Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 10/1/15
From Press Release
Following strong contributions at Lehigh, men’s lacrosse assistant coach Chad Surman has been named the top assistant and defensive coordinator at Mercer University. Surman is the latest of a long string of former Lehigh assistant coaches to accept a top assistant or head coaching position. Along with the open assistant coaching position, Cassese has also announced restructuring in his current staff as the Mountain Hawks prepare for the 2016 season.
A former Salisbury alum, and coach, Surman was in charge of several duties this past season on the Lehigh sidelines. Surman joins Brendan Callahan, Tom Compitello, Dan Keating and Taylor Wray as former Mountain Hawk assistants under head coach Kevin Cassese who moved onto top positions at other schools. Callahan and Wray are the head coaches at Dartmouth and Saint Joseph’s, respectively. Like Surman, Compitello and Keating moved on from Lehigh’s volunteer coaching position into full-time positions now at Bryant and Saint Joseph’s.
“I want to thank Coach Cassese for allowing me to be a part of the Lehigh Lacrosse family,” said Surman. “The backbone of the Lehigh Lacrosse program the past few years has been a great defense. This past year, I was able to work with a driven group of staff and players, which has ultimately made me a better person and coach. I am looking forward to the opportunity that Coach Hannan has provided at Mercer University and can’t wait to get started.”
A member of the Southern Conference, Mercer advanced to its conference tournament one season ago. Included among its regular-season victories was a win over eventual conference champion and NCAA Tournament participant High Point.
“I am thrilled for Chad to take this big step up the ladder in the coaching profession,” said Cassese. “I enjoyed working with him during his year on staff here at Lehigh and thought he added value to our program in every way possible. Chad is a terrific young coach and an even better man. I know he will work hard in his new position at Mercer and add tremendous value to their lacrosse program, their athletics department and their campus community. I wish him nothing but the very best.”
Cassese has begun a search for Surman’s replacement. Along with a new assistant coach, the Mountain Hawks have also made additional staff restructuring. Associate head coach Errol Wilson is shifting to offensive coordinator while assistant coach Will Scudder takes over as defensive coordinator. Wilson has a wide breadth of lacrosse experience, including time as offensive coordinator at Brown University. Scudder will take over the helm of the defense after serving as associate defensive coordinator one season ago.
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