Professional lacrosse all-star goalie Adam Ghitelman moves into a volunteer assistant coach role after serving as an assitant coach the last two season at Utah. He is in his fifth year overall with the program having assisted with the transition from club to NCAA competition.
Utah went 5-10 in its inaugural NCAA season in 2019. Freshman defender Samuel Cambere was named to the College Crosse All-Freshman team, leading Utah with 20 caused turnovers and finishing second on the team with 52 ground balls. Liam Donnelly made 166 saves in goal.
The team’s second season was cut short just after six games (3-3-0) due to the Covid-19 pandemic
Ghitelman joined Utah’s club lacrosse team in 2017. The Utes won the 2018 Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference Championship and made two appearances in the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association tournament. Utah finished 16-1 overall in 2018 and finished fifth in the final coaches poll while defenders Daniel Costa (goalie) and Seth Neeleman earned All-America honors.
Ghitelman first made his way West as head coach of USC’s club program in 2016. The Trojans went 8-8 overall and made their first Southwest Lacrosse Conference tournament appearance.
Ghitelman began his college coaching career at Harvard, spending four years with the Crimson (2012-15). In 2014, Harvard won the program’s first Ivy League championship since 1990 and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Defensive players earned eight All-Ivy honors during his four years, including goalies earning honors in three-straight seasons.
In the Premier Lacrosse League's inaugural season in 2019, Ghitelman had a 51.2 save percentage with 79 saves for Archers LC, and 20 saves with a 60.6 save percentage in the postseason. He was nominated for the Jimmy Regan Teammate Award. Ghitelman previously played eight seasons in Major League Lacrosse with Atlanta (2016-18), Boston (2015), Charlotte (2012-14) and Denver (2011) after being selected in the eighth round of the 2011 draft. He is a two-time MLL all star (2012, 2017). Ghitelman had over 1,000 career saves and an over 50-percent save percentage during his time in MLL.
Ghitelman has also competed with Team USA, helping the U.S. win the 2008 ILF U-19 World Championship.
Ghitelman was a two-time All-American at Virginia and helped lead the Cavaliers to the 2011 NCAA Championship as a senior. He played four years at UVA (2008-11) and his 586 career saves ranks in the top 10 in ACC history and second all-time at Virginia. Ghitelman ranks in the top 15 all-time in Division I in career goalkeeper minutes played (3,442). He helped lead UVA to the 2010 ACC Championship and was named tournament MVP. Ghitelman played in the longest game in NCAA history, a seven-overtime contest against Maryland in 2009, recording a career-high 22 saves.
Ghitelman is a co-founder of the Give and Go Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes international lacrosse growth and development, as well as G3 Lacrosse, which puts on goaltender camps and clinics throughout the country. He has traveled internationally to over 10 countries to teach and grow the game and was named the 2017 Ambassador of the Year by the Casey Powell World Lacrosse Foundation. Ghitelman is an active volunteer with Lacrosse the Nations and Fields of Growth, teaching the game overseas, and has worked with City Lacrosse in Southern California.
A native of Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y, Ghitelman earned degrees in psychology and economics from Virginia in 2011.