By: Katie Vulich
The Knights lacrosse team had a rocky 2018 season, which was headlined by the dismissal of two coaches and ended in a heartbreaking senior-day loss to Furman University. Morale was low.
“We were not bought into the coaching staff and didn’t have trust in the process,” junior defender Eric Rubak said.
Over the summer, Athletic Director Scott Weigandt welcomed back a familiar face to the Bellarmine lacrosse program. Jim Mitchell, who was an assistant coach during the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons, now leads the Knights.
Mitchell most recently was the offensive coordinator at Rutgers University for four years.
“Having some perspective at a different level at Rutgers in the Big Ten [Bellarmine’s head coaching position] was a perfect opportunity to help the program take a step back in the right direction,” Mitchell said.
Although workouts and practices are an important part of Mitchell’s role as head coach, his goals reach far beyond the field. Mitchell wants the team to be more involved in the BU community.
“We want to be Division One in the way that we act in the community,” Mitchell said. “We are going to make them break out of their comfort zones and get to know other people and the campus.”
Building relationships with his team is at the top of the list for Mitchell right now. Through phone calls over the summer, he has gotten to know many of his players.
“[The team] has positive attitudes and are good students that are excited to do things differently this season,” Mitchell said.
On Aug. 16, Mitchell named Kyle Bernlohr and Steve Soriano full-time assistant coaches. Both have impressive lacrosse resumes.
Bernlohr is from the Cleveland area and graduated from the University of Maryland in 2016. At Maryland, he was a two-time first time All-American goalie and won the 2015 Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Award (Nation’s Most Outstanding Goalie).
Most recently, Bernlohr was an assistant coach at Cleveland State for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. In addition, he played with the Ohio Machine in the MLL (Major League Lacrosse) and helped the team win its first title during the 2017 season.
Accepting the assistant coaching position was as natural transition for Bernlohr.
“My passion has always been and always will be lacrosse, so I knew that after my college career expired that coaching was the next step in order to stay in the game,” he said.
With all of the success Bernlohr has acquired at the Division I level, the team will surely benefit from his knowledge.
“I’m excited to help build a winning culture in all areas of our program,” Bernlohr said. “If you look at any successful team, the ones that do the best on the field are the ones that succeed in the community, in the classroom, and hold themselves to the highest standards.”
Soriano is a New Jersey native who graduated and played at Bellarmine from 2010 to 2014. In his tenure at Bellarmine, he was a face-off specialist.
“The transition from playing to coaching was easy,” Soriano said. “I enjoy the challenge of trying to make your players the best student-athletes on and off the field.”
Soriano stayed in the Louisville area and coached lacrosse at Trinity and Christian Academy of Louisville high schools. During the 2016-2017 season, Soriano was a volunteer coach at BU. Soriano was the assistant coach at Princeton University in 2017-2018 and helped with the offense and face-off specialists.
Soriano brings a unique perspective to the team. As a past Bellarmine player, his familiarity with the school and program not only helps Mitchell and Bernlohr but the players as well.
“Coach Soriano knows what it’s like to be a student-athlete at Bellarmine University and can relate to the players on the team,” junior midfielder Tommy Franceschini said.
Soriano said this season is about “getting to know the underclassmen and creating better relationships with them.”
The 2019 season does not start until January, but the team is patiently preparing for a pivotal season.
“We haven’t even had practices yet this year, but it is obvious that these coaches want to win,” Franceschini said. “It is all about buying in.”