Lusk Named Women’s Lax Coach at Hartwick
ONEONTA, NY – On Wednesday, Dr.
Kim Fierke announced the hiring of Brandi Lusk as the new head women's lacrosse coach at Hartwick College. She becomes the 12
th head coach in the history of the program.
Lusk, who has local ties to the area after growing up in East Springfield and attending Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School, has spent the last nine years serving as the head women's lacrosse and field hockey coach at SUNY Oswego. In her first eight seasons coaching both programs, she led her Laker teams to 103 victories.
"I am so pleased that Brandi will be joining our department to lead our women's lacrosse program," Fierke said. "She comes with a wealth of experience in building successful programs. Brandi will be a wonderful leader for our women and provide them with an exceptional athletic experience."
While at Oswego, Lusk has been responsible for recruiting, budget planning, practice planning, game scheduling, tactical preparation, fundraising, monitoring grades and team building for both Laker lacrosse and field hockey programs.
This past spring, she guided her lacrosse team to one of the most successful seasons in program history, tying for a program record 12 victories to go along with its first SUNYAC playoff appearance since 2005. The win total included a 13-12 upset of nationally ninth-ranked Brockport in the regular season finale.
"Oswego has been a great place to work for the past nine years," said Lusk. "I believe that the experiences I have had and the athletes that I worked with there has prepared me for creating a positive and competitive environment for the Hartwick lacrosse program."
Under Lusk's tutelage, her athletes have earned 33 all-conference selections, three SUNYAC Rookie of the Year awards, three all-regions selections, and one athlete was named an All-American.
As a student-athlete, Lusk attended Herkimer County Community College, where she played for two seasons in 2004 and 2005. She was a member of the school's inaugural women's lacrosse season and then helped the Generals to a 12-1 record the following season, which included a Region III championship, and a third place finish in their first NJCAA national tournament. She was a two-time NJCAA Academic All-American, a two-time NJCAA All-Tournament Team pick, named the HCCC Female Athlete of the Year, as well as a SUNY Chancellor's Scholar Athlete.
Lusk graduated from Herkimer with an associate's degree in Science in Physical Education. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education in May 2007 from SUNY Cortland and earned her master's degree in Science and Education from SUNY Cortland.
"I am very excited to start this new chapter at Hartwick College and this position is a great move for myself and my family," stated Lusk. "I believe that there is a ton of potential to be successful here and I look forward to building the lacrosse program. The team is excited for a new beginning."