Photo: St. Bonaventure Athletics
BY ALLIE ELKINS, SPORTS EDITOR
“Every encounter that I have with an athlete is different, they bring a different story into my office every day,” said St. Bonaventure University’s women’s lacrosse head coach LeAnne Stauffer.
LeAnne Stauffer is approaching the end of her second year coaching at Bonaventure. However, Stauffer’s roots with the University go deeper than that.
“I played basketball in high school, and we actually came down for the Jim Crowley basketball camp,” said Stauffer.
This experience led Stauffer to her decision to come to Bonaventure.
“My high school team spent the night in [Devereux Hall], and I was like, ‘This is where I want to be,'” said Stauffer.
Stauffer became a Bonnie in 2013. She was a regular starter for the team during her Bonaventure Career. Stauffer was a two-time All-Atlantic 10 honoree and was the female Letterwinner award recipient in 2017.
Stauffer’s accomplishments in college are
“I was in my coach’s office at the end of the year, and he got a phone call right in the middle of our end-of-the-year meeting,” said Stauffer. “He looked at my assistant at the time and was like ‘She got it.’ I ended up making it on an all-conference team.”
Stauffer credits her achievements to how hard she has worked at becoming better.
“For me personally, that felt like a huge lacrosse accomplishment,” said Stauffer. “It just showed me individually that you’ll get out what you put in.”
After graduating in 2017, Stauffer eventually found a coaching Job at George Washington as the offensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator. This job taught her a lot about the sport.
“It was nice to be able to learn and finally take what I had learned at my prior school, and just my general lacrosse knowledge and make it my own,” said Stauffer. “It was a a lot of fun. I learned a lot.”
Stauffer coached at George Washington until 2022 when she joined the Bonnies as head coach for the 2023 season.
“We’re a school that prides itself on its alumni,” said Stauffer. “I was like, ‘okay [Bonaventure] knows that I’m in coaching and they’ve been paying attention, and they care.’”
After an on-campus interview, she immediately felt at home again. Stauffer’s decision ultimately came down to her connection with the players and the program.
“I met the kids, and I felt an instant connection to them because they knew what it was like to be a student-athlete here,” said Stauffer. “I just wanted to be able to provide them with the best experience possible at one of the best places I know.”
And that connection with the players is something Stauffer still prides herself on.
“I think wins come with the relationships that we’re building,” said Stauffer. “We have a great relationship with them where I feel like if they ever need anything, they could call me or they would want to call me.”
For Stauffer, the bond with her players comes from the most important thing they have in common.
“We obviously share a bond,” said Stauffer. “We went to the same school, we know what it’s like and it’s a huge honor to make [the program] better than I found it.”
As the 2023 season dwindles down, Stauffer has a lot of confidence in the program she’s helped build over the last two years.
“I think what we have here is special,” said Stauffer. “I think what we’re growing here is special.”
elkinsae23@bonaventure.edu
