-- Story provided by Saint Mary's College Athletics --
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's College Department of Athletics has named Kara Visker as the head lacrosse coach effective August 14, 2023.
Visker arrives at Saint Mary's with a foundation of both college and international lacrosse coaching experience. She has served as the assistant coach for the women's lacrosse team at Bethel University since 2021. In her role with the Pilots, she has assisted in recruiting while mentoring and developing players on and off the field. The 2022 and 2023 Bethel squads set and matched the program record for wins in a single season. Those same two years saw the Pilots make back-to-back Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament appearances for the first two conference tournament berths in program history.
In addition to her experience with Bethel, Visker is the head women's lacrosse coach for Team USA through United Worlds Game. She has recruited players each year from across the country to represent the United States in international competition. She has coached teams in Amsterdam, Portugal, and Prague since taking over the role in 2018. Her teams have also taken part in organizing and developing clinics for children and schools in those countries.
Visker previously served as the director and head of school for Starz Academy in South Bend from 2020-2022.
A graduate of Bethel University, Visker was a two-time Women's Collegiate Lacrosse Associates DII All-American for the Pilots as an attacker as she helped found the Bethel program as a player. She ranked second in the Women's Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL) in goals with 42 and was the WCLL leader in assists with 27 in 11 games on her way to being named to the All-WCLL DII First Team in 2016. She went on to amass 70 goals and 26 assists in 2017 and repeated as an All-WCLL DII First Team honoree as a senior.
She holds an associate's degree in deaf culture, a bachelor of arts degree in business administration, and a master of arts degree in organizational leadership all from Bethel University.
"I am excited and proud to take on the role as the next lacrosse head coach for Saint Mary's," said Visker. "As a former student-athlete myself, I understand the significant impact playing a sport in college can have on one's life, and I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to come alongside these young women as it inevitably will shape their lives too. I look forward to giving back to the game and to the athletes that will play for this program. I want to thank Julie Schroeder-Biek for entrusting me to build onto this great program and lead these student-athletes."
