Gannon University Women's Lacrosse

Gannon University women’s lacrosse coach Jennifer Pawlowski announced the addition of Sara Kilian to her coaching staff in August 2023. Kilian will serve as an assistant coach for the Golden Knights. "I am excited to welcome Sara to our staff and Gannon Lacrosse Family,” related Pawlowski. :She brings great experience to our program both as a coach, and as a former player in the PSAC. We are looking forward to taking the next steps forward as a program and know that Sara will help us in this new era of our program."   In 2023 Kilian served as an assistant coach at Quincy. She helped coach a total of five Hawks to All-GLVC honors. Before her season at Quincy, Kilian spent two years as an assistant coach for the Muskingum women’s lacrosse team.  During her time with the Muskies, Kilian helped coach two players to All-OAC honors in the 2022 season. Prior to Muskingum, Kilian worked as an assistant coach for NXT Lacrosse where she organized practices and drills, communicated schedules to players and parents, and helped develop players agility, strength, and speed. She also worked as a coach for Quick Stick Lacrosse Training where she assisted with personal lacrosse skills geared towards small group training and education and specialized in the development of players. Kilian is no stranger to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The native of Ridley Park, Pa. spent two seasons as a member of the Kutztown women’s lacrosse team in 2017 and 2018. Kilian earned her bachelor’s degree in sports management from Kutztown in 2020 and her masters of adult education from Muskingum in 2022.  

O'Donnell begins her first season at Gannon in 2016. Gannon Director of Athletics Lisa Goddard McGuirk named O'Donnell the sixth head coach in the program's 21-year history on June 26, 2015. O'Donnell came to Gannon after spending the previous three seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division II Georgian Court of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). She led the Lions to a 32-18-1 overall record and 23-7 conference mark during her tenure. The three-year period included three CACC Final Four appearances and a pair of CACC North Division regular-season championships. O'Donnell was named CACC Coach of the Year after her first season in 2013. "I am honored and grateful to have been selected as the next women's lacrosse head coach for Gannon University," said O'Donnell upon her hiring. "I would like to thank Lisa Goddard McGuirk and the search committee for their faith in me and my vision. Rich in excellence both academically and athletically, Gannon presents a great opportunity. I look forward to joining Gannon's winning tradition and helping its women's lacrosse program compete at a championship level." Georgian Court featured 14 all-conference selections and two CACC Players of the Year under O'Donnell in Corinne Coyle (2013) and Melissa Williams (2015). The Lions never had a Player of the Year in program history prior to those two honorees. Academically, Georgian Court consistently maintained a 3.0 team grade point average during O'Donnell's tenure. "We are delighted to announce Kerry as our next women's lacrosse head coach," said Goddard McGuirk upon O'Donnell's hiring. "In addition to her knowledge and experience, she has had success coaching at the NCAA Division II level. Combined with an approach that is very student-athlete oriented, she is a great choice to lead this program. Kerry will be a great addition to our department as she exhibits the attributes we value and strive for; excellence and a positive student-athlete experience." O'Donnell led the Lions to an 8-8-1 record, a first-place finish in the CACC North Division and an appearance in the conference semifinals during her first season as the head coach at Georgian Court in 2013. As a result, she was named CACC Coach of the Year. The postseason awards included four all-conference honorees, two CACC All-Tournament Team selections and the CACC Player of the Year. In 2014, the Lions finished 13-4 during the regular season while winning the CACC North Division title for the second consecutive year. Georgian Court made another appearance in the conference semifinal round. The Lions also earned the program's first-ever Top XIV Award, which recognizes the student-athlete competing in the championship tournament with the highest grade point average. More postseason accolades followed with six student-athletes earning all-conference honors, four securing all-conference academic honors and two being named to the CACC All-Tournament Team. O'Donnell led Georgian Court to double-digit victories again in 2015, producing an 11-6 overall record. The Lions knocked off Philadelphia in double overtime during the CACC semifinals, before dropping a tight championship match to top-seeded Holy Family. Four Georgian Court student-athletes earned all-conference honors, including the CACC Player of the Year. Academically, three Lions were named to the 2015 