NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Matt Karweck, a 2006 Notre Dame graduate, has been named assistant coach for the Fighting Irish men's lacrosse program. Karweck played for the Irish from 2003-06 and brings six years of coaching experience with him to his alma mater.Karweck comes to Notre Dame from Merrimack College, where he spent one season as an assistant coach/offensive coordinator at the NCAA Division II school located in North Andover, Mass. The Warriors posted a 13-3 record in 2012 and reached the title game of the NE-10 tournament. The Warriors, who were ranked fifth nationally during the season, produced three All-Americans, including the player of the year. Karweck also taught an exercise science lab during the fall semester at Merrimack.
"I'm really excited about Matt coming back," says Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan. "It's great to have one of our former players coming back into the program. As a player, Matt always brought great enthusiasm and a contagious work ethic. He's a guy that really loves Notre Dame and our program. Matt also loves to get on the field and work with the players. He's going to be a tremendous asset to us, especially in working with our younger players."
Prior to his stint at Merrimack, Karweck was an assistant coach at the University of Detroit-Mercy for one season. He was the offensive coordinator for the Titans during the 2011 campaign and helped the second-year program to a 6-10 mark after it went 3-12 in its first season of NCAA Division I play. Detroit also earned its first-ever berth in the MAAC Tournament and advanced to the title game.
Karweck was the head coach of Indiana University's club lacrosse program from 2007-10. The squad competed in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA). He led Indiana to 25 wins in three seasons and was named the 2009 Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference Coach of the Year. While at Indiana, he earned a Master of Science degree in kinesiology and owned and ran Overtime Lacrosse, a summer camp program.
Karweck earned four monograms and tallied 60 goals and 30 assists in 52 games during his playing career at Notre Dame. He received first team all-Great Western Lacrosse League honors as a senior after copping second-team accolades during his junior campaign. Karweck served as one of the senior captains during his final season. He graduated with a degree in psychology from Notre Dame's College of Arts and Letters.
After graduating from Notre Dame, Karweck competed professionally in England for one season with the Sheffield Steelers in the English Lacrosse Premiership. The Steelers captured the 2006 Bath Eights Tournament Championship. While in England, he also served as a men's lacrosse coach at Sheffield University, and taught lacrosse in the surrounding area for the English Lacrosse Association.
He returned to the United States and played two seasons for the Chicago Machine in Major League Lacrosse.
"It is a dream come true for me to be coaching at Notre Dame," says Karweck. "Not only am I returning to my alma mater, but I also have the privilege to learn from two of the best coaches in the game today, Coach Corrigan and Coach (Gerry) Byrne. I look forward to contributing to the continued success of the men's lacrosse program. I am extremely honored and proud to again be a part of the Fighting Irish family."
Karweck, a native of Penn Yan, N.Y., attended Penn Yan Academy. He led the team to the Section V Class C High School title all four seasons, as well as the state title in 2001. His wife, Dr. Andrea Karweck, a 2005 graduate of Notre Dame, is currently completing her fellowship in child clinical psychology at Boston Children's Hospital in Boston, Mass.
Karweck replaces Brian Fisher on the Fighting Irish staff. Fisher was named head coach at Monmouth University last month.