Villanova, Pa. – Villanova University is proud to announce a leadership gift from University trustee Susan '80 and Andy '80 DiLoreto to establish the DiLoreto Family Endowed Men's Lacrosse Head Coach. The endowment will provide Men's Lacrosse with leadership funding to address strategic priorities, primarily immediate scholarship support to benefit the program in perpetuity.
"On behalf of the entire Villanova community, I would like to thank Susan and Andy for their continued support and generosity," said University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD. "This recent gift from the DiLoreto family signals their remarkable ongoing commitment to Villanova, our mission and our community."
The endowment is the latest in the DiLoreto family's philanthropic support of the University. In 2016, the DiLoretos provided the lead gift for the Men's Lacrosse Locker Room project, which is also named in their honor, in addition to creating the DiLoreto Family Sustainability Initiative Fund in the Villanova University College of Engineering.
"We are extremely proud of the success that the Men's Lacrosse program has achieved under Coach Corrado's leadership," said the DiLoretos, "and are hopeful that our support—and that of so many fellow Villanovans—will provide what is necessary to compete at the very highest level of collegiate lacrosse. In addition to the program's recent rise and success on the field, their academic performance has been equally impressive, as they've achieved a team GPA above 3.0 each of the last 13 years."
The family's three sons, Andrew '09, Patrick '10 and John '14 all attended Villanova. Andrew was a four-year goalie for the Wildcats and was named to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) First-Team, as well as the CAA Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player, in 2009—the same year in which the program reached its first-ever NCAA Tournament.
"Susan and Andy's gift will have a transformational impact on Villanova Men's Lacrosse," Vice President and Director of Athletics Mark Jackson said. "Their generosity serves as a model for leadership support of our 24 varsity programs and Villanova Athletics is incredibly fortunate to have advocates like the DiLoretos leading the way."
This is the fourth head coaching position to be endowed at Villanova, joining Men's Basketball (William B. Finneran Endowed Men's Basketball Head Coach), Football (Thomas and Diane Treacy Endowed Football Head Coach), and Men's Cross Country and Track & Field (Frank J. Kelly Endowed Track & Field Coach).
"The DiLoretos have long been among our fiercest champions," newly endowed head coach Mike Corrado '87 said. "This gift puts us at a distinct advantage by allowing us to attract high-level student-athletes and compete with the nation's elite men's lacrosse programs."
A four-time conference coach of the year, Corrado is entering his 18th season at the helm, and 30th season overall, of one of Villanova's most storied programs. During his tenure, Corrado has amassed 137 career wins and the Wildcats have reached the NCAA Tournament three times, while boasting 14 USILA All-Americans. Coach Corrado earned his 100th career win on February 16, 2019, when Villanova earned its first ever win over the nation's top-ranked team, defeating Yale 11-10 in overtime.
In 2016, the program reached its highest-ever national ranking at #5, and they finished the 2023 season as the nation's 12th-ranked team. Villanova has qualified for the BIG EAST Tournament 11 straight seasons from 2012-23—the longest of any program in conference history.
