Bradford, PA. – The University of Pittsburgh at Bradford has announced that Mark Lucas has been chosen to lead the Panthers’ women’s volleyball program as its 4th full-time head coach since becoming an NCAA sport in 2002-03. Lucas joins Pitt-Bradford from Wells College.
“We are very excited to name Mark Lucas as the head coach for our women’s volleyball team,” said Athletic Director Bret Butler. “He is an experienced head coach who will certainly help our volleyball return to the top of the AMCC and beyond.”
At Wells, Lucas coached the Express women’s team for 7 seasons, and the men’s team for two. With the women’s program, Lucas compiled a record of 100-105 with an in-conference record of 41-27. He led the men’s team for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, posting a record of 40-21 with an 18-6 mark against conference opponents. Before taking over the women’s program, he was an assistant coach for both teams for two seasons.
In 2017, Lucas was named North Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and led the Express to the conference’s semifinal three seasons in a row. Last season, Wells joined the AMCC and Lucas led the Express to a 5-4 mark in AMCC play, tying for 4th place in the league and securing the 4th seed in the AMCC Tournament.
Prior to Wells, Lucas coached internationally, leading the men’s volleyball program at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies in Kyoto, Japan. His coaching record at Kyoto was 73-65. While in Japan, Mark also played the game, competing for the Matsugasaki Club Team from 2008-13. As a player, he was a part of two Sakyo-ku League Championship teams.
“I’m honored to be chosen to lead this program,” said Lucas. “I feel that the strong academic focus and beautiful campus help to make a perfect fit for the program I hope to build.”
Lucas is a 1991 graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology where he studied Biomedical Computing. He also received a master’s degree in Education and a second bachelor’s degree in Theatre, both from SUNY Brockport.
Lucas will take over a Panther team that went 4-21 in 2023.
“The team is eager to get to work,” added Lucas. “I believe that we have a roster that will be able to compete for a playoff spot this coming fall.”
