Passing the Torch: Former Captains Join Women's Lacrosse Coaching Staff

The beginning of any professional venture is difficult. Finding a passion for a job after graduation is no easy task, and finding a place to do it is even tougher.

Brit Colangelo and Kate Hennessey didn’t have to look very far.

Four-year members of the St. Bonaventure women’s lacrosse program, Colangelo and Hennessey helped lead the team to Atlantic 10 prominence throughout their careers. Colangelo started all 72 games during her tenure with the Brown and White, was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team three times and capped off her senior season by being named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. Hennessey started 59 games in her four seasons and was named to the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll each year.

Unsure of their paths after graduation, the two former captains turned to head coach LeighAnn Stauffer for guidance. 

“It was a funny situation because everyone else of the eight seniors knew what their next steps were going to be,” Stauffer said. “We sat down with them individually every week and went over what they wanted to do and what their interests were. For Kate and Brit, it was potentially coaching.”

Everything fell into place for Colangelo and Hennessey, who could earn their Master’s degrees and continue to be a part of the program that has been so important to them.

“[Stauffer] gave us both a call one day and was like, ‘We can take you both back as student assistants,’” Hennessey said. “We’re both interested in coaching at the college level and there’s no better way to get started than to learn from the coaches that you played under. Once we found out we could come back, it was a no-brainer for us and we were super excited to get back here.”

The pair have now embraced their leadership roles in this new perspective. As fresh graduates, many of the players they now coach were teammates just a few short months ago, creating a sense of familiarity that a traditional coach would have difficulty fostering.

“Something very cool about the situation we’re in is that we’re coaching people that we played with,” Hennessey said. “It’s really awesome to have that mutual respect and they’re also very comfortable coming to us.”

Despite now seeing the game from a coach’s perspective, the pair’s core objectives remain the same. If anything, this new position makes their jobs as supporting presences easier than it had been during their captaincy.

“It’s really not that different from last year being captains,” Colangelo said. “Not really telling them what to do, but being a higher-up for them. We’re just here to support them and help them throughout their journey. We’ve been in their shoes, so anything we can do to help them is what we’re here for.”

Every coach, no matter how seasoned, has their own styles. For Hennessey and Colangelo, they developed their methods early. Whether they notice them or not, Stauffer does.

“Brit is definitely more of the ‘just have fun, don’t overthink it’ type of coach, while Kate is a little more logistical with everything, but their knowledge of the game is incredible,” Stauffer said. “They do a really awesome job of relating to everyone else on the team.”

Relatability is a focal point for Hennessey and Colangelo as they embark on this new journey. When a peer suddenly becomes a subordinate, relationships can be strained. Toeing the line between being a coach and a friend is difficult and something that they have had to learn on the fly. 

“Maintaining those relationships was our biggest thing coming into this,” Hennessey said. “Yes, we want to learn how to be a coach, but these are some of our best friends that we were playing with four months ago. Finding that balance is something that we’re still working on, but they’ve made it so easy.”

After a lifetime of playing the sport they love, it’s hard for the former captains to step off the field. For the Bonnies’ new staff members, it was a bittersweet transition, but one filled with an eager curiosity.

“Last week they were warming up and it really hit us,” Colangelo said. “It’s over. We’re not playing again. It was obviously sad in the moment but we’re excited to see a new side of things.”

Colangelo and Hennessey not only enjoyed a myriad of personal successes on the field, they also acted as catalysts for the program’s drastic turnaround. 

In their freshman seasons, the Bonnies won six games. Each successive spring, they saw jumps in the win column, closing their senior year with 11 wins, six of which came in conference play, and a trip to the Atlantic 10 semifinals, where the team collected the first postseason win in program history.

Bringing the pair back to join the coaching staff marks a commitment to the continual growth of the program as they lean into the communal aspect that makes St. Bonaventure unique. Colangelo and Hennessey join Stauffer in coaching at their alma mater. Stauffer was twice an All-Conference honoree during her playing career, which ended in 2017.

“To have three Bonaventure alumni on the sideline just speaks to the community of this place and how much we love this place,” Stauffer said. “Brit and Kate could have gone in any direction after graduation and the fact that they chose to come back here and make it better is incredible. We definitely share that pride and love for the school and it comes out in so many different ways.”

This fellowship that is so uniquely Bonaventure is something Colangelo and Hennessey hope to further instill in the team. They know how quickly the time flies, urging their players not to take it for granted and not to let it slip away.

“Something I learned in my four years that I want to preach to them is to really enjoy every moment that you’re here,” Hennessey said. “You don’t realize how fast it goes until you’re in our shoes. We would give anything to be back on that field for one more game, one more practice or even one more drill. Just enjoying every moment of it, enjoying the highs and the lows is what shaped us into who we are.”