Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/24/10
Penn coach Karin Corbett announced an addition to her coaching staff, naming Kerri Whitaker (Ridley High) as an assistant coach.
“We are really excited to have Kerri join us here at Penn,” Corbett said. “It is not often you have the chance for a veteran coach who is well-respected in the Ivy League to come on board. She has worked with some of the best collegiate players in the nation and she will be a tremendous teacher and motivator to our student-athletes.”
Whitaker most recently served as head coach at Columbia University from 2002-10, where she led the Lions to a 52-68 record including the program’s first-ever winning season in 2009. While leading the Lions, Whitaker coached 21 All-Ivy players and all nine All-Region performers in Columbia history. A glance at Columbia’s 100+ point list shows ten players – all of whom played under Whitaker in the Big Apple.
Whitaker is familiar with the Ivy League, graduating from Brown in 1996 after an All-America campaign with the Bears in ’96. She was twice named All-Ivy and achieved Academic All-Ivy honors in her senior season.
Upon graduation, Whitaker began her coaching career at Syracuse University where she served as an assistant from 1996-2001. While at Syracuse, Whitaker helped take a new program and turn it into a national contender. The Orange won the 1999 ECAC Championship in its second year of play in the league and twice reached the NCAA Tournament during Whitaker’s tenure.
In addition to collegiate coaching experience, Whitaker has helped guide Team USA as well. From 2006-09, she was an assistant coach with the United States National Development Team. In addition to planning training sessions and coordinating offensive schemes, Whitaker was part of the selection process, evaluating the best players in the nation.
Whitaker, a Ridley Township native, resigned from Columbia at the end of the 2010 season to move back to Pennsylvania and be closer to her family.
Leave a Reply