On Thursday, June 20, Stony Brook announced that the search for a new men’s lacrosse head coach had come to an end, as Director of Athletics Shawn Heilbron named Towson University associate head coach and offensive coordinator Anthony Gilardi the seventh head coach in program history, 37 days after the firing of his predecessor Jim Nagle.
“My family and I could not be more excited to be joining the Seawolves family,” Gilardi said in a press release. “I want to thank Athletic Director Shawn Heilbron and the entire search committee for believing in me and my vision to help lead Stony Brook Men’s Lacrosse to new levels. I want to thank Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen, all of the Towson staff and all of our players, past and present, for all of the support, passion and love. We are looking forward to attacking each and every day with championship effort in all we do and we will focus on keeping the best players on Long Island home.”
Gilardi was added to the Towson staff in 2011 as offensive coordinator and was named associate head coach prior to the 2014 season. During his tenure, the Tigers made it to five NCAA Tournaments, including a trip to the Final Four in 2017. In 2019, Towson earned their first No. 1 ranking in all three national polls. Before joining Towson, Gilardi was an assistant coach at his alma mater Ohio State from 2005 to 2008 and Navy from 2009 to 2010. The Long Island native played lacrosse at Baldwin High School.
“Anthony is a tireless recruiter who is one of the most respected offensive minds in the game,” Heilbron said. “Our expectation at Stony Brook is to compete for a national championship, and Anthony has a vision to help lead us there. As a native Long Islander, he understands the importance of lacrosse at Stony Brook as well as throughout this region. He genuinely cares about developing student-athletes on and off of the field and brings an energy that will be felt throughout the department. I am excited to work with Anthony and know that our student-athletes will be as well.”
ESPN’s Chris Jastrzembski reported that Gilardi became Stony Brook’s top choice after the Naval Academy hired former Marquette head coach Joe Amplo. Duke assistant coach Matt Danowski, Navy assistant coach Ryan Wellner and Robert Morris head coach Andrew McMinn were the other finalists for the position.
Gilardi led a Towson offense that ranked 17th in the country with 12.69 goals per game —compared to Stony Brook’s 55th-place 10.13 goals per game — and has a track record of repeated success at the mid-major level. Although the Seawolves’ primary face-off man in 2019 — rising junior midfielder Nolan Enneguess — recently announced his transfer to UMass, the team retains their top eight scorers from last season.
