Starsia to be Honored at USA Lacrosse Foundation Gala
SPARKS, Md. – Former University of Virginia men’s lacrosse head coach Dom Starsia and current Northwestern women’s lacrosse head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller will be honored at the fourth annual USA Lacrosse Foundation Gala, USA Lacrosse announced Tuesday (April 15). The event will be held Wednesday, June 4 New York City’s Gotham Hall and will be emceed by fellow Hall of Famer and ESPN lacrosse analyst Sheehan Stanwick Burch, who is also the sister of former UVA attackman and 2011 Tewaaraton Award winner Steele Stanwick.
The USA Lacrosse Foundation Gala was established to help fuel the growth of the sport. Over the first three years, the gala has raised over $2.2 million to help support USA Lacrosse initiatives and programs. This year’s goal, from attendees and those wishing to support the organization’s efforts, is $1 million.
Starsia led Virginia to four national championships and won 375 games, good for third all-time among the NCAA Division I ranks, over his 34-year head coaching career at Virginia and Brown.
“My family has been an integral part of everything that goes on in my life, but certainly much of my life has been defined by my relationship with the game,” Starsia said. “There’s a deeper meaning here than just a sport. When I picked up a stick back in 1971, we were using wood in those days, it just felt like this was exactly the thing I was supposed to be doing. It just felt right in my hands.”
In 1993, Starsia became the head coach at Virginia. He won 274 games in 24 years and in 1999 won the first of his four national titles at Virginia – ending a 27-year drought at the school. He led the Cavaliers to the NCAA tournament 21 times in his career and added national titles in 2003, 2006 and 2011.
He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2008 and the IMLCA Hall of Fame in 2020.
A former USA Lacrosse Board of Directors member, Starsia picked up the sport when he arrived at Brown as a football player. He earned third team All-America honors his junior and senior seasons and was first team All-Ivy League both years. He was a captain for Brown’s 1974 NCAA tournament team. He went on to play for the U.S. men’s national team in 1978, winning a silver medal, and was named the Player of the Year in the U.S. Club Lacrosse Association in 1979.
Starsia (right) and former Virginia sports information director Doyle Smith (left) following his first NCAA championship in 1999.
Starsia became the head coach at Brown, his alma mater, in 1982 and led the Bears to 101 victories in 10 seasons. Brown won two Ivy League titles under his tenure and reached the NCAA tournament five of his final six seasons, including three straight NCAA quarterfinal trips from 1990 to 1992.
Since leaving Virginia, Starsia has stayed active in the sport, coaching at both the high school and professional levels. He is a member of the Board of Directors for Harlem Lacrosse and also serves as an analyst for University of Richmond men’s lacrosse games on ESPN networks.
“USA Lacrosse has the larger view of the game in mind,” Starsia said. “It provides the hands-on help where it can with all of these different organizations within the game, but I think everybody goes around with a sense of confidence knowing that somebody is watching out for the welfare of the game overall. I think it’s really important and I think we’d be lost without USA Lacrosse.”
Honorees at previous USA Lacrosse Foundation Galas have included Kevin Corrigan, Kyle Harrison, Jenny Levy, Paul Rabil, Crista Samaras, Bill Tierney and Cindy Timchal.
Starsia's 2006 team became the first NCAA Division I men's program to finish 17-0 and won all but one game by at least four goals.
About USA Lacrosse
USA Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is a Recognized Sports Organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. As the governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse in the United States, USA Lacrosse leads the U.S. National Teams Program and establishes universal standards. With more than 425,000 members across the country, USA Lacrosse unites the community of players, coaches, officials, parents, and program leaders. Working together, we inspire participation, enrich the athlete experience, and support the growth of the sport.