Although saying goodbye to Coach Keith was hard for our New Paltz Women’s Lacrosse Team, an exciting new era of the program has just commenced: the age of Coach Randy Vite.
Vite, a Hudson Valley native, just came off an incredible near four-year run as the assistant coach at the University of Chicago, where she helped the team make a big name for itself after its inaugural season in the spring of 2019.
Under her guidance, the UChicago Maroons won the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Championship with ease last season, making it all the way to the third round of the NCAA Elite 8 where they put up a strong fight against Dension but were unable to secure their spot in the finals.
Having been named head coach less than a month before the season’s first game, you’d think that Vite would be feeling stressed and anxious. However, with our girls having been in the gym every day preparing for SUNYAC domination over semester break, the transition was smooth as can be.
“It’s really nice taking over a program that already had a good culture of finding success, where everyone gets along and is happy to be at lacrosse,” Vite said. “It’s been such an easy transition because the girls have been such a pleasure and we’ve been able to just continue on with the upward trend.”
Lacrosse has led Vite all over the country, obtaining multiple well-deserved accolades and belt-notches at each stop. Prior to her successful career at UChicago, Vite first began as a coach out west, spending a season as the assistant for the Colorado State University-Pueblo program. Her adventures with Colorado weren’t over yet, though. Finding another assistant position at the Pueblo West High School, Vite was also able to simultaneously work at Teach For America as a special education teacher for the Risley Middle School International Academy of Innovation.
Then, the trek back eastward began. Before making her way back to the Hudson Valley, Vite made a quick pit-stop at Aurora University to get her MBA and coach for another season. After being an assistant coach for seven years and being away from home for 11, it was time for Vite to find a team that she could call her own.
“I’ve had tons of different experiences but I was really ready to have my own program, implement my own ideas and make the big decisions,” Vite said. “It’s been really fun so far, a lot of the coaches at New Paltz have been super welcoming, and since they’ve been here for a long time, they have a lot to teach me. It’s also been really nice to be back with a bunch of New Yorkers; I feel like I laugh everyday!”
Not only does she laugh everyday, but she makes her team laugh as well. Third-year midfielder, Shannon Brosnan, has been particularly fond of Vite’s dedication to making the team feel like a family.
“Witnessing coach’s enthusiasm and excitement for her first official season with us is already a wonderful experience to be a part of,” Brosnan said. “I’m super excited to see how our season unfolds with a fresh perspective from Coach Randy Vite.”
With the SUNYAC Championships in mind, and a whole season that lay ahead of them, our Lady Hawks are in a fighting mood and are fully ready to take on Western Connecticut State in their first game on Wednesday, Feb. 23. Make sure you pop out and show our athletes and new head coach some love!
