Syracuse University Athletics Honors Katie Thomson

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – On Sunday, February 20, 2022, the Syracuse University Athletic Department will hold a special ceremony retiring the jersey of University at Albany women’s lacrosse head coach Katie Thomson née Rowan, who wore #21 during her four-year career with the Orange.

Dubbed ‘Lacrosse Legends Day’, Thomson is one of three featured honorees from the Syracuse men’s and women’s lacrosse programs. Gary Gait, arguably the greatest men’s lacrosse players in history, will see his #22 jersey from his playing career with the Orange honored, but not taken out of circulation.  Roy Simmons Jr. will become just the sixth individual enshrined in Syracuse’s Ring of Honor, which recognizes individuals for their incredible contributions to Syracuse University that transcend their sport.

Gait was Thomson’s head coach during her playing career, and is currently in his first season as head coach of Syracuse’s men’s program.  Thomson and Gait are the first two lacrosse players in Syracuse history to have their jerseys retired.

The Syracuse men will host #1 Maryland on Sunday, while the women’s team will host #4 Stony Brook.

Thomson attended Bethlehem Central High School and led her girls’ lacrosse team to a four-year record of 77-7 and four Section II titles during her career.  In all for seasons, the Eagles advanced at least to the New York State semifinal round, and into the championship round in 2002 and 2004. She was a two-time US Lacrosse All-America selection, and was named Times Union Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005.

Thomson arrived at Syracuse as a freshman for the 2005-06 school year.  In her first season with the Orange, she was unanimously named as an All-BIG EAST First Team selection, leading Syracuse with 56 total points, which, at the time, was already the sixth-highest single-season scoring effort in program history, as were her 46 goals scored that year.  At the end of the season, Thomson was the only freshman named to the IWLCA All-Northeast Region First Team.

As a sophomore, Thomson increased her scoring output to 86 points, including 59 goals.  She earned First Team All-America honors from IWLCA/US Lacrosse and WomensLacrosse.com, and Second Team All-America honors from Inside Lacrosse.  Once again, she was a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection.  In 19 games played as a sophomore, Thomson scored at least one goal, becoming just the third player in Syracuse history to score a goal in each game during a single season.  Thomson’s sophomore season was the year in which Syracuse recorded its first-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament, 16-10 over #10 Vanderbilt in Nashville. 

Thomson’s junior season marked the Orange’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Final Four.  Her scoring increased yet again, to the tune of a nation-leading 142 points, eclipsing the national runner-up in scoring by 28 points. Her 69 assists as a junior tied the NCAA single-season record.  During her junior year, Thomson became Syracuse’s all-time leading scorer.  The accolades continued to pour in, with Thomson earning First Team All-America honors from IWLCA/US Lacrosse, as well as Player of the Year Awards from the BIG East and WomensLax.com.  She was also a finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy and Honda Awards, recognizing the season’s most outstanding player.

Thomson once again earned All-America Honors from IWLCA, WomensLax.com, and WomensLacrosse.com, while also earning Co-Attacker of the Year honors from the BIG East.  She capped off her career earning the Syracuse Female Athlete of the Year. 

Thomson graduated from Syracuse as the program’s all-time leader with 396 points and 164 assists.  To this day, 13 years after her graduation, Thomson’s mark on the NCAA record books remains intact, where she still holds 13 all-time marks in scoring, including sixth in career goals scored and ninth in career scoring average.

In addition to her stellar career with Syracuse, Thomson brought further success to the United States Women’s National Team, winning gold at the 2009 and 2013 Women’s Lacrosse World Cups. 

Though she had exhausted her eligibility as a student-athlete, Thomson continued her career with Syracuse as a volunteer assistant in 2010, when the Orange advanced to the NCAA Final Four once again.  A two-year stint at UAlbany as an assistant coach, guiding the Great Danes to their only two America East championships, as well as an 18-game winning-streak and an appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals, Thomson returned to Syracuse as an assistant from 2013-15.  In her second coaching act with the Orange, Rowan saw Syracuse advance to the NCAA Final Four for a third time, while winning one BIG EAST and one ACC title, and coaching another all-time women’s lacrosse great in Kayla Treanor, who is the current head coach of the Orange women’s team.

Thomson’s first head coaching gig started in 2016 at Wagner, where she stayed for three seasons.  In her first and third years with the Seahawks, Thomson won two NEC titles and made two NCAA Tournament appearances.  The conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances were the first in Wagner program history, following up the same contributions she made guiding UAlbany to its first conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance as an assistant.  Thomson's coaching career has also taken her beyond the collegiate game, working on the sidelines in the WPLL and for the Haudenosaunee National program.

Now in her fourth season as head coach of UAlbany, Thomson has accumulated a 26-17 record with the Great Danes, guiding her latest team to three America East title games.  Last season, she was named America East Coach of the Year, and guided UAlbany into the America East title game for the 10th-straight season.  Yesterday, her Great Danes recorded one of the most dominating performances during her time as head coach, defeating Colgate 19-2, having opened the game on a 17-0 run.

Thomson will return to the Carrier Dome when the Great Danes visit Syracuse for their regular-season showdown on April 19.