Erica Novak
bio
Erica Novak comes to the Duke’s with 17 years of coaching and administrative leadership experience. Erica attended Villanova University where she was a midfielder for the Wildcats. During her time at Villanova, Erica co-founded a youth lacrosse league in her local community. In 2009, Erica was invited to be the Head Coach for the U-15 PAGLA National Team. In 2010, Erica became an assistant coach at Archbishop John Carroll High School, helping lead the team to two Catholic League Championships and appearances at the PA State Quarterfinals and PA State Semi Finals. Erica became an Assistant Coach for Eastern University while working on her Masters’ Degrees and, in 2013, she received the Head Coaching position at Centenary College where she brought her team to their first playoff appearance in four years. Her love for teaching brought her back to Chester County, PA, where she has been teaching and coaching for the past 10 years. Upon returning, Erica took the Head Coaching position at Rustin High School, bringing the team from a 3-15 record to 10-8 in 1 year. Her second year the team took the Chest-Mont Champions title. Erica’s teaching career has brought her to several high school lacrosse programs, including assistant coaching at Villa Maria Academy, helping bring the team to the State Quarter Finals.
Being a multi-sport athlete herself, Erica believes in the importance of commitment and working on skill development throughout the year, while also giving players the time and opportunity to play other sports. Erica’s experiences have given her a deep foundation for the game of lacrosse, coaching, and how to develop athletes on and off the field. Through her experiences, she has been able to work with some of the top coaches in the state and learn from their various coaching philosophies and goals for programs. Her love for teaching the game and pushing skill development at all ages has brought her to 4 US Lacrosse Conventions and several US Lacrosse coaching certifications. Her goal is to teach high level skill development at every age group, where players can have fun while being challenged to their highest potential.