Emani Byrd enters her second season on the IUP women's lacrosse staff in 2021. She was named the Crimson Hawks assistant coach in June 2019.
Her first season with the Crimson Hawks ended prematurely, with the COVID-19 pandemic forcing a cancellation after IUP started the season 2-2.
Byrd came to Indiana from Misericordia University where she helped the Cougars win the program's first ever MAC Freedom Championship as a graduate assistant in 2019. Misericordia qualified for the NCAA Division III Championships for the first time, defeating Endicott before falling to No. 6 York in the second round.
Byrd helped the Cougars to a 15-6 overall record, including a perfect 7-0 mark in MAC Freedom play.
She helped seven players earn all-conference status in 2019, including the MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Year Brianna Ladner and MAC Freedom Rookie of the Year Maggie McGovern. Byrd also helped Ladner and Kaila Quinlivan earn IWLCA all-region status.
Byrd was the graduate assistant for two seasons at Misericordia, serving under current IUP head coach Brenna Gallagher in 2018. That year she helped Gallagher lead the Cougars to the MAC Freedom title game appearance and a spot in the ECAC tournament.
Byrd was a two-time team captain at Frostburg State in Maryland, where she started every game in the midfield. An All-CAC pick in 2014, she finished her career with 48 goals, nine assists, 102 caused turnovers, 134 draw controls, and 117 ground balls.
She graduated from Frostburg State in 2017 with a degree in sociology and earned her master's in human resources from Misericordia in 2019.
Updated November 6, 2020
