Lander Men's Lacrosse
“We look at lacrosse and our lacrosse team as a vehicle for self-improvement,” said Lander’s Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach Anthony LePore in an interview.
With lacrosse season in full swing and the Lander Bearcats fighting every game to compete, many look to the head coach for his thoughts and leadership. Coach LePore has already led Lander’s Men’s Lacrosse Team through many productive seasons thanks to his positive yet competitive mindset. His character-focused coaching style pushes his players to work harder and become better people both on and off the field.
LePore was hired in 2018 and was tasked with starting the men’s lax program. He spent year one at Lander recruiting and bringing in the first class. Then, in the fall of 2019, the first group of lacrosse players arrived. The opening Lander Men’s Lacrosse season was the Spring of 2020; however, the team only got 6 games in before COVID-19 shut the season down.
The 2025-2026 season has been very different and full of new encounters. LePore said that, while the season has had both its ups and downs, he is still optimistic about the future because of the tight games, talented players, and youth of the team.
Coach LePore said, “This particular season was challenging for a couple of reasons, the first and most important being that I have an entirely new coaching staff.” He explained that his two coordinators moved to coaching positions at other schools, “So you combine that with a new graduate assistant, and it's just a lot of new faces.”
LePore went on to explain that he has 28 new players this year. So, the team is “very, very new. And we’re learning how it all works and fits together.”
The program’s future looks bright with these athletes. When talking about the team’s assets, LePore said, “This is a very good freshman class. There’s about eight or nine of them that get a lot of playing time right now, so that’s a real positive because it’s just going to accelerate their development.”
LePore continued, “I think another thing that is a strong asset for this team is that they have very high standards for themselves, and they have high expectations. This is a winning program. We’ve won three straight regular-season conference championships and two out of the last three tournament championships. And these guys feel a lot of pressure to perform, and I think that’s what continues to drive us.”
Both the coaches and team believe that, with conference play starting soon, the door to success is still wide open.
That is just scratching the surface, however. LePore continued, “There’s so much more. And I think it’s more about what my philosophy is when building the program and what we are seeking.”
His philosophy is that lacrosse and the lacrosse team are a vehicle for self-improvement.
LePore explained, “We want to graduate players who are going to be outstanding husbands, fathers, professionals, and citizens. And so, that is something we put a lot of time into, and it’s one of the ways that we define success.” The team GPA, community service hours, four-year graduation rates, retention rates, fundraising, and success on the field are all things that both the Lander coaches and team have put much time and effort into and are proud of.
Lepore said, “There are so many things that we bring to [our players] attention as a metric for success, and if we focus on those things, our goal and our vision for the program… takes care of itself.”
The future is bright for Coach LePore and the Lander Men’s Lacrosse Team, and with the support of parents, friends, fans, and alumni, the Bearcats will surely be successful in the days to come.
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