NEW PALTZ, NY — SUNY New Paltz Director of Athletics, Stuart Robinson, has announced the hiring of Heather Semelmacher as the new women’s lacrosse coach.
The women’s lacrosse program will be the 15th sport offered by the institution and reappears after its retrenchment in the 2003 school year.
"After a lengthy search process, we are extremely pleased to find that our strongest candidate was right in our backyard,” stated Robinson. “Her professionalism and enthusiasm for the sport and for women’s athletics in general made her the top choice of the Search Committee. We know that it will take time, but we are confident that Heather will build a talented and competitive program here at New Paltz."
Prior to New Paltz, Semelmacher started the lacrosse program at Saugerties high school and has served as the head coach for seven years.
" I am extremely ecstatic about starting a program at SUNY New Paltz, the challenge of growing a program on the collegiate level will be very exciting,” stated Semelmacher. "This program is going to be a great place for a young women athlete to make a name for her self in the lacrosse world."
Before Saugerties, she worked as the assistant women’s lacrosse coach at Marist College. For the past seven years, she has also worked at Anaconda Sports Inc. as the National Marketing Director for Women’s Sports and Men’s Lacrosse.
Semelmacher was a member of the Lynchburgh lacrosse and field hockey teams. She played three years of field hockey and two and half years of lacrosse before suffering a season ending injury.
Semelmacher earned a degree in Sports Medicine and Sports Marketing from Lynchburgh in 1999.
