Katherine Stachowski
Following her recent success in the region as an assistant coach, Katherine Stachowski was announced as the next head women's lacrosse coach at the University of Mount Olive.
Stachowski joins the Trojans after serving the previous five seasons as an assistant coach at Limestone University. During her tenure, the Saints posted a 69-19 (.784) overall record while going an impressive 42-8 in South Atlantic Conference (SAC) play. Limestone captured a pair of SAC Tournament titles (2024-25) and made two appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Stachowski coached 33 All-SAC selections, including multiple-time All-American Bailey Stumpf, a two-time SAC Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, the Saints featured double-digit honorees on the IWLCA All-Region Teams and numerous All-American selections.
"I'm honored to be selected as the next Head Women's Lacrosse Coach at Mount Olive. Since its inception, this program has proven its ability to compete at a championship level," said Stachowski. "I'm excited to work alongside these student-athletes as we achieve their goals on and off the field. We will pursue these goals relentlessly and with great passion. I'd like to thank Joey Higginbotham and the entire search committee for the opportunity to lead this program. The women's lacrosse program will continue to emulate the vision and mission of the University of Mount Olive and its athletic department. I'm excited to join the Trojan Family!"
She served two seasons as a graduate assistant at North Central College (2018-2020), with the program boasting a 19-4 mark during her stint. Stachowski served as a co-defensive coordinator and mentor Christina Truver, the Defensive Player of the Year in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) in 2019. Additionally, Truver garnered IWLCA All-Region honors and led all of NCAA Division III in ground balls per game. In 2020, the Cardinals posted a perfect 5-0 start to the season before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the remainder of the season.
"We are excited for Coach Stachowski to join our Trojan Family. Her passion for developing relationships with young people is what stood out to us," expressed Director of Athletics Joey Higginbotham. "We are excited for Coach Stachowski to lead our women's lacrosse program to many more championships and prepare our young women every day to be successful on and off the field."
Stachowski was a four-time All-Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC) selection as a defender while competing at Transylvania University (2015-18). She started over 60 career games for the program and was a two-time team captain for the Pioneers. In her final season, Stachowski helped lead the team to a conference championship as a senior while also making an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
She received her bachelor's degree in political science with a minor in mathematics from Transylvania University in 2018 before earning a master's degree in leadership development with an emphasis in sport leadership from North Central College.