Berkman, Bruce to assume new roles in athletic department at Potsdam
Potsdam Sports Information Department
POTSDAM, N.Y.—SUNY Potsdam men's lacrosse coach Rick Berkman and women's lacrosse coach Lauren Bruce will step down from their coaching positions to take on new administrative roles within the athletic department this summer.
Berkman will take over compliance, scheduling and transportation from Bill Mitchell who is retiring this summer. He will continue to handle fundraising and sponsorships among other duties.
Bruce, will take over club sport responsibilities from Mitchell. She will continue to lead the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and serve as the department's Senior Woman Administrator. Among her new duties will be mentoring assistant coaches and interns, community engagement and organizing special events.
Berkman took over the men's lacrosse program in 1995 and guided the Bears for 30 seasons. In that time, he recorded 194 wins and reached the playoffs 15 times. He coached eight of the program's 10 All-Americans, including Saka Thompson this season. Berkman had 115 players earn all-conference honors, including six players of the year and two rookies of the year. Berkman was named SUNYAC Coach of the Year three times and earned the same honor for the Empire Lacrosse League once. This season he garnered coaching staff of the year honors along with assistants Cam Talcott '22 and Cole Zeller '20 after guiding the Bears to the SUNYAC Championship game for the second time. Berkman has had eight of his players inducted into the Bears Hall of Fame.
After serving as an assistant the previous season, Bruce became the women's lacrosse head coach in 2004. In her 21 seasons, she has won 93 games and guided the program to the playoffs in 2016. Bruce coached 23 All-SUNYAC players, including the conference's first ever rookie of the year, and had four of her Bears selected to Potsdam's Hall of Fame.
The department will conduct searches this summer for their replacements.
