Sparkill, N.Y. - St. Thomas Aquinas Athletic Director Gerald Oswald has announced the hiring of Kim Lusk as Assistant Director of Athletics/ Head Women's Basketball Coach.

As Assistant Director of Athletics, one of Lusk's top responsibilities will be as Sports Information Director.  She will be responsible for updating and maintaining the athletics web site and also act as the main liaison between the athletic department and the media.  

"We are very excited to have Kim leading our women's basketball program. Lady Spartan basketball has had a great tradition and we were looking for someone who could continue our winning ways.  I believe Kim has that commitment, teaching ability, passion and leadership to bring us to another level," commented Oswald 

Lusk comes to STAC following five years as Head Women's Basketball Coach at New Jersey Institute of Technology.  During her first four years as the head coach, the program was a Division II member of the Central Atlantic Conference.  In those years, Lusk produced a win/loss record of 63-49.  Lusk's third season (2004 - 05) saw the Highlanders post a program-best 18 wins and earn NJIT women's basketball its first postseason berth beyond its own conference tournament (2005 Eastern College Athletic Conference Division II Championship Tournament).  With a combined three-year record of 46-40, Lusk became the winningest career coach in the young program's history.

In her final season at the helm of the program (2006-07), NJIT began the process of reclassifying to NCAA Division I, where they Highlanders finished 4-24 as an independent member. Lusk piloted NJIT to its first Division I win in the third game of the season, a 91-70 victory over Norfolk State.  Following the 2006-2007 season, Lusk took one year off to spend time with her young family.

"I am very grateful for this opportunity at STAC.  This is a school that has had tremendous success in women's basketball in the past.  It is always great to work at a place that has so much history.  I look forward to rebuilding our women's basketball program; it will be our goal to recruit top student athletes as we look to recapture championship status," commented Lusk.

In her first season at NJIT (2002-2003), Lusk, who was named "interim" head coach, was 24 years old and was noted as one of the youngest Division II coaches in the country.  She guided NJIT to a 16-12 record, tying the existing school record for victories in a season, and advanced the team to the conference tournament semi-finals.  The "interim" tag was removed from her coaching title in April 2003 and she was promoted to Assistant Director of Athletics at the same time.

Before being named Head Coach at NJIT, Lusk spent one year as the top assistant for NJIT, in which she helped turn around a program that had only won four games the previous season.  Prior to NJIT, Lusk spent two years as a graduate assistant at the University of New Haven where she completed her MBA with a concentration in Sports Management. 

Lusk was a four-year swing player and two-year captain at Southern Connecticut State University, graduating in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.  She holds the Owls school record for assists in a game, dishing out 15 against Albertus Magnus College during her junior year. 

Lusk resides in Valhalla, NY with her husband, Jim, and their two daughters, Madison (3) and Kallie (2).