ITHACA, N.Y. – Former Syracuse All-American Riley (Donahue) VanHoltz has been named an assistant coach it was announced today by Jenny Graap, the Karin Bain Kukral '82 Head Coach of Cornell University Women's Lacrosse. VanHoltz previously held similar positions at East Carolina and most recently Le Moyne.
 
"We are thrilled to welcome Riley to our staff," Graap said. "She brings a wealth of lacrosse knowledge and coaching experience particularly in the offensive end of the field, and our team will greatly benefit from her ability to develop top feeders and scorers. In addition to mentoring our Big Red attackers, we are looking forward to Riley's expertise in shaping our draw control unit. The energy and passion that Riley brings will greatly benefit our Cornell program."

"It's a tremendous honor to join the Cornell Lacrosse family," VamHoltz said. "I am excited to bring my passion for the game to such a prestigious program and to help these talented athletes achieve their full potential on and off the field."
 
VanHoltz helped the Dolphins to a 9-9 record in its first season in Division I, including posting an 8-2 record in the Northeast Conference to place third in the 11-team conference. Le Moyne knocked off Cal in its first game back in Division I and featured one of the nation's top defenses. That followed three seasons at East Carolina with its 2023 team going 10-8 and its last two squads qualified for the AAC Tournament. In 2022, VanHoltz guided an offense that scored the most total team points, goals and assists in a single season in program history.
 
A second-team IWLCA All-American as a junior in 2017, VanHoltz was a four-year starter for the Orange. The two-year captain finished her career ranked ninth on the school's all-time scoring list with 227 points and seventh in both goals (143) and assists (83). A two-time Tewaaraton Trophy Award candidate, VanHoltz was named all-region three times. She was part of four NCAA Tournament teams, including a Final Four squad in 2016 and an ACC championship group the year prior.  
 
VanHoltz completed an internship as the Director of Operations for Syracuse women's lacrosse, organizing camps and clinics during the summers of 2016 and 2017. A three-time member of the ACC All-Academic Team, she earned a degree in Information Management and Technology from Syracuse in 2018.