Jackie Rutkowski joins IUP women's lacrosse team as an assistant coach for the 2013 season. A former all-conference player with IUP, comes back to her alma mater after three years as the head coach at Albion College in Michigan.
In her first season as assistant coach, Rutkowski helped guide the Crimson Hawks to a 13-3 record and a appearance in the semi-finals of the 2013 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament.
The first head coach in the history of the Albion program, Rutkowski led the Britons to a sixth-place conference finish during their inaugural year in 2010, while the team led the league in ground balls and saves per game.
In 2011, Albion was awarded the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Academic Honor Squad, ranking second in the nation among all divisions with a 3.51 team grade point average.
Prior to Albion, Rutkowski attended Ohio University where she earned her master's degree in recreation and sport sciences, concentrating in coaching education. Graduating in January 2009, she spent that year as a volunteer assistant with the Bobcats club team while also teaching the first ever lacrosse history course at the school.
Before going back to school, she was the head girl's lacrosse coach at Ft. Couch Middle School in Upper St. Clair, Pa. It was there that she earned the Western Pennsylvania Scholastic Lacrosse Association Middle School Coach of the Year award.
A four-year member of the women's lacrosse team at IUP, Rutkowski earned first team Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) honors in 2007 after scoring a then-school record 50 goals and 79 points. During that season she set marks for goals in a game (nine) and assists in a game (six), while also setting a single season school record with 29 assists.
At the time of her graduation, Rutkowski was IUP's all-time leader in career points (192) and assists (58) while also ranking second with 134 goals and 64 games played.
Rutkowski's camp experienced includes the Nike Lacrosse Camp at Adrian College in 2010 with John Sung, the current head coach of Winthrop; First Look Players Combine in Chicago with former Northwestern player Lindsay Finocchiaro; Michigan Cyclones Team Camp in June of 2012 with former Temple player Deanna Radcliffe; and at the Grand Valley State Lacrosse Camp in June 2011 and June 2012.
In addition, Rutkowski coached with current IUP head coach Mindy Richmond with Team Intrepid this past summer.
Updated on 6/3/13
