For Immediate Release
August 8, 2012
Courtesy of Assumption Athletics Communications
Worcester, Mass. - Keith Loftis has been named as the Assumption College men's lacrosse head coach, as announced by Nick Smith, director of athletics.
"Keith is a great fit for Assumption College," said Smith "He brings a wealth of experience as a collegiate coach to the program and we are excited to welcome Keith to Assumption. My expectations of the program are high and we believe that he is the right person to help us reach our goals."
Loftis comes to Assumption from Wheaton College (Mass.), where he served as the assistant coach for the 2012 season. At Wheaton, his responsibilities included working as the defensive coordinator and the goalie coach.
"I would first like to thank Nick Smith and Bethany Ellis (Associate Director of Athletics) for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to become the next men's lacrosse coach at Assumption College," said Loftis. "To take over the reins of a program at a strong academic institution like Assumption that competes in one of the top Division II conferences in the country is exactly the opportunity that I have been looking for."
Prior to his time at Wheaton, Loftis worked for 12 seasons as the assistant coach at Division I Providence College (R.I.), working with the team's defensive unit and serving as the recruiting coordinator. While at Providence, his team qualified for the NCAA Tournament on three occasions (2004, 2006, 2007), along with capturing three Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tournament titles and four regular-season crowns. He coached five MAAC Defensive Players of the Year, along with one United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-American defender at Providence.
Loftis began his collegiate coaching career at Cobleskill State University (N.Y.), where he was the program's head coach for the 1998 and 1999 seasons.
A native of Whitesboro, N.Y., Loftis earned his Associates degree in liberal arts at Morrisville State in 1995, along with his Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology at Potsdam State in 1997. In addition, he earned his Master's degree in education/counseling from Providence in 2001.
As a player, Loftis was a two-time All-Region selection at Morrisville State. He was selected to the Junior College North/South All-Star Game following the 1995 season as well.
He currently resides in Providence with his wife, Elisangela, and their son, Thomas.
