Shortly after leading the Eagles to a MAC Commonwealth Championship game in his one season as Interim Head Coach, Colin Piper had the interim tag lifted and will lead Eastern Men's Lacrosse. After a challenging season with several critical injuries, the Eagles became the first team to reach a MAC Commonwealth Championship game as a four seed.Â
In the opening round of the tournament, the Eagles scored in the final minute to claim an 11-10 win at York. The Eagles earned the win despite winning only 4-of-25 faceoffs in the contest.Â
Piper was appointed to the role of Interim Head Coach after serving as offensive coordinator for two seasons and three years on staff. In his role as full-time assistant, Piper was very involved in recruiting, teaching, program development, and a wide range of administrative tasks. Piper will look to build on a strong foundation left by outgoing Head Coach Kevin Wallace. He will be the sixth head coach in program history.
Following in Wallace's footsteps, Piper will begin as interim head coach. Wallace, who won 134 games in his twelve years, began as an interim in 2012. His teams won six MAC Freedom Championships.
Piper, from Manchester, Md., came to Eastern as a first-year student in 2016. After waiting his turn for two years, he emerged as a primary initiator on the Eastern attack in 2019. He led the Eagles in points with 29 goals and added 27 assists in that season. The following year, he was off to a good start when COVID shut down the entire NCAA Lacrosse schedule. He finished his career with 75 career points and is ranked in program history in both single-season points and assists.Â
In his time as offensive coordinator, the eagles have averaged 14.5 goals per game and have garnered six All-MAC Commonwealth honors on offense. In 2023, Nicholas Fanelli recorded the first 100-point season in program history, and the Eagles averaged nearly 20 goals per game in league play. Fanelli was named to the USILA All-America list and was Co-Attackman of the Year in the MAC Commonwealth.Â
5/14/24
