Yale may lose assistants to head coaching positions
NEW HAVEN — Andrew Baxter, associate head coach and defensive coordinator of the Yale men’s lacrosse team, is one of the leading candidates for the vacant head coaching position at Fairfield.
The website College Crosse on Wednesday published a report saying Baxter had been hired for the job. Fairfield refuted that on Thursday morning with a brief press release.
“At this time, the search for the next head men’s lacrosse coach at Fairfield University is still ongoing,” Fairfield’s statement read. “Upon completion, further details will be provided.”
Fairfield has been searching for a coach since Andy Copelan resigned on May 8. A source told Hearst Connecticut Media that Baxter interviewed for the job, but Fairfield has yet to make an offer. Navy’s hiring of Marquette coach Joe Amplo on Wednesday likely delayed Fairfield’s decision, according to a source. The Stags are believed to be considering at least one candidate that was in contention for the Navy job.
Baxter is also a candidate for the vacant head coaching position at Harvard. Chris Wojcik was let go last month after eight seasons.
A 2001 graduate of Springfield College, Baxter has 17 years of experience as a Division I coach, with previous stops at Colgate, Drexel and Ohio State. He joined Andy Shay’s staff at Yale in 2013, helping the Bulldogs to the 2018 national title and, after a promotion to associate head coach this spring, a national runner-up finish last month.
Yale may eventually need to replace both assistant coaches this summer. Andrew Stimmel, the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator, is expected to be high on the list of candidates to replace Amplo at Marquette. He spent the 2016 as Marquette’s defensive coordinator, helping the team to its first Big East championship and first-round upset of top-seeded Denver in the NCAA tournament.
Under Stimmel the past three seasons, Yale’s offense has been among the most lethal in the country. Its 15.94 goals-per game this spring was second in the nation, and outpaced the production of the 2018 national championship team. ANOTHER STUD TRANSFER?
Boston University’s Chris Gray, who set a Patriot League record with 111 points this season, is interested in playing at Yale next season. The sophomore scorer entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal last month and has submitted an application to Yale’s admissions office.
Other schools, including fellow Ivy League members, are also in the mix. He’s given no public indication which are his main targets.
Gray, an attackman, finished third in the nation in scoring behind Penn State’s Grant Ament and Loyola’s Pat Spencer. He set BU program records of 40 assists and 71 points as a freshman, shattering both this season.
Yale got highly soughtafter transfer T.D. Ierlan last June. Ierlan, the nation’s best faceoff specialist, was instrumental in the Bulldogs’ second successive run to the national championship game.