Hicklen Returns To Florida Lacrosse As Assistant Coach To Chase National Championship

Haley Hicklen left the Florida Gators lacrosse program without a national championship. She returns as an assistant coach to help secure the team’s first.

On May 12, 2019, during Hicklen’s senior season, the Gators fell short, 15-11, to UNC in the second round of the NCAA tournament. 

“I was a part of a documentary my senior year on the program, and in that documentary, embarrassingly enough because I didn’t achieve this, and we didn’t achieve this as a team, but I made a comment, ‘I’m not leaving this university without a national championship,’ and I have that opportunity again just in different shoes,” Hicklen said.

Last season, Hicklen watched from the stands when Florida fell short to top-seeded Northwestern, 15-11, in the national semifinals. From that moment, she felt compelled to help push the program toward its first championship.

“We’re still kind of the underdog in the sense of we haven’t won a national championship yet, but everyone that comes here believes and knows that we can and that we will, and we’re all fighting for that future for the program,” Hicklen said. 

For Hicklen, having a stick in her hand was inevitable. Growing up in Baltimore, a city marked by the game of lacrosse, her passion for the sport began and hasn’t stopped growing. 

“I became a full-time goalie when I was probably seven or eight years old, stepped foot in that cage and then just never wanted to leave,” Hicklen said. 

Since then, Hicklen has remained connected to the game, carving her legacy as a standout goalkeeper at the University of Florida.

Her path to Florida was not unusual. In fact, many of Hicklen’s club teammates from the Sky Walkers also became Gators. 

Hicklen followed in the footsteps of Emily Dohony, Ashley Bruns, Brittany Dashiell, Kayla Stolins and Colby Rhea. She joined Florida’s roster in 2016 alongside Sky Walkers Caroline May and Paige Aldave. 

“I had those girls around me, and they were fantastic mentors, and they did introduce me to everything that’s amazing about this university,” Hicklen said. 

Those players played a pivotal role in establishing Florida’s lacrosse program when it began in 2010. This original team helped introduce the sport to the university, starting a legacy of lacrosse at UF. 

The legacy lived beyond Hicklen as other Sky Walkers alums joined the Gator family, such as Georgia Ceanfaglione, Liz Harrison and 2024 USA Lacrosse Best Breakout Player Maggi Hall. Florida’s 2025-26 class will continue the tradition with the additions of Sky Walkers Allison Fling and Caroline Hoskins. 

Hicklen realized she had found a home within the Florida lacrosse program when she was just 14 years old and met coach Amanda O’Leary. When Hicklen was going through the recruitment process, she said she could not only see the vision, but also feel it. 

In her time for the Gators from 2016-19, Hicklen appeared in 80 games, starting in 62 of them. She is the all-time leader in minutes played (3,868:27 minutes) and ground balls (194), along with ranking second all-time in saves (566).

“She was bright and articulate and just always had a smile on her face, but one of the hardest workers and someone who just went above and beyond in every facet of her playing career,” O’Leary said. 

Hicklen brings a vast amount of diverse playing experience to Florida. The former goalkeeper was part of the Women’s Professional Premier League in 2019, winning a championship with the Baltimore Brave. She also participated in the 2021 Athletes Unlimited Professional Lacrosse season. 

“We wanna continue growing our sport, and so I think that the pro league brings together a lot of athletes that want to see that growth as well,” Hicklen said. “I think it’s a really cool dynamic where we are a really small lacrosse community … to bring those perspectives and different elements to the game and learn and grow with each other.”

Now, Hicklen returns to her alma mater as a coach. Throughout her career, Hicklen has felt the influence of her coaches both on and off the field. Their guidance inspired her passion for coaching, driving her to mentor future generations of lacrosse players while preparing them for life outside the sport.

“I have always felt the impact that the coaches that I’ve had have had on me in my life, and I think that goes way back to childhood for me,” Hicklen said. “My mom passed away from cancer when I was young, and I think not only that I [had] incredible coaches that steered me in the right direction on the field, but I think they also really stepped up for me and helped me off the field as well.” 

Hicklen’s coaching style is a perfect balance for her athletes — she can be lighthearted and fun while also keeping her athletes disciplined and focused. Players look to Hicklen as more than a coach. They view her as a support system who understands all the unique challenges of being a student-athlete at UF.

“[She] was in our shoes at one point on the same exact field,” said Georgia Hoey, UF graduate student goalkeeper. “For me in particular, it gives me a sense of confidence that I think is really gonna change my game.”

Hicklen’s ability to connect with her players personally allows her to enhance their performance. She gives her players the confidence to reach their goals and perform at their best without changing who they are, according to Hoey.

Her coaching impact is already evident. During her three seasons at the University of Pittsburgh as an assistant coach, the Panthers led the conference in saves per game during the 2022 and 2024 seasons and finished second in save percentage (.465) in the ACC in 2022.

Since joining the Gators staff on Aug. 14 last year, Hicklen has made a meaningful impact. 

“The passion that Haley has in her goalies or in her defense goes such a long way because that just pours out into the girls on the field,” Hoey said. “As a goalie, the mental sport is already tough in itself so to have someone who is in your corner, filling you with that confidence, it goes a long way.” 

As No. 5 Florida takes the field Friday against Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Hicklen will be coaching from the sidelines, helping to bring a championship home.