BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh head men’s lacrosse coach Kevin Cassese has announced the restructuring of the Mountain Hawks’ coaching staff. Errol Wilson has been promoted to associate head coach and Will Scudder has been promoted to full-time assistant coach. In addition, Cassese has added Chad Surman to the staff as an assistant coach while Tom Cassese will remain on staff as the Director of Quality Control. These changes come after Brendan Callahan was named head coach at Dartmouth late last month after spending seven years with the Lehigh program.
“I am incredibly excited to hit the ground running with this outstanding coaching staff. They are all terrific coaches, but even better people and great mentors of young men,” said Cassese. “I am thrilled for Coach Wilson and Coach Scudder to take the next steps in their professional careers and I am honored that they have decided to take those steps with us here at Lehigh. Coach Surman is a flat out winner and a welcome addition to the staff. He is someone who has been close to our program for a variety of reasons for many years.”
Aside from serving as the associate head coach, Wilson will also become the Defensive Coordinator and Recruiting Coordinator. In his previous three seasons at Lehigh, Wilson worked on both sides of the ball and with almost every position including attack, offensive and defensive midfield, close defense and goalies. The Mountain Hawks have enjoyed tremendous success since Wilson’s arrival in Bethlehem, advancing to three straight Patriot League Championship Games and winning two titles.
Wilson has coached three-time All-American and two-time Patriot League Goalie of the Year Matt Poillon. The Lehigh defense has stood among the nation’s best over the last three seasons, owning the nation’s lowest goals against average in that three-year timeframe. Overall, Wilson has made three NCAA Tournaments as a coach, including the 2009 tournament as an assistant at Brown. Wilson also coached at Rutgers before coming to Lehigh.
As associate head coach and recruiting coordinator, Wilson will have direct interaction with Lehigh’s admissions and financial aid offices. He will continue to be the staff liaison to academic support services and serve as video systems coordinator, among other duties and responsibilities.
A 2011 Lehigh graduate and former Lehigh Lacrosse team captain, Scudder begins his second season on staff and first year as full-time assistant. He will serve as associate defensive coordinator, faceoff coordinator and camps/clinics/tournaments coordinator. Scudder will be the staff liaison to alumni/partnership operations, strength and conditioning and equipment operations.
Scudder helped coach a strong tandem at faceoff last season that won 54 percent of its draws; Ryan Buttenbaum won 55 percent and Casey McAdam won 52 percent at the X. As a player, Scudder’s career was highlighted by his junior campaign when he won 56 percent (140-of-251) to earn second team All-Patriot League honors. This came after a sophomore season which saw him win 56 percent (152-of-273) with 69 groundballs. For his career, Scudder won 331-of-612 faceoffs (54 percent) with 156 groundballs. He also added three goals and four assists. Scudder played in the prestigious North-South Senior All-Star Game following his senior campaign.
Upon graduation, Scudder served as assistant coach at Great Valley High School in 2012-13. While at Great Valley, he helped lead the school to its first league title. Scudder coached six first team All-Chesmont players, two members of the All-State team and one All-American. He then moved onto Fever Lacrosse Inc. in Haverford, Pa. where he served and continues to serve as Director of Operations, in charge of managing tournaments, camps, clinics and the 14 club teams within the Fever Program.
Surman comes to Lehigh from Division III Salisbury University where he was graduate assistant coach since May of 2012. While there, he assisted the head coach in all areas, including recruiting, training, film breakdown and more. Surman helped coached the defense in 2013 and 2014 after graduating Salisbury with a History degree in May, 2012. The Sea Gulls’ defense ranked fifth nationally in 2013 (allowing just six goals per game) and 14th in 2014 (allowing 6.6 goals per game) as Salisbury advanced to the National Semifinals and Finals, respectively. A local product out of Center Valley, Pennsylvania, Surman has also served as head coach of the Lehigh Valley Skyhawks youth team.
As a player, Surman won the 2011 and 2012 National Championships at Salisbury, helping lead a defense which ranked second nationally both years. The 2012 season featured a 30-game winning streak. Surman began his collegiate career at Division II Le Moyne, advancing to the National Finals as the defense allowed just 3.9 goals per game. He then won a NJCAA National Title with Onondaga Community College.
At Lehigh, Surman will work on the offensive side of the ball and be responsible for individual offense skill development and film breakdown. He will also coach the scout team defense, the man-down units and run the substitution box. In the office, Surman will assist in all areas of day-to-day operations and take over as staff film exchange coordinator and point person for community relations.
The Mountain Hawks have already begun fall lacrosse practice, as they prepare for an exciting fall 2014 competition schedule and a challenging spring 2015 slate. Lehigh is looking to advance to a fourth straight Patriot League Championship Game and win a third title in that span. The Mountain Hawks are also looking to advance to the NCAA tournament for the third time in four years.
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