Before she ever stepped onto a field for the first time, Taryn Burkholder was destined to be a coach.
Her father, Dave Burkholder, served as the head coach of the Niagara University Purple Eagles men’s ice hockey team from 2001-17, racking up three Conference Coach of the Year awards, along with five conference titles.
“I’ve always wanted to be a coach,” said Taryn Burkholder. “Growing up in a coaching household and seeing him follow his passion, he definitely inspired me to get into it.”
Long before she was holding white boards on the sidelines of Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, the West Seneca, Ny. native starred as a midfielder for West Seneca High School, earning All-League honors during her high school career.
“I played a bunch of different sports when I was younger, but when I got to high school, I played field hockey, basketball and lacrosse,” said Burkholder.
When looking to play at the next level, Burkholder claims that her heart belonged to lacrosse.
“I always knew I wanted to play in college,” said Burkholder. “I was probably better at field hockey, but I just loved lacrosse more.”
Following high school, Burkholder would continue her playing career by wearing the same shade of purple as her father.
During her time at Niagara, Burkholder appeared in 54 games from 2009-2011, starting every game from her sophomore to senior year, while also serving as team captain for two seasons. In her senior campaign, she tallied seven goals along with two assists, while also recording 29 ground balls and winning 18 draw controls.
Burkholder graduated from Niagara University in 2012 with a degree in sports management.
“I took sports management in college because I knew right when I graduated, I wanted to get into collegiate coaching,” Burkholder claimed.
She wouldn’t have to look far for her first assistant coaching job, remaining at Niagara with the lacrosse program following graduation.
Burkholder would spend the next seven seasons bouncing around programs between New York and Ohio, including two head coaching stints at Muskingum University and State University of New York (SUNY) at Morrisville.
After compiling a 28-14 record at Morrisville, which included a pair of conference titles and NCAA playoff appearances, Burkholder looked to make a jump to the Division II level. That’s when her former boss, Kelsey Van Alstyne, offered her a position at a small school in Western Pennsylvania.
Van Alstyne served as the interim head coach at Buffalo State in 2014, with Burkholder being an assistant coach under her.
Following this, the pair would remain on the same coaching staff at SUNY Morrisville during the 2015 season, before Burkholder departed for Muskingum as a head coach.
After returning to Morrisville from 2017 to 2020, now as the head coach, Burkholder’s tenure would conclude following the COVID-19 shortened season.
“If I’m being honest, I didn’t know a ton about Slippery Rock,” she continued. “[Van Alstyne] asked me to be her assistant at Slippery Rock. She said nothing but great things about the school, the community and the athletic department.”
Despite being in unfamiliar territory, Burkholder says that the community immediately made Slippery Rock feel like home.
“I think the biggest thing that surprised me was just the support that we got, not just from Dr. [Roberta] Page and the athletic department, but President [Karen] Riley and her husband, Steve, as well.” She continued, “they know the girls by name, and they know me by name. If I see them out at a random grocery store, they know who we are as people. That really surprised me and it makes me want to stay.”
After once again serving as an assistant coach under Van Alstyne in 2021, Burkholder would receive another opportunity to be a head coach.
Following a 5-7 record the previous season, Burkholder would be named the interim head coach for the Slippery Rock lacrosse program.
Rather than looking for on-field success and numbers out of the gate, Burkholder’s first goal was to build a team bond that couldn’t be broken.
“As a team, I wanted to improve the culture,” said Burkholder. “I felt like, in my first year here, it didn’t feel like a ‘team first’ mentality. So, putting an emphasis on the team culture was our biggest goal.”
In her first season at the helm of The Rock, Burkholder led SRU to a 10-7 overall record. This marked the sixth 10-win season in program history, and doubled their win total from the previous season.
Additionally, the team averaged 15.12 goals per game, the most by any SRU team in program history at the time.
It would be announced on June 23, 2022, following a national head-coaching search, that Slippery Rock would remove the interim tag, promoting Burkholder to a permanent role as head coach.
In her first season as the official head coach, Slippery Rock would replicate their record from the previous season, going 10-7 overall.
However, it would be in 2024 that the program would take a significant step forward.
