Tori Vernau returns to Denison University for her eighth season as an assistant coach with the Big Red women's lacrosse program in 2027.
In six years and four full seasons (2020 season was shortened due to COVID-19) since joining the team in September of 2019, Vernau has helped Denison to a North Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championship and subsequent NCAA Final Four appearance in 2021, followed by three-straight NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in 2022, 2023 and 2024. And in 2025 Denison beat No. 5 Franklin and Marshall to advance to the Elite Eight. In addition, the Big Red have gone a combined 103-40 overall and 44-2 in the NCAC action during Vernau’s time on staff in Granville.
The Big Red had another successful season, finishing with a program-record 19 wins and reaching the NCAA Tournament Third Round. Denison went undefeated in conference play to caputre their league-leading 25th title, and eigth under Daniels. In the process, the Big Red defeated four-ranked squads, including No. 4 Gettysburg College in the season opener, 11-10. In the NCAC Tournament, the team was dominant once again, defeating Wooster 19-10 in front of a home crowd to bring home their league-leading 19th tournament title. After receving a first round bye, the Big Red hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, defeating Carthage 20-7 to advance to their eighth-straight NCAA Third Round appearance. The Big Red fell to Christopher Newport in a tight 11-10 battle, giving Denison a 19-2 record for the 2026 season. Three Big Red recevied major conference awards, including MK Barnhart (Offensive Player of the Year), Grace Schlossberg (Defensive Player of the Year), and Finlay Harmon (Newcomer of the Year). Six players earned IWLCA All-Great Lakes Region honors, and four were named IWLCA/USA Lacrosse All-Americans (Barnhart, Julianne Henigan, Mary Martinson, Bridget Sheehy.
Denison's 2025 season was one for the record books for the Big Red. Denison would finish the season 16-5, going a perfect 6-0 in conference play. The Big Red would ultimately earn its third straight NCAC tournament championships, and 10th overall. Denison earned an at-large bid to their 27th NCAA tournament and earned its first NCAA Sweet Sixteen victory over No. 5 Franklin and Marshall on the Diplomats' home turf, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history since 2021.
Denison put together a championship season in 2024. The Big Red finished with a 15-5 overall record and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament. The Big Red moved into the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth straight year after defeating No. 22 Scranton by a 13-6 score in the NCAA Second Round. Vernau was part of a coaching staff that earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors from both the NCAC and the IWLCA (Region Staff of the Year). Five players garnered All-Great Lakes Region honors and two were named IWLCA All-Americans. Denison ranked among the top 25 in NCAA Division III in shots per game (9th), shots on goal (16th), scoring offense (20th) and caused turnovers per game (21st). Denison finished 2024 ranking 20th best in Division III in both wins and win percentage.
In 2023, Denison finished its season with an 11-11 overall record but advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the eighth time in school history and for the fifth season in a row. The Big Red earned the NCAC's automatic qualifier to the national tournament after defeating No. 21 nationally-ranked Kenyon College by a score of 14-8 in the NCAC Tournament Championship. In addition to ending Kenyon's undefeated season, the win gave Denison its league-leading 16th NCAC Tournament Championship in women's lacrosse. Denison then made its 24th overall and ninth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Denison women's lacrosse team received an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Division III Tournament and earned a big 13-12 comeback victory at home over Catholic University during the second round of the tournament. In the end, the Big Red ended the year 12-7 overall with a runner-up finish in the NCAC both during the regular season and during the conference tournament.
During Vernau's first full season in Granville in 2021, the Big Red had an historic run into the NCAA Tournament that saw them fall to eventual National Champion Salisbury in the Final Four. The Big Red finished the season 12-2 overall, went undefeated in the NCAC (5-0) and won both the NCAC regular-season and tournament championships.
Vernau came to Denison after spending the 2019 season as a graduate assistant coach at Elmira College in Elmira, New York. In 2018 she was an assistant coach at Alma College, where she helped the Scots increase per-game averages for goals and draws, and mentored two All-MIAA selections.
Vernau graduated from NCAA Division II Tiffin University in 2017 where she left as one of the program’s all-time leading scorers, ranking third in goals (174) while departing as the program’s career-leader in draw controls (310). She was a three-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference first-team selection and a third-team All-North Region selection in 2016. That season she ranked third in NCAA Division II with 6.72 draws per game. Vernau was a Dean’s List student and a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma criminal justice honor society.
Vernau graduated Summa Cum Laude from NCAA Division II Tiffin University in 2017 where she left as one of the program’s all-time leading scorers, ranking third in goals (174) while departing as the program’s career-leader in draw controls (310). She was a three-time Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection and a third-team All-North Region selection in 2016. That season she ranked third in NCAA Division II with 6.72 draws per game which she recorded a career-high of 121 draw controls. Vernau earned a Bachelor of Criminal Justice in Forensic Psychology with a minor in Addiction’s Counseling. Vernau was a Dean’s List student, a member of the Alpha Phi Sigma criminal justice honor society and National Honor Society of leadership and success.
As an assistant coach, Vernau put a great deal of effort into the charitable efforts of the Alma and Elmira teams. At Alma, the Scots were recognized by the IWLCA with the Team Community Awareness Award for leading Division III with 741 community service hours. Since 2018, Vernau has also served as the head coach of the Minnesota Lakers Select club lacrosse team.
