W&L Men’s Lacrosse Staff Earns IMLCA Regional Award Head Coach Gene McCabe and his assistant coaches were named the 2024 Region 4 Coaching Staff of the Year.

By Brian Laubscher
June 27, 2024

The Washington and Lee University men’s lacrosse coaches were honored by the Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) as the 2024 Region 4 Staff of the Year for the second straight season and the third time since 2018.

Head Coach Gene McCabe and his full-time staff consisting of Taylor Mendoza and Will Garrett ’13, along with volunteer coaches Sal Iaria, Chuck O’Connell and Doug Hirsh, garnered the award after leading the Generals to a 16-6 overall record and a trip to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III Championship.

W&L posted a perfect 9-0 record in conference play, earning the top seed for the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Tournament. The Generals received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they handed defending national champion Salisbury University its only loss of the season, ending the Seagulls’ 41-game winning streak with a 16-15 overtime win in the quarterfinals. W&L then suffered a 19-13 semifinal loss to Tufts University, who won the championship a week later with an 18-14 victory over Rochester Institute of Technology.

The program’s all-time winningest coach, McCabe is 220-105 (.677) in 18 seasons at W&L, and he carries a 274-123 (.690) overall record in 23 seasons as a head coach. He has led the Generals to four ODAC titles and eight trips to the NCAA Tournament.

McCabe has served as a faculty member at W&L through two separate stints, first as an assistant coach from 1998-2001 and again as head coach since 2006. He holds a bachelor’s degree in European history from Bates College.

Mendoza, who completed his third year at W&L, earned a bachelor’s degree in business economics from the State University of New York at Cortland. Garrett played on the W&L men’s lacrosse team for four years, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

If you know a W&L faculty member who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.