CHICAGO, Ill. - Illinois Institute of Technology is thrilled to announce the appointment of Nicholas Marks as the new head coach of the men's lacrosse team. Marks, who brings a wealth of experience and a strong track record in program building, began his tenure on September 14, 2026.

Marks joins Illinois Tech from Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky, where he served as the Associate Head Coach for the men's lacrosse team. During his time at Bellarmine, Marks was instrumental in helping the team to its most successful era and guiding the Knights to multiple Atlantic Sun Conference tournament appearances, including semi-final finishes in 2022 and 2023. He also played a significant role in player development, producing numerous All-Americans and All-Conference honorees, including the 2023 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year.

Throughout his career, Marks has demonstrated exceptional skills in recruiting, program operations, and player development. His coaching journey includes successful stints at Whittier College, North Central College, and Bucknell University, where he has accumulated over 100 NCAA victories and 9 Division I conference tournament appearances. In his NCAA coaching career, he has developed 5 All-Americans, 18 Scholar All-Americans, and 33 All-Conference honorees. His players have continued to progress after their NCAA lacrosse careers, with 18 moving on to the MLL, NLL, and PLL. 

Marks' playing background is equally impressive, having competed professionally in the National Lacrosse League and Major League Lacrosse, as well as representing Greece in the 2018 FIL World Games. Marks played collegiately at NCAA Division I Bucknell University of the Patriot League where he was a four-year starter and captain of the program's most winning class. He was a part of two national top 20 teams and a Patriot League regular season champion. 

Prior to Bucknell, Marks helped the Salisbury School as a postgraduate to its first ever Western New England Championship. Marks is a local product of Chicago and a two-time Illinois high school men's lacrosse state champion at Loyola Academy. His educational credentials include a master's degree in athletic administration & Coaching from Concordia University-Irvine and a bachelor's degree in Classics & History from Bucknell University.

Assistant Vice President - Director of Athletics Usha Gilmore expressed her excitement about Marks' appointment, stating, "I am very excited to welcome Nick Marks as the next head coach of our men's lacrosse program. Our former head coach did an outstanding job building this program from the ground up and establishing a strong foundation for its future. As we went through the search process, it was important to me that we found someone who understood what had already been built while also having the vision and energy to take the program to the next level. I am confident that Nick is the right person to lead us into this next chapter, and I am excited to see what he and our student-athletes will accomplish together."

Marks shared his enthusiasm, saying, "I would like to thank Usha Gilmore and her staff for the opportunity at Illinois Tech. I have always wanted to coach NCAA lacrosse in the city of Chicago itself, and this position is a dream come true. Illinois Tech is a nationally recognized institution, and I look forward to leading our men's lacrosse student-athletes in taking the next steps as a program."

With Marks in place, he is poised to bring his extensive experience and dedication to Illinois Tech, where he will continue to build upon the strong foundation of the men's lacrosse program.