Staten Island, NY - After winning the 2019 Northeast Conference (NEC) title and leading the Seahawks to the NEC championship game in 2021, Wagner College head women's lacrosse coach Michelle Tumolo announced her resignation on Monday to take over as the head coach at Army West Point.
"Wagner College will always be home to me," Tumolo said. "I want to thank Walt Hameline and Brendan Fahey for giving me the opportunity to lead the program for the last three years. I also want to thank the athletic department and my staff for all of their support over the years. To each player I have had the pleasure to coach: You have made this one of the hardest goodbyes of my life. Wagner gave me my first head coaching job which led to my first championship as a head coach. Without the support and love from everyone around me, the hard work and belief the players had, that would not have been possible. I am forever grateful for my time spent here and the relationships I have built. This will always be home and I will ALWAYS be a Seahawk."
In three years at Wagner, Tumolo extended Wagner's streak to seven straight NEC championship game appearances, which stands as a conference record, while making history in 2019 with a program-best 16-4 record and conference title.
The 2021 Seahawks finished the season at 10-5, with a 9-3 mark in conference play.
Under Tumolo's guidance, five members of the 2021 team earned First Team All-NEC honors, including two-time Midfielder of the Year Erin Kerstetter, two more earned Second Team recognition, and Ryan Murphy earned All-Rookie Team honors.
In addition to guiding her team to the NEC title, which was the Seahawks' second straight and third in a four-year span, Tumolo's 2019 Seahawks earned a dramatic 15-13 comeback win over MAAC Champion Fairfield in the NCAA Championship Opening Round.
To secure a berth in the NCAA Championship, Wagner, led by its six All-NEC performers, headed by Kerstetter, outlasted top-seeded Mount St. Mary's 7-6 in the 2019 NEC Championship game. Kerstetter would go on to earn First-Team All-ECAC honors as well as being tabbed to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) All-Region Second Team.
Under Tumolo's leadership, the 2019 Seahawks also excelled in the classroom as seven of her student-athletes were named to the IWLCA Division I Academic Honor Roll.
As a player, the former Syracuse All-American recently tried out for the US National Team.
Tumolo was also a role model in the community, launching her own lifestyle brand during her time at Wagner, with a portion of proceeds benefiting the USLacrosse LGBTQ Inclusion Scholarship.
The Seahawk athletic department will immediately begin a national search for a replacement.
