Coaches

Missy Doherty

Head coach Missy Doherty completed her 13th year at Penn State in 2023. Doherty's guidance has seen Penn State reach eight NCAA Tournaments and four NCAA Quarterfinals in that time span, including Penn State’s first National Semifinal appearance in 17 years during the 2016 season. Doherty guided the Nittany Lions back to the National Semifinal in 2017.


Doherty coached the Nittany Lions to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2018 in the 2023 season. Penn State finished 11-7 on the year with ranked wins over No. 17 Rutgers, No. 14 Princeton and No. 10 Maryland. The Nittany Lions had two first team All-Big Ten honorees, Kristin O'Neill and Ellie Hollin as well as four second team selections, Sammy Dupcak, Kayla Abernathy, Gretchen Gilmore and Meghan Murray. O'Neill (first team), Dupcak (second team) and Hollin (second team) also earned All-Region honors. O'Neill (third team), Hollin (honorable mention) and Gilmore (honorable mention) also garnered All-American status from USA Lacrosse.


O'Neill added to her honors by being named to the Tewaarton Watch List and was a IWLCA Mid-Season All-American along with Dupcak. The junior led the Nittany Lions in points (59) and goals (51), while earning her 100th career goal in a 15-12 win against Pittsburg on March 21, 2023.


Penn State finished the 2022 season 6-9 overall including a 14-10 win over No. 21 James Madison. On Feb. 23, Missy notched her 200th career win as Penn State defeated Duquesne 18-4 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Nittany Lions had two All-Big Ten selections in Kristin O'Neill (First Team) and Sammy Dupcak (Second Team). Both student-athletes were tabbed All-Region selections as well, as O'Neill took First Team honors and Dupcak earned Second Team honors.


The Nittany Lions went 4-9 in 2021 with three of their four wins coming against Top 20 opponents. Penn State earned victories over Rutgers (20-11), No. 7 Maryland (15-13), No. 13 Michigan (13-12) and No. 9 Maryland (16-9). Penn State finished the season ranked No. 21 in the IWLCA Poll, after being ranked the entire season and rising as high as No. 5. Penn State had the second-ranked offense in the Big Ten, averaging 12.77 goals per game.


Penn State had four All-Big Ten selections, including Olivia Dirks (First Team) and Maria Auth, Sammy Helgeson and Kristin O’Neill (Second Team). Auth led the Nittany Lions in points (46) and goals (34), while Helgeson had 14 ground balls and nine caused turnovers as a leader of the defense.


Dirks was named Penn State’s second Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and received three All-America awards: IWLCA First Team, Inside Lacrosse Second Team, and USA Lacrosse Magazine Second Team. She led the blue and white in draw controls (78) and caused turnovers (18) and adding 31 goals and 12 assists. Dirks was selected an Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-American and was a Tewaaraton Award nominee. She won two Big Ten Midfielder of the Week awards, one Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor and was the IWLCA Offensive Player of the Week after leading Penn State to their February 21 win over Maryland.


O’Neill was tabbed Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Penn State’s second to win the award. O’Neill recorded 29 goals, eight assists and 15 caused turnovers in her first season in Happy Valley. She won Big Ten Freshman of the Week five times out of the nine weeks the award was given out.


Taylor Suplee ranked third in the Big Ten in saves per game (8.08) and save percentage (.408). She was also third in the conference in ground balls per game (2.83). Suplee had six games with 10 or more saves, including 14 saves in a win over Maryland on February 21. She also had 12 saves in a win against Rutgers (2/14) and 13 in a victory against Michigan (3/21). Suplee made 12 stops at Northwestern (3/13) and 10 in each game against Ohio State (3/26, 3/28). She was the IWLCA Defensive Player of the Week following the win over Maryland. She was also a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week selection.


Doherty led the Nittany Lions to a 5-2 record in 2020 before the season was canceled on March 12 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Nittany Lions began the season with four straight wins, defeating Towson (12-9), Lehigh (13-9), Duquesne (20-6) and Cornell (19-9). Penn State finished the season with a 14-13 victory at Vanderbilt.


The Nittany Lions were very strong on the defensive end, ranking fourth in the nation in save percentage (.531). Penn State was also 23rd in the country in caused turnovers per game with 10.0. The Nittany Lions allowed 12.0 goals per game, ranking fourth in the Big Ten.


