CONWAY, S.C. – Coastal Carolina women's lacrosse head coach Rachel Shuck Whitten has announced that former assistant coach Samantha Giacolone will rejoin the Chanticleer coaching staff as an assistant coach.
 
Giacolone will return to Conway, S.C., after spending the 2023 season with the Stanford Cardinal, where she worked with the goalies and was the defensive coordinator. During her time with the Cardinal, she coached PAC 12 Co-Goalkeeper of the Year (Kara Rahaim) and saw three defensive players garner All-PAC 12 first-team honors (Rahaim, Caroline Mondiello, and Ailish Kelly).
 
"I am extremely excited to welcome Samantha back to Coastal," Whitten said. "I believe her year at Stanford allowed her to learn and develop, and I look forward to working with her over the next couple of years. She is a phenomenal coach and has the same core values that I take pride in our program having!" 

While at Coastal in 2022, Giacolone worked closely with the Chanticleers' defensive unit and goalkeepers, helping the program earn two ASUN Defensive Player of the Week honors during the 2022 season. While coaching at Coastal Carolina, Giacolone also earned her master's degree in Athletic Leadership from Clemson University.
 
Prior to pursuing her advanced degree and coaching at Coastal Carolina, Giacolone served in the same role at Furman University. While working with the defensive unit, she helped guide the program to the 2021 SoCon regular-season title. She also helped coach the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, six conference Player of the Week awards, and a Defensive Player of the Month award.
 
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