GREENVILLE, S.C. – Furman head lacrosse coach Rachel Whitten has announced the addition of Samantha Giacolone to the women's lacrosse staff as an assistant coach.
 
"I am beyond grateful and excited to be a part of the Furman women's lacrosse coaching staff," said Giacolone. "As a recent student-athlete, I cannot wait to embark on this new journey with the Furman women's lacrosse team and bring what I have learned from my experiences to help this program reach its fullest potential."
 
Giacolone joins Furman's staff after a stellar career at Notre Dame, where she graduated in May of 2019 with a degree in Psychology and minors in Business Economics and Education, Schooling and Society.
 
"We are extremely excited to add Samantha to our staff," said Whitten. "Her background and accolades speak for themselves, but it's her energy and passion for lacrosse that shined through during the interview process. She comes from a high level of play at Notre Dame and I think she will make an immediate impact on our players and the program overall."
 
Giacolone was a four-year starter in goal at Notre Dame and finished her career as the Fighting Irish's all-time saves leader (605) and all-time wins leader (47). Giacolone was 47-28 in goal for her career, played 4205:06 minutes, turned in a 9.52 goals against average and .476 save percentage, picked up 178 ground balls and caused 30 turnovers.
 
She picked up plenty of accolades in her Notre Dame career, including earning IWLCA Second Team All-America honors in 2019. Giacolone was a four-time ACC Academic Honor Roll honoree, a two-time All-ACC Academic Team member, a five-time ACC Defensive Player of the Week honoree and was twice named IWLCA National Player of the Week.
 
As a senior in 2019, Giacolone was also named to the Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-American Second Team, All-ACC First Team and IWLCA First Team All-Region, as well as being named one of the Top 25 finalists for the Tewaaraton Award.
 
The Manorville N.Y., native, was a four-year member of Notre Dame's Monogram club, as well as being a four-year volunteer for student-welfare and development. She was a member of Rosenthal Academy, a coach for the Long Island Yellow Jackets Elite Lacrosse Club, and a director and coach of ESMSA Basketball camp.
 
Giacolone was also a member of the U-19 National Women's Lacrosse team in 2014-15, representing the United States in Edinburg, Scotland.
 
Furman looks to repeat as SoCon Champions in spring 2020, after earning the regular season co-champion title in spring 2019.