Penn State’s defense was led by sophomore goalie Taylor Suplee, who earned honorable-mention All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse. Suplee led the Big Ten and ranked second in the nation averaging 12.43 saves per game. She held fifth in the nation with 87 saves and seventh with a .527 save percentage. Suplee ranked fourth in the Big Ten with a 12.27 goals-against average. Against Cornell, Suplee made 20 saves, becoming the first PSU goalie to record 20 saves since Cammie Jurkowsky made 20 saves against North Carolina on April 6, 2007.


On the offensive end, the Nittany Lions averaged 13.71 goals per game, good for third in the Big Ten. Penn State was also third in the conference averaging 5.29 assists per game. The Nittany Lions ranked 18th in the nation in shot percentage (.480) and 14th in the country in free position percentage (.544).


Senior attacker Maria Auth ranked fifth in the Big Ten with 22 goals and third with 3.14 goals per game. She finished fourth in the conference with 33 points and 4.71 points per game. Auth led the Big Ten and ranked fifth in the country averaging 1.57 free position goals per game. Junior Sophia Triandafils ranked 10th in the Big Ten averaging 3.14 points per game.


In 2019, the Nittany Lions went 8-9, including a 3-3 mark in Big Ten play, and reached the Big Ten semifinals. Penn State earned wins over No. 11 Towson and No. 21 Johns Hopkins. The Nittany Lions won four of their final six games of the regular season.


Penn State played its first season in Panzer Stadium, opening the venue with a 15-5 win over Lehigh. The Nittany Lions won five games at home, including victories against Towson (13-7), Lehigh (15-5), Albany (11-9), Ohio State (21-5) and Rutgers (18-7). Three Nittany Lions earned All-Big Ten honors, including junior Maria Auth and seniors Kayla Brisolari and Reilly Masterson. Brisolari and Masterson collected IWLCA All-Region selections. Brisolari was selected for the IWLCA Senior All-Star Game and was drafted No. 12 overall in the WPLL Draft by the WPLL Brave.


Brisolari led the Big Ten with 1.53 caused turnovers per game. Auth led the Nittany Lions with 46 points (32 goals, 14 assists), while junior Quinn Nicolai led the squad with 34 goals. Brisolari added 31 goals, while pacing PSU with 37 ground balls, 73 draw controls and 26 caused turnovers. Freshman Taylor Suplee ranked second in the Big Ten in saves per game (9.71), third in saves (165) and third in save percentage (.481).


In 2018, Doherty led her team to an NCAA Tournament appearance for the seventh- straight year. The Nittany Lions went 10-10 and reached the Big Ten Championship game. Penn State went 3-3 in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions knocked off four ranked opponents, including No. 17 Cornell, No. 22 Johns Hopkins, No. 6 Virginia and No. 7 Northwestern.


The Nittany Lions tied the team record with 303 goals in 2018. Three Nittany Lions earned IWLCA All-America honors, including senior Katie O’Donnell (first team), junior Madison Carter (second team) and Kayla Brisolari (third team). O’Donnell was a second-team All-America selection by Inside Lacrosse and was named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year, the first in program history, before being drafted fourth overall by the New England Command in the WPLL Draft. O’Donnell finished her career fourth all-time at Penn State in goals (203) and sixth in points (227). Carter and Brisolari joined O’Donnell as All-Big Ten and All-Region selections. Carter led PSU with 62 goals and Brisolari had 10 goals and 76 draw controls. Auth led the team with 71 points, including 54 goals.


In 2017, Doherty’s team went 17-4, finishing second in the Big Ten and securing the second-most victories in program history and the most since 1989 when Penn State went 19-1. Doherty coached three IWLCA All-Americans during the 2017 season including the program’s 43rd first-team All-American, Steph Lazo, and the first in 13 seasons. O’Donnell and Carter earned second-team recognition.


The Nittany Lions reached the NCAA Quarterfinals for the second straight season, making back-to-back appearances for the first time since a three-year span from 1995-97, and captured the program’s most wins since 1999.


The Nittany Lions set program records for goals with 303 and points with 427 while their 124 assists were the second-most in a single-season in program history. Penn State earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and hosted the first three rounds and advanced to its 11th Final Four in program history at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.


