In her first year as a coach at South, Nicole Pullano, Girls’ Head Lacrosse Coach, is focusing on rebuilding and creating a new reputation based on stability and success for the lacrosse program.

Girls’ Lacrosse has had a multitude of coaches over the past few years, but Pullano is making it her mission to revive the program into what it was when she was a player at South. Pullano, who graduated from South in 2011, played lacrosse here for four years. After high school, Pullano played DI lacrosse at San Diego State University. Pullano was part of the university’s inaugural team, constructing the lacrosse program from the ground up.

“That experience [of being on the inaugural team] taught me how to lead, to push through challenges, and how powerful it is to create something that lasts beyond your time as a player,” Pullano said.

Pullano’s resilience and determination is illustrated through her coaching efforts, senior Nikki Poulos, captain, said. Being close in age to the girls has helped Pullano create strong bonds with the team.

“It’ll be good to have somebody who knows the sport really well coaching us, so I’m excited to see what [Pullano] brings to [the team],” Poulos said.

This March, 95 girls attended try-outs, Pullano said. Traditionally, the coaches would cut some players. However, Pullano chose to keep all 95 girls spread across the three teams for the 2025 season.

“We are committed to growing the program and making lacrosse more accessible to student-athletes of all skill levels,” Pullano said. “Every athlete deserves a chance to learn, grow, and contribute to something meaningful.”

With three teams of roughly 30 girls each, Pullano created bonding drills to ensure each team feels that they have their own culture. She created the Weekly Titan Award which is chosen by team members and based on which teammate exemplifies the characteristics of a team player, Pullano said.

“The players who receive [the Weekly Titan Award] are the ones who inspire those around them,” Pullano said. “They make practices better, they bring energy and accountability, [and] they make their teammates want to train harder and be better.”

Junior Townsend Walter, a returning Varsity player, has seen Pullano’s new team-building strategies on and off the field. Walter attributes part of this success to another program Pullano created called South Sisters, where each new player is paired with a returning player. South Sisters allows for friendships and support systems to thrive throughout the whole team.

“[Pullano] had a great relationship with everyone [on her team at South] so she wants that for us now,” Walter said.

Pullano is eager for the season ahead. She is commited to building a team culture while keeping in mind the future of the lacrosse program.

“Our long-term goal is to return South to being one of the elite lacrosse programs in the state, and it is going to take every single person in this program to get us there,” Pullano said.