She replaces Jill Rizzo, who is now on staff at Noted Big Ten Power USC.
Three seasons of quiet on the Marquette women’s lacrosse coaching staff has come to an end.
Technically, I suppose, the quiet came to an end on July 8 when USC announced that they had hired now-former MU assistant Jill Rizzo, but Marquette head coach Meredith Black announced earlier this week that she has hired Annie Carroll to replace Rizzo on the staff.
Here’s Black on her new employee:
“We are thrilled to welcome Annie to Marquette,” Black said. “She has great experience as a player in the BIG EAST and as a coach. We have no doubt she will be a great mentor to our student-athletes and help us compete for championships.”
And Carroll on her new job:
“I am thrilled to be joining the Marquette lacrosse program and cannot wait to work alongside Meredith and Caitlin,” Carroll said. “Their expertise and long-standing dedication since the beginning of the program have truly been inspiring. Coming back to the Big East Conference as a coach is exciting, and I can’t wait to get started with the team!”
As you can see, both Black and Carroll mentioned her experience playing in the Big East, and it wasn’t that long ago in fact. Carroll was a UConn Husky from 2017 to 2021, playing 14 games in goal with three starts across that time. She played a COVID bonus season — yes, she’s that young — in 2022 with Temple, starting every game for the Owls and her 10-5 mark earned her all-AAC Second Team honors.
Carroll comes over to Marquette from UC Davis after two seasons with the Aggies. She got to see the Golden Eagles up close and personal back in March of 2023, as MU snagged a 19-17 win out in California. Of course, Carroll would have been part of the UConn roster that competed against Marquette even after The Reformation as the Huskies kept playing women’s lacrosse in the Big East until the AAC started sponsoring the sport.
Since she’ll be taking over the goalie instruction, there is a chance that Carroll could have a big impact on Marquette immediately. MU’s fireballing offense was a big reason why the Golden Eagles reached the NCAA tournament for the first time in 2023, but Brynna Nixon’s 12.02 goals-against average didn’t hurt, either. Her save percentage of .408 was fifth best in program history that year amongst goalies with at least 50 saves as I give credit to both Sophia Leva and Jules Horning in 2020, and Nixon was third best all-time amongst goalies with at least 100 saves. That touch did not return in 2024, as she let in 15.58 goals per 60 minutes and stopped less than 33% of shots on frame. It’s hard to say that Rizzo was responsible for either the high or the low there since she was coaching Nixon through both, but Carroll will get the opportunity to steer Nixon out of last year’s difficulties as well as build up Mikayla Yang as the goalie of the future after Nixon’s senior season.