Emily Bitka joins the Seton Hill coaching staff for her first season during the 2024 lacrosse campaign.
Bitka spent the past two seasons as an assistant at SUNY Cortland in New York. In her two seasons at Cortland, the Red Dragons went 31-10 and a perfect 18-0 in SUNYAC play. The Red Dragons played in two SUNYAC Finals, winning one championship. Cortland also made two NCAA Tournament appearances in her two seasons, winning two contests.
Bitka was well rounded at Cortland, working with the offense, defense and goalies. In her first season at Cortland, the coaching staff was named the SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
Prior to Cortland, Bitka spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. During her time at Stevens the Ducks reached the 2019 Empire 8 title game and the 2021 MAC Freedom championship game, and they featured 2020 Inside Lacrosse National Player of the Year and three-time All-American Kyra Bednarski. Bitka also served as a member of the Stevens Athletic Department Reorganization and Student Engagement Committee and the Stevens Prospective Student Athlete Committee, and she was a Stevens Diversity, Equity and Inclusion facilitator.
Bitka played two seasons at Division II and PSAC member Slippery Rock University in 2017 and 2018. A two-year team captain, Bitka earned second team All-America and first team all-region honors and was the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Player of the Year as a goalie in 2018. She was a two-time all-league honoree, and she was chosen as the MVP of the 2018 IWLCA Division II North-South Senior All-Star game. Bitka finished her career at Slippery Rock as the career leader in ground balls, save percentage (.537), goals against average (7.95) and goalie wins (25) while ranking third in career saves (307). Bitka began her collegiate playing career at the University at Albany, where she played two seasons for the Division I Great Danes.
As a scholastic athlete at Amherst Central, Bitka lettered four years in both lacrosse and soccer and one year in ice hockey. She earned All-Western New York, All-Metro Team One and all-league honors, was a 2014 All-American, and helped the lacrosse team win three Section 6 titles.
