Knute Kraus

Knute Kraus grew up in Orange County, CA attending Tesoro HS where he played both football and lacrosse for 4 years. After being named a USILA & ADRLN All-American, he attended college at Salisbury University, where he won the 2012 NCAA D-III Lacrosse National Championship. In addition to the National Title, Knute was named to the All-Academic team all four years, an All-American twice, Conference Player of the Year once, and the 2015 NCAA D-III Defenseman of the Year. After graduating from Salisbury with Honors, Knute was drafted into Major League Lacrosse (MLL) by the Denver Outlaws in 2015. During his time with the Outlaws, he completed a Master of Arts in Coaching & Athletic Administration while working as the Defensive Coordinator for both Concordia University Irvine and Tesoro High School through the 2016 season.  

 In 2017, he returned to his alma-mater Salisbury as the Graduate Assistant for the Men’s Lacrosse team to pursue a Master of Arts in Conflict Analysis Dispute Resolution. While back at Salisbury, he helped lead the Sea Gulls to a 22-1 record en route to the program’s 12th National Championship and was recognized as a member of the 2017 IMLCA DIII Coaching Staff of the Year. Knute assisted with the defense, ride/clears, recruiting, alumni relations, fundraising, team social media and community engagement during his time at Salisbury. Following his graduation from Salisbury in 2018, Knute took a Division 1 assistant coaching position at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH.   

 While at Dartmouth, Knute worked closely with some of the top student athletes in the country. His duties for the team consisted of working with the defense, face-offs, recruiting, prospect camp coordination, and community/alumni outreach amongst other roles. During his time coaching in Hanover, Knute finished a Sports Management program from Columbia University in NY. Following the 2019 season, Knute returned home to Southern California and joined the staff at Mater Dei High School to assist with the boys lacrosse program as the Defensive Coordinator. During his time back in SoCal, Knute has worked with programs such as California Gold, West Coast Starz, and Pride Lacrosse club. In addition to coaching, he founded K2 Consulting to assist student athletes and families across the country through the college recruiting process. 

 In Fall of 2023, Knute was named the Head Coach for the Mater Dei High School Boys Lacrosse program. Knute currently serves as the Director for True California Gold. He, his wife Julie, and their son Kane reside in Huntington Beach, CA.