WEST HAVEN, Conn. – New Haven Department of Athletics has announced the hiring of Kathelene Kim as the next Head Coach of the Women's Lacrosse program.

"I want to thank Athletic Director Crosby, President Frederiksen, and the search committee for this incredible opportunity. The University of New Haven has proven to be a powerhouse season after season. I am honored and excited to lead this program into its DI era and compete in the NEC," Kit said.

Kim started the women's lacrosse program at Quincy University in 2018. During her time with the Hawks, "Coach Kit" oversaw consistent improvement in the program, and in 2025, the Hawks had their first .500 season in program history, en route to a 10th place finish in the Midwest Region.

She was named Great Lakes Valley Conference Coach of the Year in the Spring of 2022 after taking the team from just two wins in 2021 to six wins, including the Hawks' first conference win in program history. 

Kim led the Hawks to their best season in 2024, finishing with eight wins and four conference wins that propelled the Hawks to the GLVC Conference tournament for the first time. The 2024 season also produced GLVC Goalie of the year, and for the first time earned IWLCA Top 25 votes.

Kim arrived at Quincy University after spending two seasons at Queens University of Charlotte, where she was described as "one of my favorite people to be around," by Randall Goble, the Deputy Athletic Director. In 2018, Queens won its fifth straight SAC Conference Tournament Championship.  

While at Queens, Kim helped lead the team to the NCAA Elite Eight in 2017 and finished the season ranked #8 in the country. Queens also captured the 2017 SAC regular season and conference championships. Kim coached 14 all-conference players during her time at Queens and 3 All-Americans.

Kim played collegiately at Penn State-Abington where she served as team captain. She was also a member of the cross country team. Kim graduated from Penn State University in 2013 with a BS in Kinesiology. Kim received her MBA from Lenoir-Rhyne University in 2016.