Behind Burkholder, the team finished the season 15-4 overall and 10-2 in conference play, along with the first semifinal appearance in the PSAC tournament in program history. SRU set single-season program records in total wins, conference wins, total points (423), goals (286), assists (137) and draw controls (346). In the quarterfinals of the PSAC tournament, Slippery Rock would defeat Lock Haven 15-6, the first conference tournament win in program history. Following the season, Burkholder would earn her first PSAC West Coach of the Year award.
Despite the high expectations heading into the 2025 campaign, Slippery Rock would not just meet them, but shatter them, cementing SRU as a powerhouse in lacrosse.
Overall, The Rock finished the season 18-3 overall, going undefeated in the PSAC West. The program finished the year ranked No. 6 in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II national poll, and No. 5 in the USA Lacrosse magazine, the highest rankings in program history.
Additionally, 2025 served as the first NCAA tournament berth in program history.
After falling to No. 2 West Chester University in the PSAC Championship game, the team sought revenge in a quarterfinal rematch against the Rams, which they would achieve in dramatic fashion.
Burkholder claims that the 16-13 victory, which sent The Rock to the national semifinals, as her favorite moment with the program thus far.
“Obviously going to the final four is amazing and incredible, but it’s just awesome that after losing to [West Chester] in the conference championship, we put some new offensive schemes in, and the girls executed. It was probably the proudest I’ve been to see those girls get the ticket and be able to experience a final four.”
Slippery Rock’s magical run would stall in the semifinals, falling to No. 7 Adelphi University 15-13.
Paige Jenkins, Nicole Masi, Leora Owings, Isabella Buono, Grace Rotter, Reagan Richeson, Amelia Nitsche and Abby Fink all earned All-PSAC honors, with Jenkins also earning PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year.
“We use the slogan ‘make history’ because no one’s done it before us. For me, it was putting an emphasis on team culture, and the girls bought in from day one,” Burkholder said.
Slippery Rock lacrosse has continued their dominance in 2026, currently sitting at 11-0 overall, including wins over No. 5 West Chester, No. 19 Grand Valley State and No. 22 Seton Hill.
So far, The Rock has outscored their opponents 176-56, including a 49-2 differential in back-to-back games against Gannon and Edinboro.
“I’m just super proud and fortunate that they believe in our system and they want to win just as much as we do as a coaching staff. I give them all the credit; they show up every day, they’re bringing the energy. It’s a really fun atmosphere to be a part of.”
Burkholder claims that getting the team to believe in their system was the biggest struggle when constructing the team.
“The biggest struggle was just trying to get them to buy into the team-first culture,” she said.
For as successful as they are on the field, they may be even more dominant off of it.
In the classroom, SRU has won the PSAC Team GPA Award every year since 2021. The Rock has posted team GPAs of at least 3.653 in four consecutive years, adding 100 PSAC Scholar-Athlete selections.
“We set a goal for ourselves, that we want to have the highest GPA in the conference. They’re just as dedicated to lacrosse as they are schoolwork.”
It’s that same determination that Burkholder and assistant coach Jordan Anderson look for when recruiting athletes.
“We always look for work ethic. You kind of watch if they make a mistake, are they working hard to get the ball back or are they just giving up on the play? You can’t teach grittiness,” she said. “You either have it or you don’t. We want to get to know them as a human; are they a good character, and are they going to fit well into our team culture?”
In a full-circle moment, Burkholder, along with four others, was honored as a female sports leader back in her hometown during a Buffalo Sabres hockey game on March 8.
“I had no clue; I found out only about a week before the game, but it worked out that we played at D’Youville University the day before.” Burkholder continued, “it was really special to be back in my hometown and thinking of all the women that helped shape me into a coach as well.”
Although one may not think she’s made many errors after seeing all of her accolades, Burkholder claims that if she could give herself any advice from six years ago, it would be to take it easier on herself.
“Mistakes are going to happen and we’re not perfect. I’ve learned how to not put so much pressure on myself,” she said.
Ultimately, there’s nothing more important to Burkholder than the pieces in the locker room.
“I’ve always brought it back to the team, but they truly make the job fun,” she said. “They’re the reason I love it here.”
