Completed Event: Men's Lacrosse versus Georgetown on May 10, 2025 , Loss , 12, to, 16
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Final
Men's Lacrosse
12
vs Georgetown
16
Men's Lacrosse
Unterstein, Kevin
Kevin Unterstein
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- kevin.unterstein@duke.edu
Kevin Unterstein joined the Duke men's lacrosse staff as an assistant coach in July 2024. He works closely with the Blue Devils defensive unit and faceoff specialists.
Unterstein arrived in Durham after spending six seasons at University of North Carolina.In addition to coaching in the collegiate ranks, Unterstein serves as the defensive coordinator for the New York Atlas of the Premier Lacrosse League. He retired from professional lacrosse in January of 2022 following a 14-year career.
“We are thrilled to have Kevin, his wife Melissa and daughters Noa and Charlee join the Duke family,” said Danowski. “Obviously my first impression of Kevin is as a player with a phenomenal career as an undergraduate, a professional and on the international level. His resume is incredible – 12 years in the MLL, three years in in the PLL and winning a gold medal with the United States in Israel in 2018. What’s more impressive is his coaching resumé – Princeton, Denver, Hofstra and North Carolina and now for the New York Atlas of the PLL. I don’t know if we could find a more qualified, more experienced or better person than Kevin. He is a great addition to our program.”
Unterstein joined the North Carolina staff in August of 2018 as the defensive coordinator. Since arriving in Chapel Hill prior to the 2019 season, Unterstein has mentored five USILA First-, Second-, or Third Team All-Americans and five All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorees on the defensive side of the ball. North Carolina’s scoring defense ranked third in the ACC this past season and 19th nationally.
"I am honored and thrilled to have the privilege of joining the coaching staff of the men’s lacrosse program at Duke University,” said Unterstein. “I am grateful to Coach Danowski for the amazing opportunity to coach alongside him, Matt Danowski and Ron Caputo. Their dedication and success have built a legendary program, and I am humbled to play a role in furthering its legacy."
Prior to his arrival in Chapel Hill, Unterstein spent eight years on the Hofstra men’s lacrosse staff, including five years as associate head coach. Recently, as a player, he was a member of the gold-medal winning United States Men’s National Team that competed in the 2018 FIL World Championships in Israel as well as a member of the New York Lizards in Major League Lacrosse (MLL).
A 2008 graduate of Hofstra with a degree in sociology, Unterstein played for Danowski for two seasons prior to Danowski’s arrival at Duke in the summer of 2006. Unterstein was a standout short-stick defensive midfielder for the Pride, earning USILA All-America honorable mention honors in 2007.
He recorded a team-leading 70 ground balls while helping to guide the Pride to the CAA title and the NCAA Tournament his senior season. For his efforts, he was an All-CAA first team selection and was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and the CAA Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player. As a junior in 2007, in addition to his All-America accolade, Unterstein was named to the All-CAA second team and the All-CAA Tournament team. In his final season with Danowski, he and his twin brother, Mike, and their older brother, Chris, combined to help lead Hofstra to a 17-2 record, a No. 2 national ranking and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He was also named to the All-CAA Rookie Team as a freshman.
Following his playing career at Hofstra, the Shoreham, N.Y., native was an assistant legendary coach Bill Tierney at Princeton in 2009, working with the defense and faceoff specialists. He followed Tierney to Denver in 2010 to help coordinate the Pioneers’ man-down unit and work specifically with the defensive midfielders and with assistant coach Trevor Tierney with the defense and the overall face-off game.
A native of Shoreham, N.Y., he was a high school All-America at Shoreham-Wading River High, where he was part of four Suffolk County championships and one state championship.
Unterstein and his wife Melissa are proud parents of daughters Noa and Charlee.
Unterstein arrived in Durham after spending six seasons at University of North Carolina.In addition to coaching in the collegiate ranks, Unterstein serves as the defensive coordinator for the New York Atlas of the Premier Lacrosse League. He retired from professional lacrosse in January of 2022 following a 14-year career.
“We are thrilled to have Kevin, his wife Melissa and daughters Noa and Charlee join the Duke family,” said Danowski. “Obviously my first impression of Kevin is as a player with a phenomenal career as an undergraduate, a professional and on the international level. His resume is incredible – 12 years in the MLL, three years in in the PLL and winning a gold medal with the United States in Israel in 2018. What’s more impressive is his coaching resumé – Princeton, Denver, Hofstra and North Carolina and now for the New York Atlas of the PLL. I don’t know if we could find a more qualified, more experienced or better person than Kevin. He is a great addition to our program.”
Unterstein joined the North Carolina staff in August of 2018 as the defensive coordinator. Since arriving in Chapel Hill prior to the 2019 season, Unterstein has mentored five USILA First-, Second-, or Third Team All-Americans and five All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorees on the defensive side of the ball. North Carolina’s scoring defense ranked third in the ACC this past season and 19th nationally.
"I am honored and thrilled to have the privilege of joining the coaching staff of the men’s lacrosse program at Duke University,” said Unterstein. “I am grateful to Coach Danowski for the amazing opportunity to coach alongside him, Matt Danowski and Ron Caputo. Their dedication and success have built a legendary program, and I am humbled to play a role in furthering its legacy."
Prior to his arrival in Chapel Hill, Unterstein spent eight years on the Hofstra men’s lacrosse staff, including five years as associate head coach. Recently, as a player, he was a member of the gold-medal winning United States Men’s National Team that competed in the 2018 FIL World Championships in Israel as well as a member of the New York Lizards in Major League Lacrosse (MLL).
A 2008 graduate of Hofstra with a degree in sociology, Unterstein played for Danowski for two seasons prior to Danowski’s arrival at Duke in the summer of 2006. Unterstein was a standout short-stick defensive midfielder for the Pride, earning USILA All-America honorable mention honors in 2007.
He recorded a team-leading 70 ground balls while helping to guide the Pride to the CAA title and the NCAA Tournament his senior season. For his efforts, he was an All-CAA first team selection and was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and the CAA Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player. As a junior in 2007, in addition to his All-America accolade, Unterstein was named to the All-CAA second team and the All-CAA Tournament team. In his final season with Danowski, he and his twin brother, Mike, and their older brother, Chris, combined to help lead Hofstra to a 17-2 record, a No. 2 national ranking and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He was also named to the All-CAA Rookie Team as a freshman.
Following his playing career at Hofstra, the Shoreham, N.Y., native was an assistant legendary coach Bill Tierney at Princeton in 2009, working with the defense and faceoff specialists. He followed Tierney to Denver in 2010 to help coordinate the Pioneers’ man-down unit and work specifically with the defensive midfielders and with assistant coach Trevor Tierney with the defense and the overall face-off game.
A native of Shoreham, N.Y., he was a high school All-America at Shoreham-Wading River High, where he was part of four Suffolk County championships and one state championship.
Unterstein and his wife Melissa are proud parents of daughters Noa and Charlee.
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