"During my experience, coach P was up and down. Like most people, had her good days and bad days. A lot of us feared coming to practice because we weren't sure what version of her we were going to get. We would thrive on days when recruits or administrators were coming to practice with us because that means that she would put on a "nice" front. I will never forget when she made us run sprints before a game because she noticed competitive/petty culture that she created between two girls during warmup. She lacks a lot of accountability for the environment she created. I will also never forget when a teammate, who was epileptic, got hit by a car before a game, was taken to hospital and Jennifer told us to stop worrying about our teammate and focus on the game ahead. She had her good days where she could have quality conversations about life. She did help her players through tough times, but then would use the same tough time against them. "

"During the recruiting process she comes across as nice and friendly. But as soon as we stepped on campus as freshman it became apparent that it was very different. We had an upper classman sit with us one night and tell us all the horror stories of the ranking, running, and verbal abuse they endured. She pulled athletes into her office to talk about issues to stir the pot. She tried to pit us all against each other by saying players were better than others in front of us. I ended up becoming extremely suicidal and lost almost 20 pounds in 3 weeks from the extreme running we were doing. I also had a diagnosed medical issue that she went over the university doctors head and had me run a running test I was specifically told I couldn’t. Seeing her receive so many awards from the university and IWlCA is sickening given what she puts her players through. After quitting an incident occurred. She told her player she “flagged” me so I wouldn’t be able to transfer elsewhere to continue playing. The things she says and does to her players is awful and I hope she never is hired elsewhere. Running is a punishment at all times by her even after a game in front of family and friends. She uses scholarships as a weapon to keep players quiet and force them to accept the treatment. My original freshman class had 4 girls leave and most senior classes only had 3-4 girls left by the end of their time at Gannon. "

"Hearing about what Jennifer Pawlowski does to her players is truly unsettling. She has told her players that playing lacrosse in college means you are an athlete first, then a student. She does not care about school work or exams but only lacrosse. She runs them down to the ground and will verbally talk about how “terrible” her players are to her assistant coach in front of her own players. Having multiple girls quit in one season should tell you about her personality and coaching ability. Jennifer’s choice of punishment is running. Running is a common choice of punishment but the way she does it is challenging. She is constantly making her girls run instead of focusing on what they truly need to work on. The girls on the team have great chemistry and are always supporting each other because they do not have a coach to give them the support they need."

"There’s about a million things I could say about Jennifer Pawlowski as a head coach, some positives, but majority of my experience surrounding her was mental abuse, manipulation, and physical injuries. My number one takeaway from my four years here is she doesn’t care about her players as a person or as a whole. It is merely transactional. If you are producing on the stat sheets, she will give you at the least the time of day. However, if even her best players are having a bad game, they arent met with support, encouragement, or coaching ques. Instead you are ignored, considered a disappointment, and sometimes even humiliated in front of the entire team. Between her mind games, white board rankings, and overall manipulation of pitting her own players against eachother both on the field and in their own personal lives and living situations, all while she is preaching a positive team culture, it’s hard to have a positive college experience with college athletics. I love the game of lacrosse and spent my entire life loving and playing this sport. However, I will not and do not miss Gannon Lacrosse. Not because of the players or the game, but because of a coach who ruined the game for me. It has taken me a long time to figure out who I am away from this sport because being here taught me that all my value as a person was based on performance. If I wasn’t performing on the field, my self worth plummeted and my entire day to day seemed pointless. This was reinforced by her behavior towards her players. I have life long injuries that my four years of college has given me. You can say it’s apart of the sport, but I would disagree. I have never heard of a team with some many injuries both before the start of a season and during a season. Sprints was used as apart of her mind games. Bad stick skills, sprints. Offense can’t score, sprints. Defense gets scored on, sprints. No communication, sprints. She was in a bad mood, sprints. I could go on. This was typically on top of her mental toughness weeks (which I think someone explained in another post) and daily conditioning (sometimes 2x in a two hour practice slot). Running is apart of the sport and getting in shape is definitely important, but not when players are expected/forced to run on injuries out of fear of what she would do if you didn’t. Also how does this improve the stick skills that majority of her players non existently have? Lastly, just to mention she would get made at her players for not using the athletic trainer and then get made when players were seeing the athletic trainer and following their guidelines and recommendations. Overall, my biggest recommendation is just choose someone else. The admin of gannon university have been seeing the same patterns, complaints from players, and the mental and physical abuse she puts her players through for over 5 years. It happened before my time here and will continue until she is fired/retires from this university. If anything I hope this helps shed some light so another player can be saved from the same everyday fate I faced while apart of this program. "

"I had recently came across this website and felt that it was only fitting to state this after what I saw on Saturday. For reference, I am a parent of a Lockhaven women’s lacrosse athlete. This coach was extremely immature - she would have temper tantrums if a play did not go her way or if a call would go against her. Clearly the players feed off of this as some were incredibly mouthy and poor sports. This woman then sat on the bench until everyone left and sulked. Parents, do not send your child here’, as your child will learn poor sportsmanship and disgusting actions."

