FARMVILLE, Va. — Samantha Schwartz has been named an assistant coach for the Longwood women's lacrosse team, first-year head coach Faith Flanagan announced on Friday.

Schwartz spent the 2026 season as an assistant coach at La Salle, helping the Explorers triple their win total from the previous season. La Salle increased its offensive production under her watch, scoring 31 more goals than in 2025.

"We are thrilled to welcome Samantha to the Longwood women's lacrosse family," Flanagan said. "Samantha brings an outstanding defensive perspective, a relentless work ethic and a passion for developing student-athletes both on and off the field. Her knowledge of the game and ability to connect with players make her a tremendous addition to our staff. I'm excited to work alongside her as we continue building a championship culture at Longwood, and I know our student-athletes will benefit greatly from her leadership and expertise."

With Schwartz's tutelage, senior goalkeeper Mary Babbage was named to the 2026 All-Atlantic 10 Second Team and became the first goalkeeper in the program to be named to named to one of the league's all-conference teams since 2014. Babbage led the league and ranked top 10 in the NCAA in saves (160) and saves per game (9.4). She also led the A-10 with nearly 2.8 ground balls per game.

"I am incredibly grateful and honored to join the Longwood University women's lacrosse coaching staff," said Schwartz. "Thank you to Faith Flanagan for this amazing opportunity and for the trust you've placed in me. I'm excited to get on campus, connect with the team and help build something special. I can't wait to get on the field and get to work! Go Lancers!"

Prior to joining the staff at the Philadelphia school, Schwartz was head coach at the Hun School of Princeton for 2024-25 after being an assistant during the spring 2024 season.

She also served as a head coach at NXT Sports and had stints at Grit Lacrosse Club, Haslett Youth Lacrosse Club, Vandergrift High School, MI Elite Lacrosse Club and Relentless Hustle Lacrosse Club.   

A midfielder and defender at Canisius, Schwartz helped the Golden Griffins to three Metro Conference titles, advancing to the NCAA tournament in 2014, 2016 and 2017. The native of West Irondequoit, N.Y., earned a bachelor's degree from Canisius in 2017 and a Juris Doctor from Western Michigan's Cooley Law School in 2021. 

Schwartz is married to her husband Chris, and the couple has two dogs, Luci and Ahsoka.