11 Seasons • Career Record: 150-44 • 6 NCAA Playoff appearances • 5 Atlantic Region Titles • 2 PSAC Titles
Xeni Barakos-Yoder, a 2011 ESU graduate, enters her 12th season leading her alma mater in 2027.
Barakos-Yoder has guided the Warriors to unprecedented success as the Warriors’ head coach in her 11 seasons leading the program, developing ESU into a consistent national championship contender. She has led the Warriors to the NCAA Semifinals in four of the past six seasons, including the program's first national championship appearance in 2022.
ESU is 150-44 under her leadership – winning at least two-thirds of its games each season — as she’s built up the fifth-best winning percentage among active coaches in Division II (.773). She guided the Warriors to their first-ever PSAC Championship and NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in 2017, along with one more conference championship, five Atlantic Region titles, and national semifinal appearances in 2018, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2026. Barakos-Yoder has brought the Warriors to the NCAA Tournament in nine consecutive seasons since taking the helm.
She was named IWLCA DII Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in her third season in 2018, 2021, and 2022. In 2018, after ESU posted its first two NCAA postseason wins in program history — 12-11 versus Mercyhurst, and 16-14 at previously unbeaten West Chester. The Warriors fell 20-14 to Florida Southern in the semifinals. Barakos-Yoder has earned PSAC East Coach of the Year honors three times in her career — twice in her first two years and again after an undefeated 2026 regular season — as she’s broken the team record for wins in a season three times.
The 2016 season, her first as head coach, closed with a No. 18 ranking in the final IWLCA DII poll and included an 8-7 win vs. No. 6-ranked Lock Haven, and a 9-8 (2OT) loss vs. No. 7 West Chester.
Senior attack Lauren Nunes, the NCAA DII statistical champion in assists per game, was All-PSAC first team and IWLCA All-South Region, along with senior defender Caitlyn O'Connell and redshirt junior goalkeeper Jessica Maxwell. Nunes set ESU single-season records for points (96) and assists (61) in her only season under Barakos-Yoder.
ESU's 2017 season (17-3) set nearly every program record and included a 12-game winning streak — featuring seven against nationally-ranked teams — culminating with a 10-9 victory vs. Mercyhurst in the PSAC championship game.
The Warriors won their first-ever PSAC regular season title, PSAC Tournament title, and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the first time. They were ranked No. 10 in the final IWLCA DII poll.
ESU won 11-9 against IUP in the PSAC semifinals before capturing the trophy over Mercyhurst in the championship game at Whitenight Field. In the NCAA Tournament, the Warriors fell 17-10 vs. Florida Tech in the first round, hosted by Florida Southern.
Junior midfielder Chessie Rahmer and freshman goalkeeper Tatyana Petteway were named to the IWLCA All-America third team, becoming the first set of ESU teammates to earn All-America honors since 2000.
They were both on the IWLCA All-South Region first team, with sophomore midfielder Emma Rufolo on the second team.
Rufolo was named PSAC Athlete of the Year, with Rahmer and Petteway also on the first team. Five Warriors were third team All-PSAC selections - senior attack Lauren Green, sophomore attack TJ Jefferis, senior midfielder Emily Fitzsimmons (PSAC Tournament MVP), senior defender Bethany Cunningham, and senior defender Kerry Mulcahy. Petteway finished second in DII in save percentage (.532) to earn All-America honors.
The 2018 season was highlighted by two memorable days at West Chester in the NCAA Tournament, as the Warriors rallied from five goals down versus Mercyhurst and a four-goal deficit against the Golden Rams to win the regional title.
ESU fell 12-11 (OT) vs. Tiffin in the season opener, then rattled off a 13-1 stretch — the only loss was 14-7 at West Chester — before falling to Mercyhurst in the PSAC semifinals.
The Warriors finished No. 5 in the IWLCA DII poll, setting a program best for the second straight year.
Freshman attacker Krista Mitarotonda was named first team All-America, Rahmer was on the second team for her second straight honor, and Rufolo was third team. Mitarotonda was ESU's first First-Team All-America selection since 2000, was the Inside Lacrosse DII Rookie of the Year, and was the only freshman on the IWLCA All-America squad. She scored 67 goals, second-most by a freshman in PSAC history.
Five Warriors were named First Team All-Region — Mitarotonda, Rahmer, Rufolo, sophomore midfielder Hana Cicerelle, and freshman defender Kayleigh Pokrivka. Petteway was named to the Second Team.
