When the Georgia club lacrosse team logged onto Zoom on Dec. 14, head coach Holin Axley had news that would shift the course of the season.
On Dec. 4, Axley and his wife had welcomed twin boys born five months premature after a sudden medical emergency. What was expected to be a short trip to Texas turned into an extended stay, with both newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Axley’s plans changed in an instant, sending shockwaves through a Georgia club lacrosse team with high hopes for a deep run in postseason play.
A former Georgia lacrosse player and full-time sales director for a lacrosse equipment company, Axley returned to the program as head coach in November 2020 with a vision of building something that would last. Over the next four seasons, Axley helped shape the program through constant communication and personal investment, recruiting players through direct calls and messages and creating a culture that kept them committed to the team.
His impact was evident in the locker room, where player Steve Sutton recalled how welcoming Axley was from the first tryout.
He called each player to tell them they made the team, just to talk to them about what he saw and what his plans were for the future,” Sutton said.
On Sept. 1, 2025, Axley and his wife learned their twins had been diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, a condition in which blood and nutrients are unevenly shared between twins. The couple traveled to Texas for surgery to stabilize the pregnancy, but the situation quickly escalated.
“One of the babies was severely anemic, and the other one was going into heart failure,” Axley said.
Within 90 minutes, his wife was rushed into an emergency C-section. By the time the surgery was over, lacrosse was no longer the priority.
“Both boys were born just before 11 a.m. on Dec. 4, and essentially we’ve been in the neonatal intensive care unit since,” Axley said on March 23. “Today was day 110.”
What the family thought would be a short trip quickly changed.
“We thought we’d be out there for three or four days,” Axley said. “Now we’ve been out here for almost four months.”
Ten days after the twins were born, Axley addressed his team over Zoom to tell them he would need to step away.
“I still remember that Zoom call to this day,” team captain Rory Cavanaugh said. “It was just immediate prayers for him and his family. He’s always been such a positive person. He went right back to talking about lacrosse and how we’ve got to stay locked in without him.”
Defensive coordinator Zac Knapp stepped into the role of interim head coach, guiding the team through a season that became about more than wins and losses.
From the first practice of the season, Axley called in to remind players he was still there. From Texas, he has not missed a game, following along from a hospital room in Texas and staying connected with the team he spent years building.
Without being asked, players and parents organized fundraisers, wore helmet stickers and dedicated the season to their coach. On Christmas, the Axley family received a 35-minute video from players, alumni, coaches and members of the Athens community offering support and encouragement.
“It has been incredible to see what our family means to everybody,” Axley said. “The amount of support really helped us in the beginning, when we were going through some pretty dark times.”
As the season winds down, the team has found a new sense of purpose. Despite the circumstances, Georgia has remained competitive, posting an 8–3 record while continuing to pursue a conference championship and a deeper run in the national tournament.
I can speak for all of the senior class. We’re playing these last stretches of games for him,” Cavanaugh said.
In Axley’s absence, players have stepped into larger roles.
“Guys are stepping up, holding each other accountable,” Knapp said. “It’s really been an all-around team effort.”
With Axley serving as offensive coordinator, that side of the game became a particular challenge. Cavanaugh and others have helped fill the gap, creating plays and coaching teammates from the sideline during games.
While Axley would like to return, his focus remains elsewhere.
“I don’t think coaching is something I’ll do right now,” Axley said. “I’m going to focus on being a dad. What better reason is there than becoming a father of twins?”
Axley always emphasized to the team that these years are not something to be taken for granted.
“Don’t take it for granted,” Axley said. “Even the hard parts, the sprints, the losses and the long bus rides, that’s what makes it special. One day, you’re going to miss it.”
The Bulldogs finished second in the Southeastern Lacrosse Conference tournament April 18-19 and will compete in the 2026 MCLA National Championships on May 4-9 near Richmond.
Shay Bount is a student in the undergraduate certificate program in the John Huland Carmical Sports Media Institute at UGA.
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