CACC Spring All-Academic Team. A two-sport student-athlete at Rowan (N.J.) University from 2004-08, O'Donnell was a member of the lacrosse and cross country programs. She was a four-year starter for the Rowan lacrosse team and served as a team captain during her final season. O'Donnell was part of two winning seasons, the program's first and only conference championship title and back-to-back NCAA Division III Tournament appearances. Individually, she was named an All-American as a senior. O'Donnell graduated from Rowan in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in health and exercise science. She completed her collegiate career as a four-time National Academic Squad selection and four-time Rowan Student-Athlete Award recipient, graduating with a 3.46 cumulative grade point average. Kerry O'Donnell Head Women's Lacrosse Coach Twitter: @CoachOD Kerry O'Donnell begins her first season at Gannon in 2016. Gannon Director of Athletics Lisa Goddard McGuirk named  O'Donnell the sixth head coach in the program's 21-year history on June 26, 2015. O'Donnell came to Gannon after spending the previous three seasons as the head coach at NCAA Division II Georgian Court of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). She led the Lions to a 32-18-1 overall record and 23-7 conference mark during her tenure. The three-year period included three CACC Final Four appearances and a pair of CACC North Division regular-season championships. O'Donnell was named CACC Coach of the Year after her first season in 2013. "I am honored and grateful to have been selected as the next women's lacrosse head coach for Gannon University," said O'Donnell upon her hiring. "I would like to thank Lisa Goddard McGuirk and the search committee for their faith in me and my vision. Rich in excellence both academically and athletically, Gannon presents a great opportunity. I look forward to joining Gannon's winning tradition and helping its women's lacrosse program compete at a championship level." Georgian Court featured 14 all-conference selections and two CACC Players of the Year under O'Donnell in Corinne Coyle (2013) and Melissa Williams (2015). The Lions never had a Player of the Year in program history prior to those two honorees. Academically, Georgian Court consistently maintained a 3.0 team grade point average during O'Donnell's tenure. "We are delighted to announce Kerry as our next women's lacrosse head coach," said Goddard McGuirk upon O'Donnell's hiring. "In addition to her knowledge and experience, she has had success coaching at the NCAA Division II level. Combined with an approach that is very student-athlete oriented, she is a great choice to lead this program. Kerry will be a great addition to our department as she exhibits the attributes we value and strive for; excellence and a positive student-athlete experience." O'Donnell led the Lions to an 8-8-1 record, a first-place finish in the CACC North Division and an appearance in the conference semifinals during her first season as the head coach at Georgian Court in 2013. As a result, she was named CACC Coach of the Year. The postseason awards included four all-conference honorees, two CACC All-Tournament Team selections and the CACC Player of the Year. In 2014, the Lions finished 13-4 during the regular season while winning the CACC North Division title for the second consecutive year. Georgian Court made another appearance in the conference semifinal round. The Lions also earned the program's first-ever Top XIV Award, which recognizes the student-athlete competing in the championship tournament with the highest grade point average. More postseason accolades followed with six student-athletes earning all-conference honors, four securing all-conference academic honors and two being named to the CACC All-Tournament Team. O'Donnell led Georgian Court to double-digit victories again in 2015, producing an 11-6 overall record. The Lions knocked off Philadelphia in double overtime during the CACC semifinals, before dropping a tight championship match to top-seeded Holy Family. Four Georgian Court student-athletes earned all-conference honors, including the CACC Player of the Year. Academically, three Lions were named to the 2015 CACC Spring All-Academic Team. A two-sport student-athlete at Rowan (N.J.) University from 2004-08, O'Donnell was a member of the lacrosse and cross country programs. She was a four-year starter for the Rowan lacrosse team and served as a team captain during her final season. O'Donnell was part of two winning seasons, the program's first and only conference championship title and back-to-back NCAA Division III Tournament appearances. Individually, she was named an All-American as a senior. O'Donnell graduated from Rowan in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in health and exercise science. She completed her collegiate career as a four-time National Academic Squad selection and four-time Rowan Student-Athlete Award recipient, graduating with a 3.46 cumulative grade point average.