RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Manhattan head men's lacrosse coach
John Odierna has announced that he is stepping down from his position with the Jaspers. Assistant coach
Doug Sage has been named the interim head coach for the 2024 season.
Odierna was named the 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic (MAAC) Coach of the Year in his first season at the helm of the Jaspers program. Prior to 2023, Odierna served seven seasons as the Jaspers' defensive coordinator, including three of them as the program's associate head coach.
"I am incredibly grateful for the eight years that I spent at Manhattan College," said Odierna. "I want to thank all the student-athletes, staff members and administrators who I was able to work with along the way. I will always cherish the relationships that we built. When I arrived to Manhattan in 2015, our goal was to build a championship-caliber program and I believe that we were able to do that. I will always hold a special place in my heart for the Manhattan Men's Lacrosse Program and wish the program and the College, the very best."
The Jaspers won the 2023 MAAC regular season title and hosted the postseason MAAC Tournament. Manhattan's 10 wins tied for the second-most victories in school history and the most since 2002. The defense was the Jaspers calling card this past season, leading Division I and tying the shot-clock era record (since 2019) of the fewest goals allowed per game at 8.00. Goalkeeper Joe Persico was named USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America Honorable Mention and Persico,
Dan MacKinney, and
Liam Walshe were selected to the USILA Senior All-Star Game. Six Jaspers earned All-MAAC honors including First Team members
Kyle Gucwa (attack),
Christian Clifford (defense), and Persico (goalie) and Second Team member
Tadhg O'Riordan (short-stick defensive midfielder).
Liam Peabody (midfield) and
Michael Schafer (defense) were named to the MAAC All-Rookie team.
"I would like to thank Coach Odierna for his hard work and dedication to the men's lacrosse program during his time at Manhattan," said Interim Athletics Director, Irma Garcia. "While we are sad to lose such a high-quality coach and person like Coach Odierna, we wish him and his family the very best. Coach Sage has been an instrumental part of our success over the past two years. He has proved valuable during his time and is a tremendous leader. I'm confident we will have another successful year, and that our momentum in the program will continue for years to come."
Over the last three seasons, the Jaspers won at least a share of the conference regular season or tournament title. In 2022, the Jaspers claimed the program's first MAAC Championship in 20 years to secure an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament. In 2021, Odierna helped lead Manhattan to a share of the MAAC regular season championship as the Jaspers finished 10th nationally in yielding just 9.7 goals per game.
Odierna's resume at Manhattan includes more than just athletic accolades, as 36 men's lacrosse players were named to the 2023 MAAC Academic Honor Roll and
Christian Clifford and
Hunter Newman were named Academic All-District by the College Sports Communicators.
"I am humbled and honored that President Milo Riverso and Interim Athletics Director, Irma Garcia, have given me the opportunity to lead the Manhattan College Men's Lacrosse program as the next head coach," said Sage. "Coach (Drew) Kelleher and Coach Odierna gave me the chance to be part of the Jaspers lacrosse program two years ago and I can not thank both of them enough for their friendship and guidance. The foundation of our program has been built on belief, culture, and relationships. Our coaching staff and players are completely committed to achieving the ultimate goal of competing for conference championships and national recognition."
Sage played a key role in Manhattan winning MAAC titles in 2022 and 20023, has over 20 years of coaching experience, and was a major contributor to the Jaspers' success on and off the field. Prior to his arrival at Manhattan College, Sage was the head coach at Drew (N.J.) for four seasons and the University of Scranton for five seasons.
