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Katie Rowan Thomson

 
Profile
Katie Rowan returned to the Capital Region and the University at Albany in June of 2018 when she was hired as the Great Danes' head coach.

On March 12, the 2020 season was cut short after five games due to the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent decisions made by the NCAA and its member conferences and institutions to cancel spring events. UAlbany, picked second in the preseason conference poll and returned all but one player from the 2019 roster, had gone 3-2 before the season was ended. Senior Sam Tortora, who entered the season as the program’s career leader in assists, recorded her 100th career assist on March 11 at Siena, in what would become the final game of the season.

In Rowan Thomson’s first season, UAlbany finished 11-7 overall, qualifying for their ninth-straight America East title game. The Great Danes boasted eight America East All-Conference First Team selections, including Offensive Player of the Year Madison Conway. Additionally, midfielder Sam Tortora set the program’s career record for assists, setting up Conway to cap off a comeback victory against New Hampshire in the regular season, before settling on 92 assists through her junior year.


Rowan Thomson, a native of Delmar, N.Y., who was an assistant at UAlbany from 2011-2012, came to the Great Danes from Wagner, where she had served as head coach for the past three years, guiding the Seahawks to two Northeast Conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, including a preliminary round victory this past season.

Rowan Thomson, who was a three-time First-Team All-American at Syracuse before graduating in 2009, has plenty of championship experience.


The Bethlehem High School graduate (Class of 2005) has been to 11 NCAA Tournaments: three as a player, four as an assistant coach at her alma mater, two as an assistant at UAlbany and two more at Wagner. Rowan Thomson also won Federation of International Lacrosse World Cup gold medals with the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2009 and 2013.


Rowan Thomson has played and coached at the highest levels of college lacrosse.


At Syracuse, she led the nation in scoring in 2008 on her way to totaling 396 points (232 goals, 164 assists) in her career. She set Syracuse single-season records for points (142) and assists (69) in helping the Orange to the 2008 Final Four and was a four-time All-BIG EAST First-Team honoree.