Jeff Roberts enters his sixth season at the helm of the Hanover College men's lacrosse program.
In his five seasons, Roberts guided the program to a 39-29 overall record and a 19-4 mark in Conference action (2020 season was cut short due to Covid-19).
Under the guidance of Roberts, the 2023 campaign saw the program reach new heights posting a perfect 4-0 mark in HCLC action earning Jeff the title of HCLC Coach of the Year. Hanover hosted the HCLC Tournament as the Panthers captured the no. 1 seed in the north division for the fourth consecutive season. For their efforts, Roberts saw Dirk Meinhart claim the HCLC Offensive Athlete of the Year while Colin O'Brien was awarded Newcomer of the Year.
In 2022, Roberts propelled the Panthers to the top of the HCLC as they claimed the no. 1 seed in the north division advancing to their third consecutive HCLC Tournament.
The 2021 season marked the Panthers second consecutive trip to the HCLC Tournament Championship under his leadership.
Roberts will be the second head coach in program history, as he replaces former coach Skip Lichtfuss, who took on a leadership role with the U.S. Lacrosse national organization.
Roberts comes to the College after a multi-year stint as the head lacrosse coach at Coppell High School near Dallas, Texas. During his time at Coppell, Roberts compiled 25 wins over a three-year span with the Cowboys. The program also received seven all-conference and one all-state honor during Roberts’ time at the helm. While in the Dallas area, Roberts also worked two years for 3D Lacrosse and served as its Director for the Dallas area, and spent the last 12 months with Iron Horse Club Lacrosse as well.
Prior to his time at Coppell, Roberts consumed over 15 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, including stops at NCAA Division I institutions Marquette (Wis.), Vermont and Dartmouth (N.H.). His most recent collegiate experience came at Marquette, where the Golden Eagles posted a 16-16 overall record in two seasons, while making it to the Big East Tournament Semifinals in both 2014 and 2015.
Roberts does have head coaching experience at the collegiate level as well, guiding Concordia University-Wisconsin from 2009-2013. Roberts helped create a Division III-level program, which started in 2011, as his teams amassed 26 wins over a three-year period. The Falcons also garnered 10 all-conference awards, while Roberts was named Midwest Lacrosse Conference (MLC) Coach of the Year in 2012.
To go along with his stops at Vermont and Dartmouth, Roberts was also an assistant coach at Mercyhurst (Pa.), Colorado College and Skidmore (N.Y.).
“Hanover men’s lacrosse will be a program built on hard work, toughness and brotherhood,” added Roberts. We will focus on improving daily and creating an environment in which we chase the best versions of ourselves with relentless effort.
“I am excited for the opportunity to continue building Hanover into a conference championship contender and look forward to building relationships within our campus community and alumni base.”
A native of Upstate New York, Roberts is a 1994 graduate of Springfield College (Mass.), where he was a member of the lacrosse program. He also recently received his master’s degree in athletic administration and coaching from Concordia University-Irvine (Calif.).
