Lauren Gunning is in her first season as women's lacrosse head coach at Old Dominion.
Gunning comes to ODU from USC, where she was the associate head coach for the previous five seasons. She helped lead the Trojans to a pair of NCAA Tournaments and a Pac-12 Championship in 2023.
Gunning spent the previous seven seasons as an assistant coach at UConn. She returned to her alma mater in the summer of 2014 and coached her first six seasons as a Huskies assistant. She was elevated to the position of associate head coach in 2021.
Gunning directed UConn’s offensive unit and helped the Huskies win 59 games during her time with the Huskies. In both 2016 and 2021, Connecticut reached a program-record 12 wins. In 2021, Gunning helped UConn earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in program history and for the first time since 2013.
While on staff, Gunning coached attacker Grace Nolan who graduated as UConn’s all-time leader in points and goals. Under her guidance, Nolan was named a third-team IWLCA All-American in 2018 and was a two-time Big East Attacker of the Year.
In 2015, her first season at UConn, Gunning helped lead the Huskies to the Big East Tournament title game for the first time and to a fourth straight season in double-digit wins. She was honored with the Huskies’ staff as part of the Big East Coaching Staff of the Year.
Prior to coaching at her alma mater, Gunning spent three years at Cincinnati (2012-14). There, she worked primarily with the Bearcats’ offensive unit and had a hand in the development of Cincinnati’s goalkeepers. Gunning was also part of UC recruiting and scouting efforts and helped the Bearcats match a program record with seven wins in 2013.
Gunning started her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Iona in the fall of 2011 and worked directly with the attack unit.
As a player at UConn, Gunning tallied 20 points (11 goals, nine assists) for the Huskies and was named to the Big East All-Academic Team in each of her four seasons. She served as a team captain in her senior season and produced a career-high seven goals.
A native of Hunt Valley, Maryland, Gunning graduated from UConn with a bachelor's degree in sports management and completed her time at Connecticut with a 3.6 GPA and Dean's list honors.