WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – University of Hartford Director of Athletics Anton Goff has announced the appointment of Mitch Kallick as the 10th coach in the 39-year history of the Hawks' volleyball program.
"I am really excited to have the opportunity to work with the Hartford volleyball program alongside Anton Goff and Ellen Crandall to build the program to what we believe will be a championship program," said Kallick. "I look forward to getting in the gym and working with the girls to be as successful as possible on the court as well as in the classroom."
"We are excited to add a coach of Mitch's caliber to the Hawk Nation Family," said Goff. "His credentials speak for themselves. I believe he brings the passion and knowledge of the game to help our student-athletes reach their goals on the court, in the classroom, and in the community. We all look forward to supporting Mitch as he takes our Volleyball program to new heights."
Overall, Kallick comes to Hartford with more than 12 years of coaching experience, including eight at the Division I level, the last two of which were at Central Michigan. Prior to the Chippewa's, Kallick made stops at Maryland, Cal-State Fullerton, Tennessee and his alma mater, New York University.
"Becoming a head coach and guiding my own program is something I have been working towards my whole career," continued Kallick. "I am really looking forward to making the Hartford volleyball program into a premier program in the America East."
In addition to serving as an assistant at Maryland and Cal-State Fullerton, Kallick also served as the recruiting coordinator, responsible for on-campus visits, general correspondence, evaluation and execution of the overall recruiting strategy. In that role, he successfully recruited two top-50 and six top-150 recruits and his 2011 class of Terrapins was named one of the top 40 in the country according to PrepVolleyball.com.
In two previous stops of Kallick's, he has helped guide a program to a conference title and NCAA Tournament appearances. While at Cal-State Fullerton, his tutelage helped lead the Titans to a conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2010. During his one year stint at Tennessee, the 2006 Lady Vols finished with a 19-12 overall record and earned an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
Before going to Tennessee, Kallick spent three seasons as an assistant coach at his alma mater, helping NYU to a D-III Elite Eight finish (2005), a pair of Final Fours (2003, 2004), and one national championship match (2003). The University Athletic Association (UAA) named the NYU coaching staff the Coaching Staff of the Year in both 2003 and 2004.
As a player, Kallick was an All-American for the Violets and holds career records for kills (1,925), blocks (543), block assists (399), points (2354.5), and sets played (417). In his four-year playing career, he led NYU to two Final Four finishes (2000, 2002) and one national championship match (2000) and was a four-time Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association first-teamer.
The Hartford volleyball team is coming off a 17-13 season, which is the most wins since the 1993 season. It is also the first .500 or better record for the Hawks since 1999. Following the regular season, a trio of Hawks earned All-Conference distinction including senior Sareeta Nethersole who was named to the First Team. Classmate Jackie Tamburri, who graduates with the most assists since the start of rally scoring, earned All-League Second Team distinction, while freshman Katy Henchy was named to the All-Rookie squad.
