VMI Lacrosse Head Coach Taylor Mendoza became the eighth head coach of the program following his hire in August of 2025.
Mendoza comes to the Institute after serving the past five years as the Assistant Head Coach and Defensive Coordinator at neighboring Washington and Lee University.
This past 2025 season, he helped coach the Generals to a perfect 10-0 regular season ODAC record to win the ODAC title as W&L finished with a 17-4 overall record and hosted the first two rounds of the Division III NCAA Tournament.
During the prior 2024 season, he helped guide the Generals to their first NCAA Final Four appearance in over 20 years after upsetting No. 1 Salisbury. For his efforts, he was named the 2024 IMLCA D-III Outstanding Assistant Coach after being named a finalist for the same honor in 2022 and 2023.
In 2023, Mendoza helped coach W&L to a program record 18 wins as the Generals achieved a final USILA ranking of No.5 en route to an ODAC title and NCAA Elite 8 appearance. That followed a 2022 season in which the Generals made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and recorded an undefeated ODAC regular season.
Over the past five seasons at W&L, Mendoza has mentored 26 USILA All-Americans, 39 All-ODAC honorees in addition to eight USILA Scholar All-Americans. He has also coached one USILA Face-Off Player of the Year, two ODAC Players of the Year and one IMLCA South Region Defensive Player of the Year.
Prior to his time at W&L, Mendoza served as the Director of Lacrosse Operations at Penn State from 2018-21, helping coach the Nittany Lions to a 33-17 overall record and 11-9 mark in the Big Ten. The 2019 team earned a Big Ten title before reaching the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
During his three years at Penn State, he helped four team members be drafted into the Premier Lacrosse League.
Mendoza served as an Assistant Coach at Amherst College for the 2016 and 2017 seasons and helped lead the team to a 27-10 overall record and 16-4 NESCAC mark. He was named a USILA Division III Assistant Coach of the Year finalist in 2017 and coached the Mammoths to two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a quarterfinals trip in 2016 and 2017 Round of 16.
His coaching career began at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, where he served as an Assistant Coach and Offensive Coordinator from 2014-15.
A former standout collegiate lacrosse player, Mendoza starred at SUNY Cortland where he led the Red Dragons to a 56-5 record over three years and a perfect 18-0 SUNYAC record. He was a member of three SUNYAC championship teams from 2011-13 and helped the Red Dragons to three NCAA Tournament appearances (2011 Quarterfinals, 2012 Finals, 2013 Semifinals).
Mendoza graduated from SUNY Cortland in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in business economics.
