FULTON, Mo. – President Benjamin Akande and Senior Director of Athletic Advancement Matt Mitchell have announced the addition of Christian Diaz to the Athletics staff as the Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach.
This season will be Diaz’s 10th as a lacrosse coach, including experience at both the high school and college levels.
“I want to first and foremost thank Dr. Akande and Coach Mitchell for giving me the opportunity to establish the men's lacrosse team at Westminster College,” said Diaz. “It means a great deal to be entrusted with the development of a new team and I'm more than eager to get to work.
“This position provides me with the opportunity to establish a program at a school that is both academically strong and historically significant,” continued Diaz. “Being given the chance to build something from the ground up at the top liberal arts school in the state is an undertaking that I am definitely excited about.”
Diaz most recently served as the Head Coach at Robert Morris University in Chicago. During his one-year tenure, the team saw an improvement offensively, increasing their average goals by one from the season before. Diaz also guided three players to NAIA All-Conference selections.
From 2014-16, Diaz was an Assistant Coach and Defensive Coordinator at Missouri Baptist University, coaching for two seasons. In his first season, he guided four players to All-Conference selections. In his second season, that number increased to eight.
During his two seasons at Missouri Baptist, his defense was ranked in the top five in the conference, allowing just 6.5 goals per game and holding over half of their NAIA opponents to their lowest goal total of the season.
In 2015 and 2016, Diaz also served as the Head Coach for several youth teams including the St. Louis Samurai, Vetta Lacrosse, and the St. Louis Shamrox Lacrosse Club. His players from the youth teams have currently committed to eight different colleges and universities for lacrosse.
Diaz’s high school experience includes the Head Junior Varsity Coach at St. Charles North from 2013-14, the Head Varsity Coach at Northside College Prep in 2012, and the Head Varsity and Junior Varsity Coach at Notre Dame College Prep from 2008-2011.
“The sport of lacrosse is growing exponentially throughout both the state of Missouri as well as the Midwest as a whole and I believe that Westminster's diverse array of academic, athletic, and social offerings puts it in a great position to attract a strong group of student-athletes that want to create the foundation of a successful program for years to come,” said Diaz.