Kalamazoo College

Kalamazoo, MI 49006

Michigan Midwest

Private Small Developing team

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Coaches

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Jess Smith

Jessica (Jess) Smith was named head women’s lacrosse coach at Kalamazoo College in December 2015.

Coach Smith led the Hornets to a program-best seven wins in 2018. The Hornets have set nearly every program record during her tenure.

Smith came to Kalamazoo from Patterson Mill High School in Bel Air, Md. where she was a teacher and head varsity girls lacrosse coach since 2007.

In addition to coaching at Patterson Mill, Smith has worked and coached with Top of the Bay Sports since 2010 as well as Elite Lacrosse Club since 2012. She also has coached with the iLax Lacrosse Club and served as an assistant coach at the Under Armour Underclass Games (2012) and Under Armour All-American Games (2009).

“I am honored to be selected as the new head women's lacrosse coach at Kalamazoo College,” Smith at the time of her hire. “Kalamazoo College is a fantastic school for student-athletes, offering a world-class education in addition to outstanding athletic facilities and support.”

Smith is a 2004 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Delaware where she was a member of the club lacrosse team while majoring in health and exercise science. She earned a master’s degree in health science at Towson University in 2012.

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Vince Redko

Vincent Redko was selected as the first head men’s lacrosse coach in Kalamazoo College history in 2014.

He began building the Hornet program in 2014-15 while launching the first varsity intercollegiate season in 2015-16.

Kalamazoo won its first four games of the season in 2019. The Hornets won their first four games again in 2020 and were 4-1 before the season was ended to due the COVID-19 pandemic.

Coach Redko's first All-MIAA performer was recognized in 2018 (Zach Morales). The program's second All-MIAA selection came in 2019 (Dylan McGorisk).

Redko served as the recruiting coordinator and defensive coach at Connecticut College for two seasons prior to coming to Kalamazoo and helped the Camels reach the New England Small College Athletic Conference Championships for the fifth straight year in 2014. His 2013 team allowed just 8.19 goals per game, ranking third in the conference.

In 2011 and 2012, Redko was the defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pa. In two seasons Redko helped bring the team’s goals against average down from 12.46 to 6.96 while setting program records for wins in a season each of the two years.

Redko graduated with a degree in history from Ursinus College (Pa.) in 2010 where he was a three-year starting defenseman and senior captain for the Bears. He earned a master’s degree in organizational management at Misericordia University in 2012.

“I am excited to join the staff at Kalamazoo College and would like to thank President [Eileen] Wilson-Oyelaran and Athletic Director [Kristen] Smith for this opportunity,” Redko said at the time of his hire. “After meeting with the faculty, staff, and administration on campus I knew that their commitment to the overall student experience would make Kalamazoo College an exciting place to start a men’s lacrosse program. The academic reputation of Kalamazoo as a top liberal arts college in the country, coupled with the college’s commitment to a successful athletics program, make it an attractive place for lacrosse players from around the country.”

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Mitchell Caldwell

Mitchell Caldwell joined the Kalamazoo College men's lacrosse coaching staff in the fall of 2022.

Coach Caldwell's other coaching stop was at Rockford High School, where the team was a Regional Champion. His playing days included playing at East Lansing High School before moving on to play at Calvin College as a goalkeeper. In 33 games from 2017-20 as a Knight, Caldwell collected 117 saves between the pipes.

Currently residing in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Coach Caldwell graduated with a bachelor's degree in religion from Calvin in 2020.