Peyton Romig, 24, Becomes Nation's Youngest Division II Women's Head Coach

Just 14 months ago, Peyton Romig was on the turf at Hunter Stadium in St. Charles, Mo., draped in an officially licensed NCAA champion T-shirt while celebrating UIndy’s first women’s lacrosse national championship alongside her teammates. Romig had just played the last game of her All-American career and collected her award as the NCAA tournament’s most outstanding player.

Last week, after serving one season as an assistant coach at Davenport, Romig was introduced as the new head coach of her alma mater, becoming, at age 24, the nation’s youngest Division II women’s lacrosse head coach.

But Romig’s age clearly did not deter UIndy in calling on one of its own to lead the program. New athletic director Greg Shaheen, who was not at the helm during the Greyhounds’ run to the 2022 championship, said that Romig was the best fit for the position.

“Peyton’s unique experience and leadership in the sport, including her experience at UIndy, made her the ideal pick to lead us into the future,” he said. “She’s a proven winner, and we are excited to have her return to further our commitment to excellence, on and off the field.”

There’s no disputing that Romig was one of the most outstanding and impactful Division II players in recent years. She was a two-time first-team All-American and a national midfielder of the year, and she finished her career as the NCAA’s all-time leader in draw controls. She was instrumental in leading UIndy to the 2022 title. How all that success as a player translates into being the head coach of a perennial top 10 program is the great unknown.

“This is an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up,” Romig said. “It’s a big step for me but also the best step for me. It’s still a bit surreal right now.”

The Greyhounds finished 18-3 in 2023 and advanced to the national quarterfinals before losing in overtime to Grand Valley State. After one season as head coach, Elaine Jones left in June to take over the same position at Division I Akron, paving the way for Romig’s return to a program that has won five straight conference championships and made five straight NCAA tournament appearances.

“I have the same expectations now as a coach that I had when I was a player here,” Romig said. “We’ll have the same determination to succeed. No changes in that way.”

Romig met with the UIndy team via Zoom during the hiring process and was encouraged by the questions the players asked about maintaining the program at a very high level. Some of the veteran members of the team will be playing for their third head coach in three years.

“I knew some of the girls, of course, but it was a very good meeting,” Romig said. “I don’t think that having some of them as my former teammates will be a problem. I was a team captain when I was still playing here, so I already had a leadership role on the team. I’m hopeful that they will all feel comfortable with me.”

During this past year at Davenport under head coach Haley Schmucker, Romig’s primary on-field duties focused on working with the goalies and draw specialists, while also helping on the defensive end.

“I gave her a lot of control in practices and games,” Schmucker said. “She’s one of the more knowledgeable lacrosse people that I know, and her passion was awesome.”

After working side-by-side for the past year, Schmucker has no doubts about Romig’s readiness to be a head coach.

“I saw her grow so much in her confidence as a coach from last September to April,” Schmucker said. “The key is knowing your path and having confidence in what you are saying and teaching. She will be fine.”

Romig notes that one thing she learned as an assistant coach is the importance of helping players understand the reason behind what they are doing.

“Sometimes, you just have to slow everything down and talk through the different aspects of the game,” she said. “Improving everyone’s game IQ is very important. I love the collaborative element and the relationships with the players.”

While Romig understands that she may face a learning curve with some aspects of running a program, mostly with the administrative duties, she is comfortable in reaching out for advice to other coaches she has built relationships with. She said that one of those she won’t hesitate to lean on is James Delaney, her former UIndy coach who parted ways with the school shortly after leading the Greyhounds to the 2022 championship.

“We’ve stayed in touch through the past year, and he’s become a good mentor for me,” Romig said. “He gave me a lot of support while I was at Davenport. This past year as a coach helped me to better understand why we did a lot of the things that we did when I played for him.”

This opportunity to become a head coach may have come quicker than she, or anyone, anticipated, but Romig says she knows it’s the right course. The fast track doesn’t worry her.

“I’m committed to coaching for the long-term and excited to take this next step in my coaching career at my alma mater,” Romig said. “This is definitely the direction I want to go.”