All six were also All-PSAC with Mitarotonda, Rahmer, and Pokrivka making the First Team, Rufolo Second Team, and Cicerelle and Petteway the Third Team. Rahmer (50 goals), Cicerelle (46), and Rufolo (35) joined Mitarotonda as the top goal scorers.
In 2019, Barakos-Yoder brought the Warriors back to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season after the team finished at 15-6 overall. The Warriors registered 290 goals during the 2019 campaign as they broke the program record for most in a season for the third straight year.
ESU had three players earn IWLCA All-America recognition in 2019, with Krista Mitarotonda and Tatyana Petteway garnering Second Team honors and Emma Rufolo earning a Third Team selection. Mitarotonda, Petteway, and Rufolo, along with TJ Jefferis and Hana Cicerelle, earned All-Region First Team honors, as the Warriors were one of only two teams in Division II to have five players garner All-Region accolades.
Barakos-Yoder also helped those same five players earn All-PSAC honors, with four of them being named to the First Team.
Mitarotonda's 61 goals during the 2019 campaign were the third-most in a season in program history, as she became the first-ever ESU player to tally 60 or more goals in multiple seasons. Petteway finished with the highest save percentage (.548) among all goalies at the Division II level.
The Warriors were ranked No. 16 in the final IWLCA Poll of the season, as they finished the year among the top-20 for the fourth consecutive season.
In 2020, Barakos-Yoder's Warriors were off to a solid 4-1 start and ranked 12th in Division II before the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ESU won each of its opening four contests, including a victory over 16th-ranked Saint Leo, before dropping its lone contest to fifth-ranked Lindenwood.
The Warriors returned in 2021 with a 12-4 record, capturing their second Atlantic Region title. ESU went perfect against all of its opponents other than West Chester, leading up to the Atlantic Region championship matchup against the Golden Rams, going 11-0 in its other games during the regular season and PSAC and NCAA First Rounds. The Warriors bested West Chester for their second region title, pulling off the upset before falling to Queens in the NCAA Semifinals.
ESU was led by its three All-American selections — Emily Mitarotonda and Tatyana Petteway on the Second Team, and Hana Cicerelle on the Third Team. ESU matched its program record for All-Region selections with six, as the three All-Americans and Kayleigh Pokrivka made the First Team, and Kristen Andreychak and Gianna LeDuc were named to the Second Team. Mitarotonda began her historic career with First Team All-PSAC East honors, earning the title of the top freshman in the division as well. Joining her on the All-PSAC East First team were Petteway, LeDuc, and Pokrivka, while Cicerelle, Brielle Curtis, and Andreychak rounded out the Warriors’ selections on the Second Team.
ESU broke multiple team and individual records in 2022, as the Warriors went 20-2 for their most wins in a season, won Barakos-Yoder’s second PSAC Title and third Atlantic Region title, and made their first NCAA Championship game appearance. ESU went 15-1 in the regular season, only dropping one game to West Chester before the postseason. The Warriors then defeated Mercyhurst and avenged their loss to the Golden Rams in the conference championship, claiming their second PSAC title. ESU had an identical road to through the NCAA Atlantic Regional, defeating Mercyhurst and West Chester again for the program’s third trip to the NCAA Semifinals. The Warriors would defeat Queens in overtime to advance to the final round, but lost to Indianapolis in an 11-9 final.
The Warriors’ record book was rewritten in 2022, as Emily Mitarotonda broke the single-season record for goals (89), points (111), and draw controls (104). ESU netted 328 goals, opened the season on an 11-game winning streak, two new team records as well. Mitarotonda, Gianna LeDuc, and Kiki Fitzpatrick became the first three players to record 100+ points, combining for 322, as LeDuc’s 53 assists were the second-most in a season.
Mitarotonda, LeDuc, and Pokrivka made the IWLCA All-America First Team, as Fitzpatrick and Maggie Sell earned Third Team honors. All five of them were named First Team All-Region, matching the program record for the third time, with Kristen Andreychak’s Second Team selection giving ESU six overall. The Warriors had five All-PSAC selections, highlighted by Mitarotonda and Pokrivka being named the PSAC East Athlete and Defender of the Year, respectively.
