Furman Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Jason Donnelly announced today that Rachel Shuck Whitten is returning to Furman as the new head coach of the women's lacrosse program.
A native of Annapolis, Md., Whitten has spent the past five seasons as the head coach at Coastal Carolina in Conway, S.C., leading the Chanticleers to an ASUN Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. Whitten has compiled a 118-91 overall career record in 12 seasons as a head coach.
"We are excited to welcome Rachel and her family back to Furman," Donnelly said. "Rachel is an outstanding leader who understands what makes Furman special. As the founding head coach of our women's lacrosse program, she built a strong foundation rooted in excellence, character, and meaningful relationships. Her proven success as a head coach, commitment to developing exceptional student-athletes, and passion for the Furman community makes her the ideal person to lead our program. We are confident she will continue to build a culture that prepares our student-athletes for success on the field, in the classroom, and in life."
Whitten amassed a 50-42 record through her time at Coastal Carolina and was named the 2024 ASUN Coach of the Year following a school-record 14-win campaign and guided the program to its first NCAA Tournament appearance. Academically, the Chanticleers totaled 23 Academic All-ASUN honorees.
She produced 16 All-ASUN selections, highlighted by nine first team honorees and seven ASUN All-Freshman Team citations. Whitten coached two ASUN Players of the Year in Kayla Downey (2023) and current Furman assistant coach Sydney McClure (2025), two-time ASUN Midfielder of the Year Avery McIllwaine (2023, 2024), and ASUN Goalkeeper of the Year Charlotte Sadler (2025).
The 2023 Chanticleers set program single-season records for goals (290), assists (151), and points (441) while going 12-7 overall and tying for third in the ASUN standings.
"I am excited to return to Furman University and continue building a program that I had the privilege of starting from the ground up," added Whitten. "It has been an honor to work at Coastal Carolina, a pleasure to be part of its athletic department, and, most importantly, a privilege to coach every student-athlete during my time as a Chant. When Jason Donnelly called with the opportunity to return to Furman, it felt like the right time for my family to return home to Greenville. We are excited to rejoin the Furman community and continue elevating Furman Lacrosse to new heights."
Whitten was hired as the first-ever head coach in program history by former Director of Athletics Dr. Gary Clark on May 30, 2012. She guided the Paladins to a 68-49 record over seven seasons from 2015-21 and captured two Southern Conference regular season championships in 2019 and 2021. Furman made six appearances in the conference tournament semifinals and three championship game appearances with the last coming in 2021. Whitten was named the SoCon Coach of the Year in 2021 after leading the Paladins to a 12-5 record and undefeated conference campaign.
She coached 35 all-conference selections during her first tenure in Greenville, including eight all-freshman team picks. Britt Douglass was named ASUN Freshman of the Year in 2015 and the Paladins swept the SoCon's top awards in 2021 with Offensive Player of the Year Hannah Demis, Defensive Player of the Year Avery Whitehead, and Freshman of the Year Meagan Beal.
Prior to being hired at Furman, Whitten spent six seasons at the University of Denver, serving as an assistant coach from 2007-11 before being promoted to associate head coach prior to the 2012 season. During her tenure at Denver, the Pioneers registered a 71-36 (.664) record, won three Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) regular season championships, and ranked among the nation's top 20 teams three times.
A two-time All-American at Loyola University, Whitten helped the Greyhounds advance to three straight NCAA Tournaments from 2002-04, including an appearance in the 2003 Final Four. Loyola ranked among the nation's top five teams her first three seasons, finishing the 2003 campaign as the top-ranked team in the country.
Whitten, who ranks in the school's top five all-time list in career assists, was nominated as a junior and senior for the Tewaaraton Award, which is presented annually to the NCAA women's lacrosse player of the year.
A 2004 graduate of Loyola with a bachelor's degree in business administration, Whitten and her husband, Marty, have two children, Aleni Lou and James Cole.
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