I didn’t want to go much further without mentioning last wee, k’s resignation of Colgate women’s lacrosse coach Kathy Taylor.
Taylor was the coach at Colgate for five years. A devastating story last year in USA Today said that nearly two dozen players had left her program. Some of the departed alleged that Taylor bullied them. One, Catie Lang, was reported to have tried to take her own life.
The atmosphere around the team translated into results. This past year, the Red Raiders went 3-14, only a scant few years after the team made the Patriot League postseason tournament.
This kind of performance from Colgate stood in contrast with the progress that other teams in the Empire State were making. Even though Colgate is in the middle of the state, the university saw Division I recruits go to the likes of Syracuse, Binghamton, Albany, Stony Brook, West Point, Wagner, Canisius, and Cornell.
Colgate, even under the best of circumstances, was behind the proverbial 8-ball when it came to trying to attract talent. But with a coach the subject of a 200-page unreleased investigative report, there was no way for the program to improve. It was a self-sustaining downward cycle. And Taylor, despite the usual corporate-speak found in the press release announcing the resignation, was the most responsible party.
I’m hoping that there will be a more optimistic outlook for this team with a new coaching staff. It can’t hurt.