In 2016, Doherty’s team went 14-7 finishing second in the Big Ten, but were upset in the first round of the Big Ten Championship Tournament by Northwestern, 9-6. Her squad earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and immediately caught fire outscoring their opponents 38-23 en route to the Final Four where they came up just one goal shy, bowing out to eventual National Champion North Carolina, 12-11. Doherty coached Carter to the 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year honor while two players earned IWLCA All-America status and five earned IWLCA All-Region accolades. Penn State finished fourth in the final IWLCA national poll.


Doherty led her Nittany Lion teams to double-digit wins each year her first eight seasons at the University Park campus including a 16-5 mark in 2015 while capturing the Big Ten Tournament Championship with a 13-11 victory over Ohio State.


During that 2015 season, Doherty earned Big Ten Coach of the Year, ECAC Coach of the Year and IWLCA Regional Coach of the Year accolades Penn State went 13-1 late in the season to reach the NCAA Quarterfinals and narrowly missed the program’s first national semifinal appearance in 16 years. Doherty coached three IWLCA All-Americans, six IWLCA All-Region players and five All-Big Ten honorees including Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year Emi Smith.


PSU made seven-straight NCAA appearances, from 2012 to 2018, under Doherty’s watch, the most consecutive appearances at Penn State since 1993. The 16 wins in 2015 were the most since the 1989 National Championship.


Following a pair of NCAA Quarterfinals appearances in 2012 and 2013, Doherty guided her Nittany Lions to a 10-8 overall mark and a third NCAA Tournament showing in 2014.


During Doherty’s third year at the program’s helm in 2013, Penn State continued its national ascension. Penn State, which went 14-7, also claimed a share of its first American Lacrosse Conference (ALC) regular-season championship with a 4-1 conference mark.


Under her guidance, Penn State defeated its highest ranked opponent since 2007 with a 16-11 upset victory against then-No. 2 Florida. The Nittany Lions, who were ranked as high as No. 6 for the first time since 2007, also finished a perfect 9-0 at home to complete their first undefeated home campaign since 1991.


In 2012, Doherty led Penn State to a 12-7 record, earning the program’s most wins since 2005 and its third consecutive double-digit win season. Five of those wins came against ranked opponents, including three versus top-10 teams. Penn State excelled on the road in 2012, registering eight victories, the most by the Nittany Lions since the 1989 National Championship team. Penn State received an at-large bid to the 2012 NCAA Championship, advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time since 1999.


In her first season at the helm of the collegiate women’s lacrosse’s second-winningest program, Doherty led the Penn State to a 10-8 record and a second-place finish in the ALC. The Nittany Lions knocked off four ranked opponents during the regular season and advanced to the semifinals of the ALC Championship.


In seven years at Towson, Doherty built the Tigers into one of the top teams in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and into a nationally recognized and competitive program. At Towson, she posted an impressive 79-46 (.632) record, including five seasons with 13 or more victories, and led it to three CAA Tournament championships (2005, 2008-09) and a share of one CAA regular-season title (2008). Doherty coached six All-Americans during her tenure, including Towson’s first three-time honoree in program history.


In 2010, Doherty guided Towson to a season of unprecedented success, as the Tigers earned an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history and received their first top 10 national ranking in the IWLCA Division I poll.


Prior to arriving at Towson, Doherty had a successful six-year stretch as an assistant coach at three different schools. At Princeton University, she was an integral member of the coaching staff that led the Tigers to NCAA Championships in 2002 and 2003. During Doherty’s tenure, Princeton compiled a 49-9 record and captured three straight Ivy League crowns.


Doherty also served two seasons at Brown University (1999-2000) after starting her coaching career at Vanderbilt in 1998.


A 1997 graduate of the University of Maryland, Doherty (nee Holmes) was a four-year letter winning defender, helping the Terrapins claim three NCAA Championships. Maryland was a dominant force in collegiate women’s lacrosse during her career, amassing a remarkable 68-2 record, including an NCAA record 50-game winning streak. Also a standout in the classroom, Doherty was a three-time honoree on the ACC Academic Honor Roll. In 2010, Doherty earned a master's degree in biology from Towson University.


The former Missy Holmes, she is married to Brian Doherty. The couple has two sons, Evan and Nathan.