Wasson turns keys to powerhouse Excalibur squad over to Evans
Tori Wasson helped build the Trent Excalibur women’s lacrosse team into a powerhouse and now she’s ready to hand it over to someone else.
Wasson was the founding head coach of the Excalibur, with Ashley Curtis and Sara Gardner serving as assistants.
In nine seasons, the team has won three OUA gold medals and a bronze.
Wasson announced earlier this week she is stepping down as head coach and Gardner is also leaving. Curtis stepped down in 2018.
Erica Evans, who has served as an assistant coach since 2019, will take over head coaching duties.
Wasson has six-month-old and four-year-old children and said she no longer has the time to dedicate to coaching at the level she expects of herself.
In addition, Wasson said she’s found the ideal successor in Evans, so she feels like she’s leaving the program in good hands. It’s also nice to go out on top as back-toback gold medallists and also as OUA coach of the year.
“It’s time to spend those weekends with my family,” said Wasson, who is on maternity leave from her job as a primary school teacher.
“Erica has been with us since 2019 and she has so much knowledge and brings so much to the program, so I’m really excited for her to step up, as well. It makes you feel good when the right person is already there and you can already see how much progress the team has made.”
Wasson said she loved working for Trent and with the players and it’s not easy to walk away, but she also knows it’s the right decision.
“I gave absolutely everything I had and that’s how we were so successful because the coaching staff gave everything. if I can’t do that every year, then it’s not fair, and with young kids I just wouldn’t be able to,” she said.
She’s proud of the team’s accomplishments in capturing OUA gold medals in 2016, 2019 and 2021 and a bronze in 2018.
“To know you created something important in the community and you created great leaders and those leaders are coming back to coach in the community,” she said.
“That’s what it was all about to begin with. I saw some Kawartha girls who had just stopped playing. Giving those girls an opportunity to play and seeing where they took it, to become champions was pretty amazing.”
Wasson said Evans’ resumé speaks for itself. She plays for Canada’s national women’s team, won an NCAA Division 1 national championship, was Canisius College’s alltime leading scorer and has coached at numerous levels while starting a teaching career with the local public school board.
Evans said Wasson was one of her first calls when she decided she wanted to pursue coaching upon graduation.
“To coach at the collegiate level is an awesome opportunity and the OUA has a lot of talent,” Evans said. “Tori has really done an amazing job of being a leader and a role model for all the girls she’s had under her. Trent is a great program and I’m excited to continue that legacy she’s built and continue that winning tradition, as well.
“She leaves large shoes to fill. She was amazing and coached me growing up. She’s an amazing role model and person. She’s taught me a lot, though, and I feel like what she’s left me with is something I’m able to grasp and take into the future,” Evans added.
“Obviously, I’m a different person than she is and I want to do my own things as well, but obviously she’s built such a strong foundation I don’t want to change too much. I want to continue that culture she’s built.”
Joining Evans as an assistant is Katie Donohoe, while Rachel Callaghan returns as assistant coach.