AMHERST, N.Y. – Daemen university women's lacrosse head coach
Emily Bitka was one of 85 coaches across the country to be selected to participate in 54
th annual WeCOACH NCAA Women's Coaches Academy. Hosted in partnership with the NCAA, the event is set to take place May 19-21, 2025, in Denver, Colo.
Since its inception, more than 2,300 coaches have graduated from the NCAA WeCOACH Academcy. The program centers on holistic leadership development, providing women coaches with the skills, confidence, and community to elevate their effectiveness both personally and professionally. The coaches coming to Denver this year represent 24 different sports and come from a diverse collection of institutions across all NCAA divisions as well as the NAIA, 3C2A, NJCAA, and NWAC. This year, Bitka is the only representative from an East Coast Conference school to participate in either session as well. Bitka is not the only Wildcat to have participated in the event as women's bowling head coach Carrie Racsumberger participated in the WeCOACH NCAA Academy 2.0 last year.
"The NCAA is proud to continue its partnership with WeCOACH to host the 2025 NCAA Women Coaches Academy and NCAA Academy 2.0," said DeeDee Merritt, NCAA Managing Director of Leadership Development. "The NCAA remains committed to educating and empowering student-athletes, coaches, and athletics administrators through transformative experiences that foster effective leadership, promote inclusive excellence, and strengthen the college sports landscape. These academies align seamlessly with our mission and have consistently delivered meaningful outcomes in the support, advancement, and retention of women coaches in collegiate athletics. WeCOACH continues to be an invaluable partner in providing development and community for women coaches. Through collaborations like this, we are able to expand our reach and deepen our impact."
In her first season with Daemen, Bitka led the Wildcats to their first postseason appearance in program history after winning a program record three ECC games, highlighted by a 13-12 overtime win over D'Youville on April 23. She also produced three all-conference selections in
Ella Bouley (First Team),
Jenna Havert (Second Team) and
Cameron Briggs (Second Team). For Bouley, she was also the first All-ECC First Team honoree in program history as well.
Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter,
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