Ashton Resigns as Men's Lacrosse Head Coach; Returns to Lake Erie College

IRVING, Texas – University of Dallas men's lacrosse head coach Sam Ashton announced his resignation with the team on Tuesday. Ashton is returning to his previous stop, Lake Erie College, as the head coach for the Storm's men's lacrosse program this upcoming spring.

A national search to fill his role at UD immediately has begun.

Ashton served at the helm with the Crusaders for two seasons, combining for an 8-19 record over his tenure. After winning two matches in his first year with a roster of 18, Ashton boasted a four-win improvement in 2018 to set the program's highest win total since the 2011 inaugural campaign. Ashton also matched the most wins by a coach in the program, as he increased the total number of players to 24 last season for the largest on any squad in the school's history.

Leading his player standouts was goalkeeper Christian Lopez (Las Vegas, Nev.). Entering his third season, Lopez notched the team's 2017 MVP and was ranked third in NCAA Division III for saves-per-game with 17.00.

Peter Early (San Antonio, Texas) claimed two career records for points (76) and assists (26). The rising senior spent the last two seasons with Ashton, where he amassed 48 points and 15 assists. His 20 goals and nine assists were among tops on the 2017 squad.

The 2018 team achieved record numbers in goals (112), assists (54), and points (166). Dallas' offense was led by MVP Tyler Smith with his personal-bests 29 points, 10 assists, and 39 points. Tucker Jameson and J.P. Hasson also enjoyed their first collegiate seasons with 24 and 21 goals, respectively. Hasson dished 11 assists to raise him second as the other player that surpassed 30 points with 32. Jake Frederick was another force offensively with 13 helpers for a team-high. Early contributed 12 goals, while Chasen Reynolds rounded out a quintet of double-digit scorers with 10.

The 2018 Crusaders' defense was led by Bogar Trout III with 21 caused turnovers and 41 groundballs. Alex Graham forced 18 caused turnovers.

Ashton was a former top assistant with the Storm from 2014-16 before moving to Dallas. During his time on staff at Lake Erie, the team notched a 34-13 record. This included a 15-3 mark in 2015 with a trip to the NCAA DII Championship Semifinal. The Storm also captured a pair of Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships the first two seasons Ashton was there.

Ashton served as the Offensive Coordinator during his first stop with the Storm.

The Crusaders will look to fill the opening with their fifth head coach of the program. The season opener is February 2 at home versus University of Louisiana-Lafayette. Dallas will also be the host site of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Tournament April 26 and 28.