Kayla May is in her sixth season at VCU and fourth as the program's Associate Head Coach after joining the staff as an assistant coach in the spring of 2017.
May has helped VCU to a 55-29 overall record and the highest winning percentage by a staff in program history. The Rams have posted a 28-9 record in the Atlantic 10 during her tenure.
May has helped coach numerous NFHCA All-Americans at VCU as well as lead the program to three of the last four Atlantic 10 Championship games. In 2021, VCU posted a 12-6 overall record and a 5-2 mark in A-10 play. Maite Sturm was named to the NFHCA All-America Third Team and eight Rams earned All-Region honors.
May helped lead VCU to an undefeated regular season in the spring of 2021 with a record of 7-0 and to the program's first Atlantic 10 Conference Championship and appearance in the NCAA Tournament. May is an integral part of of the staff that was named the NFHCA South Region Staff of the Year. VCU earned its first ranking in the NFHCA Coaches Poll poll since its inception in 1998, climbing as high as No. 17 during the season.
In 2018, May was part of a staff that helped lead VCU to its first Atlantic 10 Championship game after earning the No. 2 overall seed in the A-10 Championship. VCU went 12-7 overall with 7-1 mark in A-10 play, setting a record for the most conference wins in program history. The Rams had four student-athletes selected to the All-Atlantic 10 First Team, one to the All-Atlantic 10 Second Team and four named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.
The Rams had three players selected to an NFHCA All-Region squad including one first team selection and two second team selections. Emily McNamara led the country in scoring with 27 goals and was named NFHCA Second Team All-American, the highest individual honor in program history. She broke program records for career goals, total points, goals in a season and points in a career. McNamara became just the third VCU Field Hockey student-athlete to earn an NFHCA All-American distinction. The Black and Gold also garnered NFHCA All-Academic Squad recognition.
In 2017, May helped guide VCU to a 14-6 overall record and a 6-2 mark in the Atlantic 10. The 14 wins were the second most in a single season for the program and the Rams finished A-10 play in a tie for second place, the highest finish and most conference wins for VCU since joining the A-10 in 2012-13. VCU had six players honored with postseason awards by the A-10. VCU was also named an NFHCA All-Academic Squad.
May joined VCU from Indiana University where she served on staff in 2016. At Indiana, she was primarily in charge of the Hoosier offense. May also coordinated team travel as well as assisted in planning and conducting in-season and out-of- season practice and game day coaching.
Prior to Indiana, May served as a field hockey assistant coach at Siena College from 2012-2016 where she was also an assistant strength and conditioning coach. At Siena, she planned and conducted drills with goalkeepers and maintained a compliance database. She also designed and instructed sport specific lifts and conditioning drills for field hockey, water polo and swimming program.
May played collegiately at Louisville where she helped the team to a Sweet 16 appearance in 2008. She also scored 21 goals and accumulated a total of 49 points her senior season while leading the team in game-winning goals. May was also selected for USA National Team Trial and the Midwest High Performance Field Hockey team.
