Katie Wilson, who coached Lakeside to its best volleyball season last fall and previously won a state title with Seattle Prep, is leaving to become an assistant at Notre Dame.
Katie Wilson has stepped down as volleyball coach at Lakeside High School to join the staff at Notre Dame as an assistant.
Here is the complete press release from Lakeside:
After leading Lakeside to its most successful WIAA 3A state tournament result in school history, Katie Wilson, volleyball program head, has accepted the position of assistant volleyball coach at the University of Notre Dame – she will begin her work in South Bend, Indiana immediately.
Wilson joins former University of Washington head coach, Jim McLaughlin, and former Xavier University head coach, Mike Johnson, on the Irish staff.
“Anyone who has watched Katie work, immediately sees her expertise,” said Lakeside director of athletics Chris Hartley. “Anyone who has followed the volleyball program over the last three years has seen incredible improvement, and most importantly, anyone who has listened to her speak to her athletes or watched her players interact with each other sees the culture that Katie has built here.”
In her three years at the helm of the Lions’ program, Wilson led Lakeside to two WIAA 3A state tournament berths, including a 4th place finish this past season. Her 2012 team punched a state ticket after a 26-year hiatus, and her 2014 squad secured the Lions’ fifth Metro League championship and first Sea-King District 2 title.
Wilson’s coaching career started at Bellarmine Prep (Tacoma, WA), her alma mater. She worked as the C team head coach and assisted at the varsity level.
She arrived at Lakeside in 2012 by way of Seattle University, where she was an assistant on the Redhawks’ staff. Prior to her time at Seattle U, she was the head coach at Seattle Prep for five seasons, leading the Panthers to a Metro League championship, a Sea-King District 2 championship, and a WIAA 3A state championship.
Her coaching resume also includes stops at several high-performing clubs in and around the Puget Sound region.
“Katie’s leadership, organizational IQ, big-picture mindset, and unwavering passion for the student-athlete experience has been the foundation by which our program has seen such positive change over the last three years,” said associate director of athletics Chris Hein. “I was fortunate enough to be on the search committee that brought Katie to Lakeside in 2012. She leaves our program positioned for success – we couldn’t be happier for her, Ryan, and their kids as they embark on this incredible opportunity.” — Statement from Katie Wilson
“Three years ago when I decided I wanted to return to coaching high school volleyball, the only job I applied for was the program head position at Lakeside. I loved the program head model and the opportunity to build and design a curriculum for student-athletes at each of our various levels of competition. I am so proud of what we were able to accomplish in just three years.
One of my favorite memories at Lakeside was from the WIAA 3A state volleyball tournament in 2012. That group was the first Lakeside volleyball team to qualify for the state tournament in 26 years. On their state tee-shirt, they chose to place the word “FAMILY” along with the number 26 on the back (representing 26 years since the last time they were at state). I will never forget how proud those girls were of what they had accomplished. I knew that group had laid the ground work for great things to come.
This past year brought unprecedented success in the win-loss column (winning the metro league for the first time in 28 years, winning the Sea-King District 2 title for the first time and placing 4th in state). Of course, I am so proud of that group and the hardware they were able to bring home for their school. However, I am even more proud of the people they are off the court.
I always knew in my heart, at some point, I would like to go back to coaching college. However, my list of schools was very short and it had to be with the perfect staff if I was ever going to leave Lakeside. Coaching at Notre Dame is my dream job and having the opportunity to work with two of the best volleyball coaches in the country, Jim McLaughlin and Mike Johnson, made this opportunity one that I couldn’t pass up. Notre Dame is an institution that prides itself on excellence, just like Lakeside. Both schools are committed to the full student-athlete experience, which means excellence in the classroom and on the court.
Lakeside is a very special place. I have loved every second of my three years here. The staff, administration, and students make Lakeside one of the best schools in the country.”
Lakeside will begin searching for its next volleyball program head immediately.