"Gannon University had struggled in past with coaching, they fired the previous coach Kerri O’Donnell due to a losing record and mentally abusive tactics. Gannon was under the impression that they brought in a tenured coach when bringing in Jennifer. In reality, Jennifer had been fired from her two previous NCAA coaching positions. From the moment she arrived, she would continually talk about each players replacement and firmly emphasized that “this was not her team”. If you are not fit, you will be forced to run extreme run tests that you cannot pass and she knows that you will not pass. She then will create a “run club” where these out of shape players will run, so that essentially they will lose weight. If you are passing all these fitness tests, you will start- even if you have poor lacrosse IQ and skills. Jennifer has continued to recruit these players who put their trust into her to help grow them as a player, but all she does is tear them down and make them question their own self worth. If you struggle with mental health, it will only get worse because of her. When her players require major surgery, their emotional well being is fragile. Jennifer will make you feel invisible, she will treat you as if you don’t exist. But one thing she will make her players do is ball hunt during practice. Jennifer is a manipulative individual who is stuck in her old ways, she was coached by Kevin Cooke who was an individual that destroyed his players mentally. Kevin Cooke was fired by Mercyhurst in 2021 due to his horrible coaching. Mercyhurst did their due diligence in firing a coach that was mentally abusive, but why hasn’t Gannon? There has been numerous occasions where Gannon has failed their student athletes. The classes of 2021 to 2024 had suffered the most. In 2021, Jennifer had brought in her senior class to her office and ask them to tell her what the younger classes were doing and if they were partying on the weekend. Jennifer preaches in her players ratting on the eachother. Jennifer additionally involves herself in her players personal lives, asking who are they seeing and who they are sleeping with. If you are just jealous of your players, you can say that. Don’t pretend to be a friend to them and in turn back stab them. As mentioned previously, Jennifer is a master manipulator. During the early spring of 2021, players had decided to attend a house party- a normal thing to do. Unfortunately, a former spiteful player had decided to document to ‘LiveSafe’ that the women’s lacrosse team was there. It became news to Jennifer, without warning she posted in the team chat there was a team meeting at 10am on zoom. The players were alarmed and logged on, she did not say hello nor good morning. All she said was “does anyone seriously not have anything to say?” She then proceeded to threaten her players to rat on eachother and tell her if they were there at the party. How can you preach family and cohesiveness, when you encourage ratting? Furthermore, she proceeded to give these players until 2pm to inform the team that they were at the party. After these players informed Jennifer that they were at the party, she placed them on academic probation with the university and suspended them from the team. During the players suspension, no teammate was allowed to speak to the suspended players- sisters weren’t even allowed to speak to their sisters. These players were also placed in quarantine and given freezer burnt food that wouldn’t even thaw out. She does not care about her players well being. From the time of 2020 to 2024, over 40 players have quit because of her. Gannon University does nothing when these players tell the athletics department that they are suffering. Players walk into the training room crying because of her, she places players on the redshirt list without them even knowing. She is negligent to her players and Gannon University athletics lets it happen. Dan Teliski and Lisa Goddard were all pawns in her manipulation game. Not only can she not hold a winning record or players, she can’t hold on to an assistant coach. These assistant coaches are belittled just like her players because they know her coaching doesn’t work. It’s always the same plays and same defence. Jennifer, you don’t have the players to keep on doing the same thing. One can say that her former players ‘replacements’ are downgrades. But it’s finally ‘Her team’!! The program’s repeated portrayal of itself as a “family” is increasingly difficult to take seriously given the consistent disconnect between that messaging and the athlete experience. An environment that leaves players feeling diminished, emotionally strained, and reluctant to speak openly is not aligned with the standard of leadership expected in collegiate athletics. There appears to be a pattern of communication that is impersonal and, at times, transactional—particularly when outreach is tied to expectations of additional financial contribution. This raises legitimate concerns about priorities and the authenticity of the program’s stated values. Leadership is not defined by slogans, but by the culture it creates. When that culture fosters fear, discouragement, or emotional distress rather than support and development, it warrants serious reflection and accountability. Jennifer will remind you that you are replaceable but maybe someone should replace her? "

