Gilroy and Skiera have worked together for the past five years at Army where Gilroy held the same title.

“I am super grateful and excited to welcome Shannon and her fiancé Pat to Blacksburg,” Skiera said of Gilroy. “When I think about our goals and vision for the program at Virginia Tech, Shannon is the perfect coach to help them come to fruition. I have had the luxury of working with Shannon over the past five years at Army and have witnessed her unbelievable work ethic, poise and ability to develop confident athletes and leaders. I am so excited for the student athletes in our program to be able to be mentored and developed by Shannon.”

Gilroy joined the Army West Point women’s lacrosse coaching staff in August 2016 and in just five years on the staff helped develop Army into not only one of the top draw control and offensive units in the Patriot League, but also in all of Division I. Over the past three seasons, the Black Knights have finished in the top four in the league in draw controls and inside the top-four in goals per game while setting program records in numerous offensive categories. During that stretch, the Cadets have also ranked inside the top-30 nationally in draw controls per game.

Offensively the Cadets put on a strong showing, finishing third in goals per game (12.78) while topping the rankings in shots per game (31.78). The high-powered Army attack guided the team to a 5-2 conference record and a five-game win streak to end the regular season. Gilroy's guidance also resulted in a league-best 11.44 turnovers per game.

Despite a shortened 2020 season in which the Black Knights were one of just eight teams in Division I with an undefeated record, Gilroy had the Cadets on a scoring tear through the first seven games of the year. On top of carrying a 7-0 record, the Black Knights boasted the nation’s top draw control unit after winning 68 percent of their draws. Army had scored in double figures in each of the seven outings while ranking 15th nationally in goals per game (15.29).

Gilroy was part of program history during the 2019 season as the Black Knights played to a program-best 14-5 record and a third-place finish in the Patriot League standings after recording a 6-3 mark in league play.