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Emily Bitka

 
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Emily Bitka joined the Cortland staff as an assistant coach in August 2021.

A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Bitka spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey. During her time at Stevens the Ducks reached the 2019 Empire 8 title game and the 2021 MAC Freedom championship game, and they featured 2020 Inside Lacrosse National Player of the Year and three-time All-American Kyra Bednarski. Bitka also served as a member of the Stevens Athletic Department Reorganization and Student Engagement Committee and the Stevens Prospective Student Athlete Committee, and she was a Stevens Diversity, Equity and Inclusion facilitator.

Bitka played two seasons at Division II Slippery Rock University in 2017 and 2018, the latter under current Cortland head coach Kelsey Van Alstyne. A two-year team captain, Bitka earned second team All-America and first team all-region honors and was the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Player of the Year as a goalie in 2018. She was a two-time all-league honoree, and she was chosen as the MVP of the 2018 IWLCA Division II North-South Senior All-Star game. Bitka finished her career at Slippery Rock as the career leader in ground balls, save percentage (.537), goals against average (7.95) and goalie wins (25) while ranking third in career saves (307). Bitka began her collegiate playing career at the University at Albany, where she played two seasons for the Division I Great Danes.

As a scholastic athlete at Amherst Central, Bitka lettered four years in both lacrosse and soccer and one year in ice hockey. She earned All-Western New York, All-Metro Team One and all-league honors, was a 2014 All-American, and helped the lacrosse team win three Section 6 titles.

Bitka's father, Terry, is a 1986 Cortland alumnus and is the long-time football associate head coach at Buffalo State. Her brother, Ryan, is currently a member of the Cortland football squad.