Delaware's Ciarrocca to Retire at End of Season

from press release

NEWARK, Del. --  University of Delaware women's lacrosse head coach Kim Ciarrocca, who has enjoyed outstanding success during a 20-year coaching tenure, including the last five at the helm of the Blue Hens, announced Tuesday that she is retiring from coaching following the 2010 campaign.

Ciarrocca (pronounced “shuh-rock-uh”), who ranks seventh among all active NCAA Division I women's lacrosse head coaches with 203 career victories, stressed her desire to spend more time with her family in making the decision to step down at the conclusion of the upcoming season.

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 teams 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 letterwinners 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 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 pos ed four straight losing seasons and had failed to qualify for the CAA Tournament three straight years.

"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.  We hope that this season will be a most memorable one for her and her team."

A native of Conshohocken, Pa., the former Kim Lambdin was a standout at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School and followed with an outstanding  two-sport career at Temple. As a goalkeeper and co-captain in fielde 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.

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.

Ciarrocca began her head coaching career at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. 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.

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 Randolph-Macon College in Allentown, Pa. for one season. She led the lacrosse team to a 6-6 record in her only season in 1991.

She moved on to Muhlenberg College the following year and served for one year as head coach for field hockey and lacrosse, director of intramural programs, and as an assistant professor of physical education in 1991-92. She led the lacrosse squad to a 5-5 mark and a berth in the Old  Dominion Athletic Conference tournament in 1992.

Her husband Kirk joined the University of Delaware football staff in 2002 as offensive coordinator and teamed with head coach K.C. Keeler to  lead the Blue Hens to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including winning the 2003 NCAA I-AA national title with a 15-1 record and a berth  in the 2007 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision title game in 2007. He moved on to Rutgers following the 2007 campaign and this past fall led the Scarlet Knights to a record of a 9-4 and a victory over Central Florida in the St. Petersburg Bowl.