Steve Colnitis, a member of two BIG EAST Conference championship teams and two NCAA Central Regional qualifying squads at Notre Dame from 2001-05, completed his sixth year as an assistant coach for the Fighting Irish in 2010-11. Colnitis (pronounced coal-NIGHT-iss) aids in many of the day-to-day operations of the men's golf program, including recruiting, practice planning and travel scheduling.
In his six seasons on the Notre Dame staff, Colnitis helped guide the Irish to the 2006 and 2011 BIG EAST Conference titles and the corresponding NCAA regional berths, as well as BIG EAST runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2010. He also was instrumental in helping Notre Dame to the top six single-season stroke averages in school history (school-record 291.50 in 2010-11, 292.97 in 2005-06, 294.41 in 2009-10, 295.71 in 2006-07, 295.27 in 2007-08 and 297.97 in 2008-09).
What's more, Colnitis is putting his stamp on the Irish program as a recruiter. His latest successcan be seen with the past three incoming freshman classes, which included Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) first-team All-Americans Max Scodro (who also garnered all-BIG EAST honors each of his first three years at Notre Dame as well as BIG EAST Player of the Year as a junior) and Chris Walker, along with `09-10 newcomer Paul McNamara III, who was an International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) first-team All-American in 2007.
Along with head coach Jim Kubinksi, Colnitis added a deep three-player class for the 2010-11 campaign that included Andrew Carreon, Andrew Lane and Niall Platt. Platt was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year as well as earning all-BIG EAST honors in his rookie season, which concluded with a six-under 210 at the NCAA Southeast Regional. Colinitis' recruiting success continues with the addition of Tyler Wingo, a two-time Virginia state champion, Patrick Grahek, an AJGA Scholastic All-American and 5A Georgia High School Golf Coaches Association (GHSGCA) all-state selection in 2011, as well as Peyton Vitter who will all be joining the Irish roster in the fall of 2011.
"I've thoroughly enjoyed working with Steve these last six years," head coach Jim Kubinski said. "As he's grown within the job, he's added more and more to our program. I know we all respect him as a person. It's also especially helpful for me to be able to bounce ideas off Steve and know that he has a great pulse on our players and the college game. We're fortunate to have him."
Colnitis joined the Irish coaching staff in 2005 following a four-year career on the Notre Dame men's golf team, earning a pair of monograms along the way. He competed in 13 tournaments during his career, posting a 77.86 stroke average, and served as a tri-captain for the Irish in 2004-05, helping Notre Dame earn its second-consecutive BIG EAST title and a return trip to the NCAA Central Regional (where the Irish wound up only two shots shy of advancing to the NCAA finals).
Colnitis graduated from Notre Dame in May 2005, earning his bachelor's degree in marketing from the Mendoza College of Business. He also garnered Dean's List honors during the fall 2004 semester. Born September 15, 1982, in Baltimore, Md., Colnitis now resides in South Bend.
