Ed Stephenson, a native of Baltimore, Md., enters his sixth season at the helm of UMass Lowell Men's Lacrosse program.
Stephenson has been very active within the sport, having served on the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Rules Committee for three years (2008-11) and on the USILA Rankings Committee (2006-11). He also serves NCAA Men’s Lacrosse All-America Committee and on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee. He is also an America East Conference Lacrosse Coaches Representative.
In 2018, he led the team to a Div. I program record eight wins and three conference wins, as well as the team's first berth in the America East playoffs.
He guided the team to four wins in 2017. He coached Will Puduski to a spot on the America East All-Conference Second-Team, becoming the first UMass Lowell player in school history to earn the America East All-Conference distinction.
Stephenson's career coaching record stands at 63-131 in 14 seasons as an NCAA Head Coach, which includes a 22-53 overall record in five seasons with the River Hawks.
In 2016, he led the River Hawks to a four-win season with victories against Jacksonville, Wagner, Dartmouth and NJIT. In two years as a Div. I team at UMass Lowell, he owns a 5-25 overall record.
In his first season and the program's first in Division I, Stephenson helped lead the River Hawks to the program's first victory at NJIT on March 7. Under his leadership, freshmen attackmen Cory Highfield and Sean Tyrrell were rewarded for their strong seasons with spots on the America East All-Rookie Team.
He was named the fifth head coach in program history on July 27, 2013.
Stephenson spent the two years as the associate head coach at the University of Maryland Baltimore County preceded by 10 years as head coach at Binghamton University, six at UMBC as an assistant and three years at his alma mater Towson University. He recorded a 41-78 record in nine seasons at the helm of the Bearcats program.
UMass Lowell’s men’s lacrosse team will be the second program Stephenson will build from its grassroots. In 2001, he started the program at Binghamton University and enjoyed success within his first three years.
In 2004, the Bearcats began the season with a 1-4 record, but went 9-1 the remainder of the year which included an undefeated campaign (6-0) in the America East Conference. They marched to the America East Tournament final, losing to Albany (10-4). He guided Binghamton's defensive unit, which ranked tops among NCAA Division I schools in scoring defense (6.94) and was named the America East Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.
Off the field, Binghamton earned the National Sportsmanship Award in 2004 and 2006, while the team maintained the highest team grade point average and highest percentage of all-academic honorees in America East.
Between his years at Binghamton and UMBC, Stephenson has coached in eight of the last 13 America East Conference Tournaments. While at Binghamton, he led the team to six America East semifinal appearances and the America East Championship Game in 2004.
“Recruiting is paramount, so we’ll begin that process immediately,” he said. “We will focus on hardworking student-athletes who will be ready to play good lacrosse and receive a good education at an affordable cost. The first year is quite a challenge for that first group of recruits, but with that challenge comes a great reward.”
After 10 seasons at Binghamton, he returned to UMBC as the associate head coach in 2011, reuniting with head coach Don Zimmerman. The two led UMBC to the America East championship match last spring, where they fell to Albany, 19-10.
Prior to leading Binghamton, Stephenson was an assistant coach at UMBC from 1995-2000 and helped lead the Retrievers from a 3-9 record in 1996 to a 9-3 clip in 1997, and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1998 with a 9-5 record.
From 1996-2000, the Retrievers owned a 39-28 record.
Previously, he served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Towson University, from 1992-95, which followed a three-year professional career with the Pittsburgh Bulls of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League.
A standout player at Towson, Stephenson was named an All-American defenseman as a senior and captained the South squad in the 1989 U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) North-South All-Star Game.
He earned his undergraduate degree in physical education in 1992 and was inducted into the Towson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.
He also served as the NCAA Tournament site representative for the 2010 first round matches in Ithaca, N.Y.
