St. Lawrence University Athletics

Elisa VanKirk was named the head coach of the St. Lawrence University softball program in the summer of 2012 and has a 121-114 record in eight seasons with the Saints. In her first season, she led the Saints to a 22-17 record, the most wins in program history.  She also guided the team to its highest seed in the Liberty League tournament in which it finished third. In 2017, the Saints tied the program record for wins, posting a 22-11 record, and shattered the program record for runs in a season with 206.

VanKirk has coached 34 All-Liberty League players, including the two-time Liberty League Pitcher of the Year and All-Region Selection Kyle Plimpton '15, First-Team All-Region utlilty player Skylar Hein, Third Team All-Region selection Becky Allen '14, as well as two ECAC Upstate Regional All-Stars. Additionally, five members of her squad garnered NFCA Academic All-America status, and Taylor Armijo '20 and Skylar Hein '21 were CoSIDA Academic All-Region honorees in 2020.

VanKirk was the assistant coach at Wesleyan in Connecticut in 2011, and also spent a year assisting at Smith College, where she also earned her Master of Science Degree with specialization in exercise and sport studies.

In January, 2021, she obtained a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Northeastern University; her thesis was titled "A Narrative Inquiry Study of the Leadership Pathways of NCAA Division III Female Collegiate Athletic Administrators."

A former division I softball player at George Washington University, VanKirk finished her career with the Colonials ranked fourth all-time in walks and fifth in home runs. A two-time Dean's List honoree, she was twice named to the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and three times to the GWU Athletic Department Honor Roll.   

Along with playing and coaching experience at the collegiate level, VanKirk has worked extensively with U-14 and U-18 summer teams, as well as numerous camps and clinics as a hitting and catching instructor.