Peter Lasagna retires after 22 years of coaching men's lacrosse at Bates

LEWISTON, Maine -- Peter Lasagna announced his retirement Tuesday after 22 years as head coach of men's lacrosse at Bates College, capping an exceptional 40-year coaching career that saw him guide his teams to national prominence, coach his players to numerous post-season honors, and serve as a trusted mentor to hundreds of student-athletes from the 1980s to today.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to have led the men's lacrosse program at Bates for the past two-plus decades," Lasagna said. "It's been a wonderful run filled with forever memories and lifelong friendships throughout the extended Bates lacrosse family."

"Coach Lasagna has been such a valuable member of the Bates community for so long, it's going to be strange not having him here leading our men's lacrosse program," Director of Athletics Jason Fein said. "On behalf of our entire department, and all of the folks he has positively influenced during his tenure, I'd like to thank coach for all his years of service and I wish him the best in retirement." 

A three-time New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Coach of the Year award-winner, Lasagna received the Lifetime Service Award from the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association in December 2021.

He led the Bobcats to 134 wins, nine appearances in the NESCAC Championship Tournament, and two appearances in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Lasagna's 17th season at the helm of the Bobcats, in 2017, was his finest, as he guided Bates to a 14-0 record to start the year, including a perfect 10-0 mark in the NESCAC regular season — the first and only time a NESCAC men's lacrosse team has ever gone 10-0 in conference play. The season saw Bates twice earn a No. 1 Division III weekly ranking, make their seventh NESCAC Championship Tournament appearance, and advance to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Tournament, finishing with a 16-2 record.

For his accomplishments in 2017, Lasagna was named the Walter Alessi Man of the Year by the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) and earned the NEILA's Division III Co-Coach of the Year award.

In 2015, Lasagna led Bates to its first NCAA Tournament appearance, where the Bobcats advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to eventual national champion Tufts. Lasagna was named New England Coach of the Year by the NEILA and NESCAC Co-Coach of the Year by the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

Only the third head lacrosse coach ever at Bates, Lasagna has coached 15 Bates players to U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-America honors and two players to the professional level with the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse.

"We came to Bates and Lewiston-Auburn excited to build on the traditions of an already proud program and compete for NESCAC and national championships," Lasagna said. "I am extremely proud of what we've achieved, the history made, and am excited for the next chapters of Bates lacrosse. It has been a privilege to play a role in the growth of this program, the college and L-A community. I am a lucky man to get to do what I love with exceptional people for 40 years." 

A 1982 graduate of Brown University, Lasagna came to Bates after 18 years on the Bears' coaching staff, including the last eight as head coach.

Lasagna compiled a 65-51 record as the Bears' head coach, 30-18 in Ivy League competition. Brown went to three NCAA Division I Championship Tournaments during Lasagna's tenure, including an appearance in the national semifinals in 1994 and the quarterfinals in 1995. Lasagna was named Division I Coach of the Year by the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association that year. He was also named Division I Coach of the Year by the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association in both 1994 and 1995.

A well-known voice in the collegiate lacrosse community, Lasagna has also been the back-page columnist for the award-winning magazine Inside Lacrosse since 2001. In 2002, Lasagna was inducted into the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame, and in 2011 he was inducted into the Greater Rochester (N.Y.) Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

"From our first recruits, the Class of 2005, to our final recruits, the Class of 2026, we worked to find the best people, students, and athletes that fit Bates and Bates lacrosse while enriching the whole mission of the college," Lasagna said. "They leave Bates equipped to make positive change."
 
"My wife Holly and I are both deeply connected to Bates and this community. We look forward to the next chapter together."