Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, the all girls, college preparatory school has named Kim Ciarrocca, the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse coaching standout, as its new Director of Athletics.

Ciarrocca (pronounced shuh-rock-uh), replaces Cheryl Wolff who left in June after 13 years at Stuart.

"We are very excited to have Kim Ciarrocca take the lead of our athletics and physical education programs here at Stuart,” said Dr. Patty Fagin, Head of School. “She has tremendous experience coaching girls at a national collegiate level, impressive credentials and a great deal of energy. We know that she will be an amazing leader and role model for the girls at Stuart, and will no doubt take our athletics programs to the next level. Kim will be a key player of my administrative team as we continue to transform Stuart into the preeminent school for girls in the Princeton area.”

Ciarrocca comes to Stuart after six years at the University of Delaware where her teams consistently ranked among the top programs in the Colonial Athletic Association and gained national Top 20 recognition. Previously she spent 12 years at Temple University where she brought the program to national prominence. In 2010, Ms. Ciarrocca was ranked seventh among active NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse head coaches with 203 career victories.

At Delaware, Ciarrocca’s teams advanced to the CAA Tournament semifinals four times in six seasons and in 2009 made it to the championship game. Prior to her arrival at Delaware, the women’s lacrosse teams had posted four straight losing seasons and had failed to qualify for the CAA Tournament for three straight years.

While at Temple, Ciarrocca's squads dominated the Atlantic 10 Conference, winning six straight league regular season titles between 1999-2004 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament seven times in the nine years. Her teams advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals three straight seasons in 1996, 1997, and 1998 with the 1997 squad posting a 14-3 record and competing in the NCAA semifinals.

She coached more than 20 All-Americans, was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 2001, and Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year in 1997.

Kim (Lambdin) Ciarrocca is a native of Conshohocken, Pa., where she was a standout player at Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School.  She had an outstanding two-sport career at Temple in field hockey and lacrosse. As a goalkeeper and co-captain in field hockey, she was a two-time All-American in 1986 and 1987 and established school record for career saves (751) and shutouts (28). In lacrosse, Kim led Temple to a four-year record of 83-7 in 1984-88 with the 1988 squad capturing the NCAA national title.

She was a two-time lacrosse All-American in 1987 and 1988 and ranks seventh on Temple's all-time scoring list with 207 points on 162 goals and 45 assists. She was inducted into the Temple University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School Hall of Fame in 2004. In addition, she was a member of the U.S. National Lacrosse Team in 1988-92 and led the 1989 squad to the World Championship.

Ciarrocca earned her bachelor's degree in health and physical education from Temple in 1988 and her master's degree in sports administration from Temple in 1992. She is a member of the United States Women's Lacrosse Association and the International Women's Lacrosse Association and has served on numerous USWLA committees.  

About Stuart: Stuart Country Day School of the Sacred Heart is an independent college preparatory school for girls in kindergarten through grade 12 in Princeton, New Jersey. Stuart also has a coed pre-school and junior kindergarten program. Now celebrating its 49th year, Stuart prepares young women for exceptional leadership and service through a challenging and innovative curriculum, superb teaching, and individualized attention. Part of an international community of Sacred Heart schools, Stuart is an independent Catholic school that embraces students of all faiths and backgrounds, helping them to become accomplished and committed women with the confidence and passion for justice to transform the world.