NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion women’s lacrosse head coach Lauren Gunning has hired Jillian Rizzo as an assistant coach, Gunning announced on Wednesday. Rizzo comes to ODU with six years of collegiate coaching experience, most recently serving as the defensive coordinator and goalkeeper specialist at the University of Southern California alongside Gunning for two seasons.
At USC, Rizzo helped the Trojans compile an 18-16 record while serving as assistant coach and defensive coordinator. Prior to USC, she spent three seasons at Marquette as an assistant coach.
"I am thrilled to welcome Jillian Rizzo to our coaching staff,” said Gunning. “Her track record speaks for itself—she is a record-breaking player who knows what it takes to compete at the highest level, and she has already proven herself as an elite defensive coach. Jill has a fantastic ability to connect with players and break down the game. I know our defense and goalie units will thrive under her leadership, and we are excited to get to work.”
At Marquette, Rizzo was part of the staff that earned 2023 BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors. She helped lead the Golden Eagles to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023, when Marquette posted a program-best 15-4 overall record and a 5-1 mark in BIG EAST play.
Rizzo worked closely with Marquette’s defensive and goalkeeper units. In 2024, the Golden Eagles ranked among the nation’s top 10 in both total draw controls (297) and draw controls per game (17.47). Offensively, Marquette ranked in the top 25 nationally and led the BIG EAST with more than 32 shots per game.
Rizzo comes to ODU following a standout career at Ohio State, where she was a five-year starting goalkeeper from 2016-21. During her time with the Buckeyes, she recorded a program-record 777 career saves while posting a .469 save percentage and 28 wins as a starter. She earned both a Bachelor of Science in business administration and a Master of Science in kinesiology from Ohio State.
Her 203 career ground balls rank second all-time in the Ohio State record books, and she was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week selection, earning the honor in 2017 and 2019.
Rizzo was an IWLCA All-Midwest Region and All-Big Ten selection in 2021 and served as a team captain four times during her career. She was also a four-time Big Ten All-Academic Team honoree, a five-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete, and earned Big Ten Distinguished Scholar recognition in both 2020 and 2021.