By: Ryan Fasciano, Sports Information Intern
Cris Lukas ’95 knows what it takes to win. She knows how hard and long you have to practice for. She knows that winning just doesn’t happen overnight. While a junior at the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1994, Lukas and the softball team practiced non-stop preparing for the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) tournament. After doing a defensive practice on a Friday from 2 to 6 p.m. in the Elting Gym, the coaching staff told the players to grab some dinner and there was an optional hitting practice afterwards. Every single player decided to participate in the practice, making optional feel mandatory.
“We hit and conditioned for four hours that night,” said Lukas. "We had an eight-hour practice that day. Not one person on the team complained, and not one player was missing. We all wanted to be there, we were in it together. It was the best team I ever played on. Win or lose, we truly left it all on the field.”
Lukas has taken this type of mentality to her coaching efforts at NCAA Division III Dominican University in River Forest, Ill., just located outside of Chicago. In 2006, Lukas became the head softball coach of Dominican, where she has posted a winning record of 102-89 over the last five seasons.
The mentality of doing whatever it takes to succeed has helped Lukas down the career path she is in now.
“If you really want this career, you need to be open to moving and doing other jobs to support the habit,” said Lukas. “I love coaching at all levels, everything from 10U to Division I. I was willing to go where the opportunities were, which led me to my position currently at Dominican.”
Being a student-athlete at New Paltz has helped Lukas find her calling as well.
“I think having a positive experience as a student-athlete was the driving force in becoming a head coach,” said Lukas. “Imagining myself anywhere but on the softball field was hard to do. My goal as a coach is to give my student-athletes the best experience possible.”
When starting as head coach of Dominican, it felt very similar to Lukas’ experience as a student-athlete at New Paltz. Both were rebuilding programs starting from the bottom and working their way up.
“It’s a lot of fun to see your program grow into something special, knowing it happened through hard work and from doing it the right way,” said Lukas. “When the student-athletes work hard and succeed, that is what I am proud of the most.”