In 2023, ESU added three more All-America selections, as Emily Mitarotonda, Maggie Sell, and Riley DiFiore led the Warriors to a 14-6 record. Sell was named the PSAC East Defender of the Year, and Hannah Schiemer made an immediate impact as the top freshman in the division. ESU also had six All-Region players for the third straight season, with the three All-Americans and Kiki Fitzpatrick making First Team All-Atlantic Region, and Schiemer and Olivia Wenrich making the Second Team.
The Warriors returned to the Final Four again in 2024, as ESU defeated two familiar foes in the Atlantic Region Tournament to finish strong. Facing Kutztown and West Chester in their path to the NCAA Semifinals, two teams that each defeated ESU twice previously that season, the Warriors got revenge with an 11-7 win over the Golden Bears and a 13-12 victory against the Golden Rams. After falling to Adelphi in the semifinals, ESU had Emily Mitarotonda and Abby Simonetti earn national recognition as First Team All-Americans, as Simonetti became the first Warrior to win an IWLCA Division II Position Player of the Year award as the top goalie in DII.
Mitarotonda closed her career as the most decorated Warrior in program history, setting season and career records for points, goals, and draw controls. Additionally, Mitarotonda still holds the PSAC records for career goals and points, finishing with 314 and 393. ESU retired her #24 jersey following the season when the team received its Atlantic Region championship rings.
Replacing plenty of firepower, ESU went 15-6 in 2025 as the Warriors scored 298 goals, second only to the 2022 team’s 328. Sadie Kauffman came in in her first season and broke Mitarotonda’s single-season records for goals (103) and points (129) as a freshman, earning First Team All-America honors. ESU’s other All-American, Abby Simonetti, was a Second Team selection, as the reigning Division II Goalie of the Year made 246 stops, the second most in program history. The Warriors got breakout campaigns from Molly Atwell, Lauren Hallman, and Ariana Tucci, who all earned All-Region nods, as well as Taylor Vara and Emily Varilla, All-PSAC East Second Team selections. Kauffman became the fifth ESU player to be named Freshman of the Year in Barakos-Yoder’s 9th season with conference awards, and Simonetti was ESU’s third PSAC East Defender of the Year in four seasons.
Barakos-Yoder led ESU to its best season ever, as the Warriors went undefeated in the regular season on their way to their fifth Atlantic Region Championship. ESU burst out of the gates to start the season, opening the year with five wins before conference play began. ESU defeated three ranked opponents in this stretch and scored 20-plus goals in three straight games for the first time in program history. The Warriors then steamrolled through the PSAC East, securing an undefeated regular season and PSAC East title with an overtime win in the final game at West Chester. After falling to Kutztown in the PSAC Semifinals, the Warriors righted the ship with postseason wins over the Golden Rams and the Golden Bears on Whitenight Field, going 13-0 when playing at home. ESU made it to the NCAA Semifinals for the fifth time in program history, falling to Maryville and ending the season ranked fourth in the final IWLCA rankings.
The Warriors broke a grocery list of records in 2026. As a team, they scored 403 goals, shattering the previous record by 75, won nine games over ranked opponents, and set the longest winning streak with 18. Kauffman one-upped her freshman season with an even better sophomore year, leading Division II with 142 points, finishing second with 110 goals, and setting an ESU record with 173 draw controls. Ariana Tucci and Lauren Hallman gave ESU its first-ever trio of 50-plus goal scorers in the same year, as the former netted 70 and the latter recorded 51. Additionally, Paige Moreland and Jolee Roth became the first pair of teammates in program history to each record over 50 assists, combining for 108.
As she won her third PSAC East Coach of the Year Award, the roster earned its postseason honors, too. Kauffman was named the top attacker in Division II by the IWLCA after leading the country in points, with Molly Atwell on the Third Team being the other All-America selection. Hallman, Roth, and Tucci were named Second Team All-Region. Abby Simonetti and Moreland joined that group with All-Conference honors, as Kauffman was named the PSAC East Athlete of the Year, the fourth player under Barakos-Yoder to win the award.
Barakos-Yoder, a former All-PSAC defender for the Warriors, returned to ESU following three years as an assistant collegiate coach. She was an assistant coach at Millersville in 2015, after spending two seasons at Albright College in 2013 and 2014.
As a player at ESU, Barakos-Yoder was named to the All-PSAC third team as a senior in 2011. The Warriors posted a 16-8 win at nationally-ranked Gannon in the PSAC quarterfinals for ESU’s first postseason win since 1986. Barakos-Yoder was part of a senior class that set a program record with 39 wins, posting 11 wins in 2008, seven in 2009, 11 in 2010, and 10 in 2011. The Warriors played in the PSAC Tournament in three of their four seasons and reached the semifinals in 2008 and 2011. ESU’s 11 wins in 2008 and 2010 tied the school record.
