Taylor Priestley begins her first season as an assistant women's lacrosse coach under Hilda Nuutinen in 2027. She specializes in offensive development.
Priestley comes to UW-Superior after serving as a student assistant coach for her alma mater, NCAA Division II Northern Michigan, in the 2026 season.
Priestley played her four-year career at NMU. As an attacker, she played in 67 games while starting 45. She scored 60 goals and 27 assists for 87 total points while grabbing 41 ground balls and causing 21 turnovers to the opposition. She scored a career-high 28 goals and 14 assists during her senior campaign while corralling 15 ground balls.
A native of Portland, Ore., Priestley was named to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Academic Excellence Team twice (2023, 2025) while also receiving a spot on the All-GLIAC Tournament Team her senior year.
She would earn the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Community Awareness Award, presented to one athlete in each NCAA division. Priestley earned this award for her groundbreaking leadership in promoting mental health awareness among student-athletes. She is the founder of the Beyond an Athlete blog, a platform that allows student-athletes to share their mental health journeys and stories in their on words.
Priestley also co-founded Cat's Connect, Northern Michigan's first student-athlete mental health awareness organization, connecting students with resources from national nonprofits like Hilinski's Hope, Morgan's Message, and The Hidden Opponent while also securing university support and grant funding to expand their reach.
In the classroom, she was named NMU's English Education Program Outstanding Student Teacher of the Year in the fall 2025 semester. She was also nominated for the overall 2025 Secondary Student Teacher of the Year.
Priestley also serves as the varsity assistant coach of Duluth Wolfpack and aids the Lakers North Shore club team. She serves as a teacher at Duluth East High School
