Virginia men’s lacrosse head coach Dom Starsia has announced he has added his son, Joe Starsia, to the Cavaliers’ coaching staff. Joe Starsia fills the assistant coach vacancy left by John Walker, who left for the top assistant coach position at Princeton in July.
“I am excited for our program that one of the bright, young lights in our profession will be bringing his passion and expertise to Charlottesville,” Dom Starsia said. “Joe has had some excellent mentors in his coaching journey and in three of the past four seasons, his teams have experienced the greatest success in their program’s history. He will go to work immediately at the defensive end of the field but will be involved in all aspects of the program here at Virginia.”
“It is a thrill to be coming back to Charlottesville,” said Joe Starsia. “This is an incredible and exciting opportunity for me. Not only am I thrilled to be able to work with this coaching and support staff, but to have the opportunity to work with these players. The tradition at UVa is incredible, but there is an added excitement to have the opportunity to work with a great group of young and enthusiastic men.”
Starsia joins his father’s staff after a successful two-year stint at Colgate where the Raiders made one NCAA appearance and Peter Baum won the 2012 Tewaaraton Trophy. While at Colgate, Starsia was the team’s coordinator for defense and recruiting.
Colgate finished the 2012 season with a program-best 14 wins and the Red Raiders’ highest national ranking at No. 8 in the final Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll after advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals. The team also set a total of 29 individual and team records including 13 program records, 15 Patriot League records and one NCAA single-season record.
Starsia joined the Colgate staff from NCAA DIII Dickinson College, where he served as an assistant coach. He helped lead the Red Devils to back-to-back historic seasons, posting a school-record 17 wins in 2011. The team advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals that season before falling to eventual national champion Salisbury. Dickinson posted a school-best 15-3 record in 2010, and went on to better that mark with the 17-2 campaign in 2011. He also mentored one of his defensemen, John Haire, to All-America honors in both 2010 and 2011.
Prior to coaching at Dickinson, Starsia was a standout defenseman and assistant coach at Lynchburg College. As a player, Starsia and the Hornets won two Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) titles and made three NCAA Tournament appearances. He graduated with a degree in sport management and a minor in English in 2006, and earned a master’s of education with an emphasis in educational leadership from Lynchburg College in 2008.
During his coaching tenure, Lynchburg advanced to the ODAC final twice, winning the championship in 2008 and finishing second in 2007. He was involved in all aspects of the program, which has a strong tradition in the sport of men’s lacrosse.
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Chris Graham
