Men’s Lacrosse Adds Holt to Coaching Staff


The Gettysburg College men
The Gettysburg College men’s basketball team huddling during a timeout against Ursinus.

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – First-year Head Coach Peter Toner has announced his first official addition to the men’s lacrosse coaching staff with former Mount St. Mary’s University assistant coach Erik Holt joining the program this fall.

 

Holt rose to the top of a talented group of candidates that included representatives from multiple levels of lacrosse, including all three divisions of the NCAA. Holt will team with Toner to establish a new identity for the program following the retirement of one of the most successful lacrosse coaches in collegiate history, Hank Janczyk, last May.

 

“As we looked at the candidate pool, Erik’s wealth of experience and knowledge as a lacrosse coach really separated him from the start,” said Toner. “He is extremely professional, works very hard, prepares very well and is passionate about growing relationships with our players. I believe he will fit right in to the culture we will continue to grow as this new staff continues to come together.”

 

Holt spent the last three seasons at The Mount, serving as the lead assistant and defensive coordinator in 2019 and serving the recruiting coordinator and face-off/goalkeeper coach the last two seasons. During his time in Emmitsburg, Md., he helped the defensive unit finish among the top 20 in Division I and the team claimed the Northeast Conference regular season championship in 2019.

 

“I am very excited to join the men’s lacrosse program at Gettysburg,” said Holt. “It is a tremendous opportunity to work with Coach Toner, a person I respect and from whom I can continue to learn and grow. The team is a motivated and talented group that I am really excited to work with and help them succeed on their journey. There is legacy of success established by Coach Janczyk, and I look forward to making an impact as we continue to build on that tradition.”

 

Holt brings a wealth of lacrosse experience to the table as a coach and administrator. He founded and served as director of Lionheart Enterprises, Inc., from 2012-19, building a recruiting event that started with seven teams to over 60 teams in six years. During that time period, he also served as an assistant coach and head coach at St. James School in Hagerstown, Md., from 2016-18 and he worked with US Indoor Lacrosse, first serving as assistant coach with the U-19 team in 2015 before becoming Vice President of Operations in 2016. Holt also served as Director of Lacrosse Operations at Mount St. Mary’s from 2011-12. From 2006-09, he was an assistant coach at Urbana High School where he helped the team reach three state championship finals. Holt was tagged US Lacrosse Assistant Coach of the Year in 2007.

 

A 2002 graduate of Penn State, Holt played both lacrosse and football for the Nittany Lions. He went on to compete professionally in lacrosse for the Charlotte Copperheads (2011-12) and Philadelphia Wings (2012-13). Holt also served as captain of the US Indoor Development Team from 2009-13 and represented Team USA in the BowHunter Cup in 2013.

 

Holt, who graduated from Penn State’s Smeal School of Business with a degree in economics, has served as the President of a financial firm, The Holt Advisory Group, since 2008. In this role he serves as a personal financial coach to businesses and families.

 

Holt will team with Toner to lead Gettysburg into a new era. Janczyk retired in May after accruing the second-most wins in NCAA history (477) and leading the Bullets to 26 NCAA Division III playoff appearances and 19 conference titles. Holt’s background in the lacrosse world gives the new head coach plenty of flexibility as he looks to continue to build on the strong lacrosse tradition at Gettysburg.

 

“I see Erik taking over the offensive side of the ball,” noted Toner. “He has plenty of experience to do so and is very eager to take the reins. He also has experience with face-off instruction and goalie instruction so he can certainly help there as well. Ultimately, we want our staff and team to believe in the same vision, mission, values and culture and I know he will be a tremendous asset in all of these areas as we move forward and build upon an incredibly strong foundation.”

This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x