INDIANA, Pa. – IUP Athletics announced the hiring of Lauren Chong as the head coach of the Crimson Hawks women's lacrosse program.
"Lauren separated herself throughout the process with her vision for our women's lacrosse program and her commitment to developing student-athletes on and off the field," IUP Director of Athletics Todd Garzarelli said. "She brings valuable experience at both the Division I and Division II levels, along with a proven ability to recruit, develop players and build strong relationships. We believe Lauren is the right person to build on the foundation of IUP women's lacrosse, and we are excited to welcome her to the Crimson Hawk family."
Chong arrives at IUP following two seasons at Division I Presbyterian College, where she served as associate head coach, offensive coordinator, draw specialist and recruiting coordinator. She was elevated from assistant coach to associate head coach in March 2026 while also taking on responsibilities as the department's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee coordinator.
During her time at Presbyterian, Chong helped produce four all-conference selections, four Big South Player of the Week honorees and four players who entered the program record book across nine statistical categories. The program produced all-conference selections in consecutive seasons in 2025 and 2026 for the first time since 2015.
"First off, I want to sincerely thank Todd Garzarelli and everyone involved in the interview process for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to be part of the IUP family," Chong said. "From my first conversation with Todd, I could tell how much this department and university care about their student-athletes and the future of the women's lacrosse program.
"I am incredibly honored and excited to become the next head coach of the women's lacrosse program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. From the moment I stepped on campus, I knew there was something special about IUP and the community here. The opportunity to lead this program, compete in the PSAC and build on the strong foundation already in place is incredibly exciting.
"I believe this program is in a great position for continued success, and I am looking forward to helping our student-athletes grow, compete and reach their full potential both on and off the field. I am so grateful for this opportunity and cannot wait to get started. I'm so excited to be a Crimson Hawk!"
Under Chong's direction, Presbyterian made strides offensively, improving in seven statistical categories compared with the previous two seasons. The Blue Hose increased assists by 38.9%, wins by 25%, goals by 17.1% and shooting percentage by 15.1%. Chong also helped the program retain 95% of its players who were eligible to return over her two seasons.
In addition to her on-field responsibilities, Chong oversaw recruiting and team travel while implementing leadership development and conditioning programs. She utilized GPS performance metrics to monitor player workload and recovery and incorporated Hudl and Spiideo for film analysis.
Prior to Presbyterian, Chong spent three seasons at Division II Lander University from 2021-24, earning a promotion from assistant coach to associate head coach in October 2023. She served as the Bearcats' recruiting coordinator, offensive coordinator, draw control specialist and academic success coordinator.
Chong helped coach 18 all-conference selections, three all-region honorees, seven all-tournament selections, a conference Freshman of the Year, two IWLCA Senior All-Stars and 23 conference player of the week selections during her tenure at Lander. The staff was named the 2022 Gulf South Conference Coaching Staff of the Year.
Her work with Lander's draw unit helped the Bearcats improve their draw control percentage from 39% in 2021 to 55% in 2023, becoming the top draw unit in the Gulf South Conference. In 2024, Lander ranked third nationally in Division II with a .528 shooting percentage. Chong also helped the program retain 100% of its student-athletes during her three seasons.
Chong also emphasized academic success at Lander, monitoring the academic performance of more than 30 student-athletes and developing action plans for those needing additional support. The Bearcats posted a 3.62 team GPA during the 2023-24 academic year.
A former collegiate lacrosse player, Chong was a two-time team captain at Limestone and a four-year member of the program's leadership council.
Chong earned her bachelor's degree in business administration and sport management with a coaching minor from Limestone in 2020. She earned her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in management and leadership from Limestone University in 2021.
