Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/27/10
From Press Releases and Staff Reports
University of Delaware women’s lacrosse head coach Kim Ciarrocca, who has enjoyed outstanding success during a 20-year coaching tenure that began with a national title at Ursinus College and included a successful stint at Temple University, announced Tuesday that she is retiring from coaching following the 2010 campaign.
A graduate of Plymouth Whitemarsh High, Ciarrocca stressed her desire to spend more time with her family in making the decision to step down at the conclusion of the upcoming season. She ranks seventh among all active NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse head coaches with 203 career vict ries,
Ciarrocca’s husband, Kirk, is a former six-year Blue Hen football assistant coach who is currently in his second season as an assistant at Rutgers University and serves as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. The couple has two children, daughter Colby (13) and son Cade (9), and the family spends much of the year living apart due to their respective coaching responsibilities.
“The University of Delaware will always have a place in our hearts,” said Ciarrocca, whose 2010 team will open the season Feb. 27 at home vs. Lehigh University at Rullo Stadium. “We have created so many good memories here and I thank the University for the opportunity to coach and be a part of such a special place. I have had a great experience here, but now I want to devote my full attention to taking care of my family.”
Since coming taking over the head coaching position at Delaware in 2005, Ciarrocca’s teams have consistently ranked among the top programs in the Colonial Athletic Association and gained national Top 20 recognition. Her Blue Hens have advanced to the CAA Tournament semifinals four times in the last five seasons and last year gained the tournament’s No. 2 seed before falling to Towson in the league championship game in a heartbreaking 8-7 setback. She welcomes back 13 letter winners and six of the top seven scorers from a year ago to this season’s team.
Just the fifth coach in Delaware’s rich women’s lacrosse history, Ciarrocca (pronounced “shuh-rock-uh”) has posted a five-year mark of 45-39 (.536) with the Blue Hens, including a record of 19-16 (.543) in CAA regular season action. Her teams advanced to the CAA semifinals in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2009, and her squads posted 10 or more wins each of the last three seasons, including a mark of 10-7 last spring. Prior to her arrival, Blue Hens teams had posted four straight losing seasons and had failed to qualify for the CAA Tournament three straight years.
Ciarrocca has signed six Philly girls to Newark from the class of 2010. They include Bridge Burns (Notre Dame), Shannon Burns (Springfield-Delco), Chelsea Fay (Villa Maria Academy), Abbie Hartman (North Penn), Casey Rooney (Merion Mercy) and Liz Wilson (Abington).
“We thank Kim for her many outstanding contributions to the women’s lacrosse program here at the University of Delaware and wish nothing but the best as she begins this next chapter in her life,” said Delaware Director of Athletics Bernard Muir. “As a father of two, I can appreciate the challenges in balancing family life and a career in college athletics. We will certainly miss Kim’s energy and efforts to build a strong program for the Blue Hens and know that she will be just as successful in focusing on this next endeavor.”
A native of Conshohocken, the former Kim Lambdin was a standout at Plymouth-Whitemarsh and followed with an outstanding two-sport career at Temple. As a goalkeeper and co-captain in field hockey, she was a two-time All-American in 1986 and 1987 and established school record for career saves (751) and shutouts (28). In lacrosse, she led Temple to a four-year record of 83-7 in 1984-88 with the 1988 squad capturing the NCAA national title.
Ciarrocca began her head coaching career at Ursinus College where she led the Bears to a 14-3 record and the NCAA Division III national title with 7-6 win over St. Lawrence in her only season in 1990. She was named the Pennsylvania Association for Intercollegiate Athletics Women’s Coach of the Year for her efforts.
She was a two-time lacrosse All-American in 1987 and 1988 and ranks seventh on Temple’s all-time scoring list with 207 points on 162 goals and 45 assists. She was inducted into the Temple University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School Hall of Fame in 2004. In addition, she was a member of the U.S. National Lacrosse Team in 1988-92 and led the 1989 squad to the World Championship. She earned her bachelor’s degree in health and physical education from Temple in 1988 and her master’s degree in sports administration from Temple in 1992.
Ciarrocca has enjoyed outstanding success during her 17-year career as a college head coach, leading squads at Ursinus College (1990), Muhlenberg (1991), Randolph-Macon Woman’s College (1992), and Temple (1993-2004). Her overall head coaching record stands at 203-131, including a mark of 133-77 at Temple.
While at Temple, Ciarrocca’s squads dominated the Atlantic 10 Conference, winning six straight league regular season titles between 1999-2004 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament seven times in her last nine years. Her teams advanced to the NCAA tournament three straight seasons in 1996, 1997, and 1998 with the 1997 squad posting a 14-3 record and competing in the NCAA semifinals. She was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2001 and Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year in 1997.
In 1990-91 she served as head coach for women’s lacrosse and field hockey and was a physical education instructor at NCAA Division III Muhlenberg College for one season. She led the lacrosse team to a 6-6 record in her only season in 1991.
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