Last Wednesday, the Florida Tech Athletic Department announced that women’s lacrosse coach Corinne Desrosiers is leaving the Panthers to take a job in Pittsburgh with Division I Duquesne of the Atlantic 10 Conference. Later in the day, she posted on the teams’ Facebook page, confirming her decision.

On Tuesday, she sent a statement to sportslowdown.com, looking back on her time at FIT.

“I am so very sad to be leaving Florida Tech after only four seasons – there is something really special about saying you created something, and it has been my greatest professional honor to be trusted by FIT to build their women’s lacrosse program from the ground up,”  she said.

In conversations with players on the team over the past two seasons, one thing is very evident, these young women learned a lot from their coach, not only on the field but off. It is clear that she is aware of that and that she takes pride in it.

“It’s truly like leaving my baby!” she said. “I know these girls have worked very hard in the past four years and I am leaving behind a culture full of work ethic, lacrosse IQ, and astounding leadership. They will get the job done no matter who is at the helm.”

Duquesne. The Dukes won just four games last season and two games the year before. It is a challenge that Desrosiers is not only looking forward to but one she is prepared for, thanks to her time in the sunshine state.

“I look forward to new challenges that await at Duquesne, and hope that my time at Florida Tech has prepped me for the obstacles to come,” she said. “The only reason they hired me was because of how well these Panthers did, so I will forever be eternally grateful for their hard work and tireless effort to become one of the nations best in Division 2 Women’s Lacrosse in just a couple seasons.”

Desrosiers is going to do great things with the Dukes for sure and we will keep an eye on her progress as she begins her quest to build Duquesne into a powerhouse. We wish her and her family the best of luck in their new chapter.