"Coach P has had a continuous losing season however fails to change for the better. It is disappointing that not only she cannot see what she is doing to the team and her players but the Gannon University athletic director and department is blind to it as well. She is a manipulative and unkind coach who plays mind games with her players. Her coaching style is not of any style at all, she does not even prioritize basic skills over fitness. Yes we need our players to be fit however if they cannot catch a ball how do you expect them to actually play in a game. She uses physical activity as a punishment for just about everything. Not talking enough, run sprints. Dropping balls (even though the majority of her recruits do not have stick skills to begin with so how is she surprised), run sprints. Lose a game, run sprints. Defense doesn’t stop a shot, run sprints. Offense can’t score, run sprints. I’m convinced she does not actually care about the well-being of her players as she makes them run these punishment sprints on injuries knowingly. She tends to get mad at the players for seeing the AT however preaches to “take care of your body”. Well coach P what do you expect when you run your players into the ground every single practice ? "

"If I could continue with no stars I would, Jennifer is by far the worst lacrosse coach ever even worst person, I’ve never seen someone downgrade young girls worser then Jeffrey Epstein, she should be flipping burgers somewhere in Iowa , shitty coach even shitter person. "

"Coach Jennifer Pawlowski joined Gannon University in 2019 following the dismissal of the previous head coach. Prior to her arrival at Gannon, she had coaching experience at Wheeling University and Edinboro University, and also served as a strength and conditioning coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Her first season appeared promising, with the team starting 4–1 in away games. However, over time many players observed a decline in team morale and an increase in athlete turnover. During the recruiting process, Coach Pawlowski was described by players and families as attentive and communicative. She frequently engaged with recruits and their parents and encouraged players to reach out if they needed support. However, several players reported that this level of communication and accessibility decreased significantly after they joined the program. 2021 Team Discipline Incident During the 2021 season, several team members attended an off-campus university party. A report was submitted through the university safety application “LiveSafe,” identifying members of the lacrosse team as being present. The following day, Coach Pawlowski held what was described as an emergency team meeting and required players who attended the party to identify themselves. Players were informed that failure to acknowledge their attendance could result in removal from the team. After this meeting, a separate team group chat was created that excluded the players who had attended the party. According to multiple players, members of the team were instructed to avoid interacting with those individuals on campus during their suspension from team activities. During the suspension period, Coach Pawlowski met individually with the players involved. Several athletes reported receiving different messaging during these meetings. Some players stated they were told that their involvement in the incident was not surprising based on prior perceptions of them. When the players returned to practice, they were reportedly required to complete additional conditioning drills such as running, bear crawls, and burpees as a consequence. TikTok Incident During the same season, a group of players created a TikTok video that included no visible alcohol consumption or illegal activity. The video did contain empty bottles in the background. Coach Pawlowski later gathered the team in the weight room, displayed the video, and read aloud several comments left by viewers. According to players present, some of the comments read aloud included sexually explicit or degrading remarks directed at the athletes. Rather than addressing the inappropriate nature of those comments, players reported that the comments were read to the team as part of a discussion about the video. Several athletes described the experience as publicly embarrassing. Quarantine Food Situation During a period when several athletes were quarantined, players reported receiving frozen meals from the university that were difficult to identify or eat. One team member ordered groceries to improve access to food during this time. According to players, this individual later received disciplinary consequences related to that decision. Training Practices and Injury Concerns Players described a recurring training period referred to as “mental toughness week,” during which athletes completed physically demanding drills with limited explanation of expectations. Some players reported being penalized with additional conditioning if drills were not executed correctly. Over several seasons, multiple athletes reportedly experienced stress reactions or stress fractures in areas such as the tibia, femur, and foot. Some players expressed concerns about the volume of running and conditioning. Coach Pawlowski attributed these injuries to athletes not adequately taking care of themselves or not consistently utilizing athletic training resources. Team Culture and Player Ranking Several players reported that Coach Pawlowski maintained a ranking board in her office that listed players by position (attack, midfield, defense, and goalie) from top to bottom. Athletes reported that these rankings sometimes changed week to week based on performance or disciplinary issues. Some players felt that this system created unnecessary stress and competition within the team. The board was reportedly removed after a first-year player raised concerns that the practice negatively affected team morale and mental well-being. Personal Boundaries Some players reported being asked personal questions about their relationships or sexual activity. Athletes described feeling uncomfortable discussing these topics in a team environment. Additionally, some players reported instances where certain individuals were publicly identified as the most important player on the team, which led other athletes to feel undervalued. Player Attrition Over approximately four years, more than 30 athletes reportedly left the lacrosse program. When a player leaves a team at Gannon University, they are required to meet with the Associate Athletic Director, who at the time was Dan Teleski. Several former players reported sharing concerns about their experiences during those meetings. Strength and Conditioning Concerns Coach Pawlowski also served as the team’s strength and conditioning coach. Some athletes questioned whether the training program was appropriately tailored to the physical demands of collegiate lacrosse, noting that workouts frequently involved full-body lifting sessions three times per week. Players expressed concerns that this approach did not always emphasize agility or injury prevention. During one season when an external Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist assisted with training, players reported a noticeable reduction in ligament injuries. Conditioning Practices Players reported that conditioning drills frequently involved repeated sideline-to-sideline runs within specific time limits. Some athletes felt that these drills did not reflect the movement patterns typical of lacrosse gameplay. Additionally, players reported instances where conditioning would continue until athletes were physically exhausted or ill. In some cases, Coach Pawlowski reportedly selected one player whose performance determined when the team could stop conditioning. According to players, this individual was sometimes a less-conditioned athlete, which resulted in extended conditioning for the entire team. Overall Program Environment Many athletes reported experiencing significant stress and anxiety associated with team practices and conditioning sessions. Several players described feeling that the team environment often fostered competition among teammates rather than collaboration. "

