Chicago, Ill - When the Illinois Tech Women's Lacrosse team lost their head coach prior to the start of the 2022 season, former head coach and program founder Kirk Lamitie answered the call to lead the team on an interim basis. Lamitie and the school enjoyed the reunion so much that the interim tag has been removed, and Lamitie has been named the permanent head coach.

"I'm beyond excited to be returning to Illinois Tech to lead this program again" said Lamitie. "It is a special time to come back and rejuvenate the women's lacrosse program. While many things have changed, the core of what makes this university and athletic department special still holds true and I am thankful to (Assistant Vice President - Director of Athletics) Usha Gilmore for giving me this opportunity to be a part of the Scarlet Hawk Family" Lamitie continued.

Said Gilmore: "I am extremely excited about Kirk returning as Head women's lacrosse coach. Kirk was responsible for starting the program from scratch and making them a competitive team in our conference.  He brings a wealth of experience with recruiting and player development, and is a great role model for our student athletes."

Lamitie was originally hired in August of 2013 to build and lead the school's women's lacrosse program. After an 0-12 start in the team's inaugural season in 2014, the team improved each subsequent season, culminating in the 2017 season with a 15-2 overall record and a 10-1 conference record and share of first place in the Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference (MWLC). Lamitie was named the MWLC Coach of the Year for the 2016 season. He finished with an overall record of 33-29 during his four seasons with the school prior to his departure at the conclusion of the 2017 season.

During Lamitie's first stint, his teams produced 12 all-conference player awards, including in 2017 when Alyssa DeLuca was named Co-Attacker of the Year and Madison Meredith was named Midfielder of the Year. The team also had 16 all-academic award-winners during the team's first three seasons in the MWLC. 

During Lamitie's interim tenure this past season, the team traveled to Concordia Wisconsin for the final match of the season and defeated the Falcons 16-15 in a thrilling contest that forced a three-way tie for fourth place in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). The Scarlet Hawks narrowly missed out qualifying for the NACC post-season tournament based on goal-differential. 

The 2022 season produced five NACC All-Academic award recipients, as well as a first-team all-conference award for midfielder Brooke Rowan.

Lamitie rejoins Illinois Tech after serving as general manager for True Illinois Lacrosse girls program from 2021-2022. Prior to his time at True Illinois, he served as the head coach for the Lewis University women's lacrosse program from 2017-2021. Lamitie also held head coaching positions at area high school and club programs prior to joining Illinois Tech for his first stint.

Lamitie graduated from California State University - Chico in 2003 with a BA in Physical Education.