"This appointment is well deserved and well earned. "I could not be more excited for Will Scudder to take over as the next head coach of Lehigh Lacrosse," Cassese said. I am forever grateful for this opportunity and could not be more excited for the future of Lehigh lacrosse!" "I want to thank President Helble, Joe Sterrett, and Sue Troyan for entrusting me with the Lehigh Lacrosse program. That is because this team is my family and this school is my home. Whether we are in season or in the depths of recruiting, I am always thinking of ways to improve our program. As a coach, I have fallen in love with this profession. "As a player, I wanted nothing more than to legitimize and instill a sense of pride into our program. "I have been at Lehigh for 14 years, four as a player and now 10 as a coach," Scudder said. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach in 2014 and has been on staff for four of Lehigh's six Patriot League title game appearances in that time frame. Scudder was a faceoff specialist on Cassese's first four Lehigh teams from 2008-11. My goal was to leave Lehigh Lacrosse in a better place than how I found it. I feel that goal was accomplished and I am extremely proud of that. I wish Lehigh Lacrosse nothing but great success moving forward. I am also grateful for the alumni and parent support that allowed us to operate the way we needed to in order to compete at the highest level within the Patriot League and on the national stage. At the end of the day, I'm grateful for it all, and I can unequivocally say that I will forever be a Lehigh Lacrosse Man. "I am incredibly grateful for the 16 years I spent at Lehigh University," Cassese said. "In particular, I am grateful to Dean of Athletics, Joe Sterrett, for taking a chance on a 26-year old kid with only 3 years of coaching experience. I am grateful for all the blood, sweat, and tears my players and coaches put into this program over the years, and I am proud of the men they became during their time in Bethlehem. Cassese mentored 18 USILA Scholar All-Americans and coached Jonathan Stumpf (2011) and Conor Gaffney (2018, 2019, 2022), who earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.Ĭassese also coached 25 players who have gone on to compete in the professional ranks, including four who are currently active in the Premier Lacrosse League. This past season Mike Sisselberger became a three-time Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Year while Scott Cole was the league's Offensive Player of the Year.Ĭole was also named Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, marking the fourth time in Cassese's tenure that a Lehigh student-athlete won the award. Cassese mentored 70 All-Patriot League performers and 12 Patriot League major award winners. Twenty-four Mountain Hawks earned All-America honors during Cassese's tenure. Lehigh reached the Patriot League semifinals for the fifth consecutive season.Ĭassese's Lehigh student-athletes achieved both on and off the field. In 2023, Cassese led the Mountain Hawks to a 10-5 overall record and a 6-2 Patriot League mark. We wish Kevin and the Cassese family only the very best always." "We are deeply grateful to Kevin for his exceptional service and leadership over 16 years, and while we will miss him at Lehigh, we also appreciate and support his decision to pursue a position at an institution he holds in high regard. "Kevin Cassese transformed our program into one that is nationally competitive and nationally respected," said Lehigh Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett '76. Under his leadership the Mountain Hawks have qualified for 12 consecutive Patriot League Tournaments, the longest active streak among league schools. The owner of the most coaching victories (136) and best winning percentage (.567) in program history, Cassese led the Mountain Hawks to three NCAA Tournament appearances, winning Patriot League Tournament titles in 20 and earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Championships as the top seed in the Patriot League in 2021.Ī two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, Cassese's Lehigh teams played in six Patriot League championship games. He has served as Lehigh's defensive coordinator since 2016. Scudder recently completed his 10th season on Lehigh's coaching staff and his fifth as associate head coach. Will Scudder '11, a former team captain and All-Patriot League honoree, will succeed Cassese as Lehigh's Smith Family Head Men's Lacrosse Coach. Cassese spent the last 16 seasons building Lehigh into a perennial Patriot League power. – Smith Family Men's Lacrosse Head Coach Kevin Cassese is stepping away as Lehigh's head coach after accepting an associate head coach position at another institution.
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