" Gannon brought Jennifer in 2019 to help rebuild the program, as she had a wealth of experience in coaching at various programs. In the pre season of 2020, Gannon should have launched an investigation when multiple players would come into the athletic training room crying due to her comments and coaching style. Let’s also not forget when two players had been redshirted without their knowledge and was in the process of being finalized by the NCAA. When confronted by the athletic trainer, all Jennifer had to say was “it’s my team and my choice, not theirs.” Jennifer alleges that her program is a “family”, she does not create a family atmosphere at all. Instead, she pits her players against eachother with a ranking system and will purposefully put the player she is talking to at the bottom to spark anger or for them to perform better. She is the queen of mind games and asking inappropriate questions such as who are her players sleeping with, who are they talking to etc. she is stuck in her own college ways. In 2021 season alone, she had 14 girls quit. There was no investigation into that and all that she would say is “they can’t handle lacrosse nor the program anymore.” She would treat those who quit or left the team as if they were weak. She did not care about the players mental health at all. Jennifer destroys players mental health and self worth, she does not care if you are her top player or someone on the injured reserve- she will still make comments to you. Imagine being a freshman or transfer on to this team in 2019 and she says “this isn’t my team, I need to find your replacements.” Jennifer is also not there for her players either, she will give up coaching on them in the half time. She will openly say nothing and then proceed to leave. The players band together through their leadership and ultimately had a us vs her mentality. When players go to compliance, they don’t listen. It’s been 7 years of comments to compliance and they don’t do anything to help the players, they let the cycle continue. Another instance that an investigation should have been commenced was when another student at Gannon had decided to post that the women’s lacrosse team was at a party. Shortly thereafter, Jennifer proceeded to have a zoom meeting and start off the meeting by saying “Does anyone seriously not have anything to say “ and encouraged her players to turn on eachother and tattle for being at the party. She placed at least 6 players in quarantine, these students lived in dorms and did not have access to food. These student would receive freezer burnt food as their meals. Moreover, when seeing these teammates on campus, she told her players to treat them as if they don’t exist. It doesn’t matter if these players made a mistake, these players owned up to it. The players needed support and guidance, not mind games by their own coach. No matter how many times Gannon got a PSAC player, or PSAC all conference player, that was the players doing and not from her help. Gannon players from the years of 2019 to 2025 faced the worst of her, yet this toxic cycle reoccurs every year. If you are being recruited by her, she will be two different people. She will be so nice speaking with you and your parents, then once you arrive at Gannon on the field she is your worst enemy. Once you graduate, you are only merely just a name, but don’t worry she will ask you for money every month regardless of your relationship with her. "