Former Camel standout Taelar Robinson will head into her fifth season on the Campbell coaching staff in 2020.
Robinson, named CU's associate head coach following the 2019 season, is in her second stint as a member of the staff in Buies Creek, coaching in 2015 before returning to Buies Creek for the 2017 season. She serves as CU's offensive coordinator, also spearheading recruiting efforts.
“I am excited to announce Taelar as associate head coach at Campbell,” said Easley. “Taelar is the longest standing member in this program since it started in 2013. Taelar has been a big reason why Campbell has seen consistent positive growth. Her ability to teach and mentor our players has made an incredible impact on the lives of the players in our program. I am grateful for her loyalty and passion for this institution and I couldn’t be more proud to make this announcement.”
During her tenure in Buies Creek, 20 Camels have been honored on All-Big South teams, including a program record 17 over the last three seasons.
Five Camels were named All-Big South in 2019, including four-time all-conference performer Melissa Placek, who finished her career as Campbell's all-time leader in draw controls, while ranking second in overall and free position goals, top-five points, games played and started, as well as top-10 in assists, ground balls and caused turnovers. The Camels also advanced to the Big South semifinals for the fourth straight season. She was also named Campbell’s 2018-19 Assistant Coach of the Year at the annual CAMMYS.
In 2018, Campbell set single-season school records for goals (245) and draw controls (283) on the way to a nine win season and an appearance in the Big South semifinals. Six Camels were honored in the Big South's postseason awards for the second-straight season, with three first team performers (Melissa Placek, Sam Carey and Megan Reilly), one second team honoree (Kayla Reilly), plus an honorable mention (Amanda Chasin). Mackenzie Koeller was also named the league's scholar-athlete of the year for the second straight season.
In 2017, Robinson helped lead the Camels to the most successful season in program history. CU recorded its highest all-time winning percentage (.556) and won 10 games for the second-straight season.
Campbell posted a program-best 6-1 record in the Big South to finish second in the league, the best finish in program history. Along the way, the Camels reeled off a program-record five-straight victories to open conference play.
After earning its first bye past the Big South Championship quarterfinals, Campbell won its first tournament semifinal contest, an 11-9 triumph over Winthrop. The season ended in the program's first Big South Championship game against league champions High Point.
Robinson helped mentor a program-record six All-Big South selections including first team honorees Merredith Bechler, Melissa Placek and Kayla Reilly.
Robinson came back to Campbell after serving as a volunteer assistant coach at Duke for the 2016 season. She helped lead the Blue Devils to an 11-9 overall record and a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Duke exited the NCAA and ACC Championships with narrow losses to eventual national champions North Carolina. The Blue Devils were nationally ranked for the entire 2016 campaign and were 11th in the final IWLCA national rankings.
Robinson began her coaching career as an assistant for the Camels in 2015 after playing in the program's first two campaigns. She was on the sidelines for Campbell's third season in which it finished with a 5-13 ledger, but set program best marks for every major stat category.
A midfielder and two-time captain during her playing career, Robinson transferred from UMBC to Campbell for the Camels' inaugural season in 2013. She twice earned Big South honors after totaling 60 goals, 19 assists, 26 ground balls, 45 draw controls and 17 caused turnovers in her two seasons in Buies Creek. The Valley Lee, Maryland native concluded her final year ranked 43rd in the country with an average of 2.57 goals per contest.
At the end of her career, Robinson stood third in the Camels' all-time career records for points, goals and goals per game while sitting fourth in assists and assists per game. She was a member of the Big South all-academic team and the Big South Presidential Honor Roll. Robinson graduated from Campbell in 2014 with a degree in exercise science.
She was a US Lacrosse All-American and Academic All-American at Leonardtown High School in Maryland, guiding her squad to five consecutive Southern Maryland Athletic Conference championships and two straight undefeated seasons.
Her husband, Tyler, is an assistant coach for the Campbell Baseball program.
