Old Dominion University

"I saw a review on here from one of my teammates that in a nutshell said “every bad review is wrong and does not represent our team culture or our coaches”. Let me be clear. Theresa Walton is the main reason that I transferred out of that school. If I could give her zero stars I would. Not only is she a horrible coach, but a horrible human that does not care about the wellbeing of her players. She may be passionate about lacrosse, but that doesn’t make her a good coach. She might be the worst coach I’ve ever had, and trust me that’s saying something, because I’ve dealt with my fair share of bad coaches. And let me make sure you know that when I came in my freshman year, I loved her. But unfortunately by the time I realized she was no different from my past coaches, it was too late. She diminished my mental health in front of the entire team in the locker room after we had a bad loss. (She didn’t mention me by name, but she was so detailed with what she said that it’s impossible that people didn’t know she was talking about me.) Then the very next day called me into her office to blame her disturbing behavior on me, pried things out of me that I did not want to tell her, had the audacity to say “do you really not trust me?” and after all of that, forced me to go to therapy for it. All in that one meeting by the way. Everything, and I mean everything is a test. Everything you say, every tiny reaction you have, is all slowly stacked up against you for her to use as a weapon and manipulate you with later. When she “resigned”, our AD asked the team what they want in their new coach. One of the first things someone said was “to be able to have real conversation with us instead of just yelling and getting mad.” That is who she is. The best thing that school ever did was fire her, the worst thing they did was saying she “resigned” because now she could have a shot at traumatizing more athletes like me. If you are an AD or coach reading this, this is me pleading to you to not hire this woman. She should never receive an offer from another college ever again. "

"Thank you, ODU, for finally listening to the athletes. For years, this program became an environment that many athletes dreaded being part of instead of one they were proud to represent. What should have been a place for growth, development, competition, and support became an exhausting and emotionally draining experience for so many players. This was not just about losing games. It was about leadership that failed the athletes. Players were pushed in ways that felt unsustainable, physically and mentally, with little regard for burnout, morale, or overall well-being. Instead of feeling developed and supported, many athletes felt unheard, discouraged, and constantly questioning themselves. Being a student-athlete is already demanding enough without feeling like the very environment meant to help you succeed is working against you. The emotional toll of that kind of culture affects confidence, performance, academics, and the overall college experience in ways people outside the program may never fully understand. Coaching changes are never easy, but sometimes they are necessary. ODU women’s lacrosse deserves leadership that develops athletes, builds a healthy culture, and creates a program players are proud to be part of—not one they are simply trying to survive. For the first time in a long time, I feel hopeful for the future of this program and proud to be a Monarch again."

"My daughter is a member of ODU lax. She really likes having Coach T as her coach. Thank you Coach T."