Washington & Lee Appoints Gene McCabe Head Coach

[Sonny]

Washington & Lee Appoints Gene McCabe Head Coach

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Washington and Lee Athletic Director Mike Walsh has announced the appointment of Gene McCabe as head men's lacrosse coach. McCabe comes to W&L after serving as the head coach at Hamilton College for five seasons. He will begin his duties on August 1, 2006.

"We are thrilled to welcome Gene McCabe back to Washington and Lee and have him direct the fortunes of our men's lacrosse program," said Walsh. "Gene is a successful and proven head coach at the Division III level who very much wants to be a part of the W&L community and lead our already thriving men's lacrosse program. Gene's knowledge and experience coupled with his genuine commitment to providing a rich and rewarding competitive intercollegiate athletics experience to his athletes will serve us well."

The 33-year-old McCabe, who returns to W&L after a five-year hiatus, guided the Hamilton program to a record of 54-18 (.750 winning percentage) and three postseason appearances during his tenure. He was named coach of the year by the Liberty League and the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) for NCAA Division III in 2003. He and his staff were also picked as the Liberty League's coaching staff of the year in 2006 after concluding the season with an 11-3 mark.

"This is a great opportunity for me and my family," said McCabe. "Washington and Lee is one of the best universities in the country with an incredibly rich tradition of men's lacrosse. It is an honor to return to W&L and become the next men's lacrosse coach."

Prior to coaching at Hamilton, McCabe served as an assistant lacrosse and football coach for the Generals from 1999-2001. During his stint in Lexington, McCabe worked along side Jim Stagnitta (Rutgers), earning two NCAA tournament berths and advancing to the semi-finals in 2000. The 2001 Generals finished the season ranked third nationally.

McCabe graduated from Bates College in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in European history. At Bates, he lettered in both lacrosse and football. He and his wife Kristen have three young daughters; Kaelan (7), Molly (3), and Ava (17 months).

Washington and Lee finished the 2006 season with a 7-6 overall record and a 3-3 mark in the ODAC. The Generals dropped five games to teams in the USILA Division III Top 10 and the sixth loss was to a Top 20 opponent. W&L will return 89.5 percent of its' scoring, five all-conference players and the entire starting defense to the field in 2007.

W&L found itself looking for a head coach when Mike Cerino left in June to become Associate Director of Athletics and head men's lacrosse coach at Limestone College in Gaffney, S.C.