewaaraton Award nominees.
“I’m excited to come back home to Syracuse University. This is my dream job,” Thorpe said.