Barakos-Yoder graduated from ESU in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Media Communications and Technology, and earned her master's degree from California (Pa.) in athletic administration.
In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Barakos-Yoder worked as director of girls’ lacrosse at Body Zone Sports and Wellness Complex in Wyomissing following her graduation from ESU. She was also the program director of LANCO Elite Lacrosse Club in Lancaster. Beginning in December 2025, Barakos-Yoder began coaching the Greece 6's National Team as well.
In 2015 at Millersville, Barakos assisted head coach Mia Hall and helped Sabrina Fusco earn PSAC Freshman of the Year honors with 52 goals. Hannah Vogel set school records in assists in both a season (31) and career (61).
At Albright, the Lions were named the most improved team in Division III in 2013 by laxpower.com and had three All-Commonwealth Conference selections.
Barakos-Yoder is a graduate of Cocalico High School, where she was a two-time All-Lancaster-Lebanon Section 2 selection. She helped her team to the 2005 section championship and the 2006 Lancaster-Lebanon championship.
Xeni Barakos-Yoder By the Numbers
• 150-44 (.773) record in 11 seasons
• 2017 and 2022 PSAC championships (first in school history)
• 2018, 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2026 Atlantic Region championships (first in school history)
• 9 NCAA Tournament appearances (2017-19, 2021-26 - first in school history)
• Three-time PSAC Coach of the Year (2016-17, 2026)
• 2018, 2021, and 2022 IWLCA DII Atlantic Region Coach of the Year
• School record 20 wins in 2022 and 2026 (broke record of 12 wins in 2016)
• School record 18-game winning streak and undefeated regular season in 2026
• 35 All-PSAC First-Team selections
• 4 PSAC Athletes of the Year (Emma Rufolo – 2017, Emily Mitarotonda – 2022, Emily Mitarotonda – 2024, Sadie Kauffman – 2026)
• 3 PSAC Defenders of the Year (Kayleigh Pokrivka – 2022, Maggie Sell – 2023, Abby Simonetti – 2025)
• 5 PSAC Freshmen of the Year (Tatyana Petteway – 2017, Krista Mitarotonda – 2018, Emily Mitarotonda – 2021, Hannah Schiemer – 2023, Sadie Kauffman – 2025)
• 50 All-Region selections – Sadie Kauffman (2025-26, A), Molly Atwell (2025-26, D), Lauren Hallman (2025-26, M), Ariana Tucci (2025-26, A), Jolee Roth (2026, A), Emily Mitarotonda (2021-24, M), Abby Simonetti (2024-25), Hannah Schiemer (2023-24, A), Olivia Wenrich (2023-24, D), Claire Hoffman (2023-24, D), Kiki Fitzpatrick (2022-23), Maggie Sell (2022-23 D), Riley DiFiore (2023, GK), Kayleigh Pokrivka (2018, 2021-22 D), Kristen Andreychak (2021-22, D), Gianna LeDuc (2021-22, A), Tatyana Petteway (2017-19, 2021, GK), Hana Cicerelle (2018-19, 2021, M), Emma Rufolo (2017-19, M), Krista Mitarotonda (2018-19, A), TJ Jefferis (2019, M), Chessie Rahmer (2017-18, M), Lauren Nunes (2016, A), Caitlyn O'Connell (2016, D), Jessica Maxwell (2016, GK)
• 19 All-America selections - Krista Mitarotonda (2018-19, A), Rufolo (2018-19, M), Petteway (2017, 2019, 2021, GK), Rahmer (2017-18, M), Cicerelle (2021, M), Emily Mitarotonda (2021-24, M), LeDuc (2022, A), Pokrivka (2022, D), Fitzpatrick (2022, M), Sell (2022, 2023, D), DiFiore (2023, GK), Abby Simonetti (2024-25, GK), Sadie Kauffman (2025-26, A), Molly Atwell (2026, D)
• 7 NCAA DII statistical champions - Lauren Nunes (2016, assists per game), Tatyana Petteway (2019, save percentage), team ground balls per game (2022), Abby Simonetti (2024, save percentage), Abby Simonetti (2025, save percentage), Abby Simonetti (2025, saves), Sadie Kauffman (2026, points)
