By Jonathan Sawyer
Sports Assignment Editor
With the departure of the women’s lacrosse coach last semester, the team needed to fill the spot quickly. Chelsea Rosiek, the former head coach of Chesnut Hill College in Pennslyvania, will begin her career at St. Bonaventure and her first season coaching a Division I program this semester.
“I have been wanting to coach Division I since I graduated from Temple [University],” said Rosiek, who played at Temple when the school was still in the Atlantic-10 conference and won the A-10 tourament her sophomore year.“It’s a big change demographically, but I am excited to lead a team into a new transition and a new opportunity to win and compete at the Division I level.”
During her time at Chesnut Hill, Rosiek led the team to its first Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) title in six years.
Sophomore goaltender Kerrigan Cummins believes it’s a great opportunity to have a fresh start.
“The whole team feels very excited. It’s definitely a great opportunity to have a fresh start with a coach who has a lot of experience,” Cummins said. “We are all anxious to start pre-season to see what is going to happen and what to expect. Right now with coach Rosiek, she seems to have a great handle on the direction that the team needs to go.”
The Bonnies have a record of 11 and 50 in regular season play and are 1 and 28 in conference play since 2012. Rosiek said she believes a different atmosphere needs to be implemented.
“A lot of it comes down to creating a culture that’s driven by accountability, self-motivation and trust,” Rosiek said. “With that, it is implementing tools and the things I have learned as a coach and as an educator into that philosophy. Figuring out ways we can be more accountable for each other and for ourselves and try to foster more of a rule and culture-based system.”
Rosiek plans to develop that culture, and said she believes if the women have the right mindset, they can be successful.
“In this situation, it allows me to kind of hit the ground running with the girls. There really is not time for doubt or for a lackadaisical mindset,” Rosiek said. “We have to adjust to, learn and grow with each other in a very short time. Overall, I have to learn my players at a quicker pace, but at the same time, maybe that will make me more at tune with my players.”
Cummins said she is nervous not knowing the coach well, but she’s excited to see what Rosiek has in store for the team.
“It does create a lot of anxiety, but at the same time, we will be spending a lot of time together during pre-season” Cummins said.
Rosiek said she believes the team is very talented but just needs to learn to play together.
“I am excited for this opportunity. We are loaded with talent and ability—it is just a matter of figuring out how that talent and ability works best together and in a team setting,” Rosiek said.
The Bonnies will open their first game on the road at Delaware State on Feb. 18. Rosiek replaces Ryan Lynn, who resigned last month after four seasons with the Bonnies.
sawyerjp15@bonaventure.edu
