Toner appointed Wheaton College's sixth head men's lacrosse coach

June 15, 2005

NORTON, MA- Wheaton College Executive Director of Athletics Chad Yowell has appointed Peter Toner as the school's sixth head men's lacrosse coach, effective August 15, 2005.

"We are very excited with the selection of Peter as our new head men's lacrosse coach," said Yowell. "Peter is the right person for the job and is the type of coach that should help move our program forward. His familiarity with the Pilgrim League and experience as a proven recruiter in the field are both major pluses and should benefit Wheaton greatly over the years."

Toner recently finished a two-year term as the graduate assistant men's lacrosse coach at Springfield College, where he helped lead the Pride to the 2005 Pilgrim League championship and seventh NCAA Tournament appearance. Assisting in all aspects of the game, Toner's two major responsibilities came in the form of serving as the team's defensive and recruiting coordinators.

"I am excited about the opportunity to coach at Wheaton and am thrilled to work at an institution that holds its academics and athletics in such high regard," stated Toner. "I have gained a great deal of experience and respect as an opponent of Wheaton over the past six years as a player and coach, and I look forward to building relationships with the student-athletes, faculty and staff in the coming months."

Toner, who will also assume equipment manager responsibilities, has acquired multiple coaching and athletic administrative stints as a graduate assistant. Serving as the Maine Select team head coach in 2005 after assisting that program from 2001-04, Toner worked as the assistant to the athletic director at Avon Old Farms School, where his duties included event management, scheduling and transportation for all fall and winter sports teams. He was also responsible for similar tasks as the assistant to the assistant athletic director at Springfield in the fall of 2003.

In addition to garnering solid coaching and administrative experiences, Toner was the founder and director of the 2005 Springfield Lacrosse Shootout, a high school recruiting showcase that hosted eight of the top New England teams. He also served as the assistant director of the Peak 200 lacrosse camps from 2003-04.

Graduating from Springfield in 2003, Toner led the Pride to three NCAA Tournament berths as a star defenseman. Voted a two-time captain, Toner earned a slew of awards during his playing days. Aside from picking up All-New England and All-Pilgrim team honors, he was just one of two players in the country tabbed to the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NASA) All-America team. Toner played in the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) senior North-South All-Star and New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) senior East-West All-Star games.

Toner earned a bachelor's degree in sports management with a minor in business from Springfield in May of 2003 and then completed his master's program in physical education with a concentration in athletic administration last May.

Wheaton is a selective national liberal arts college with 1,550 students drawn from virtually every state and more than 60 countries. The college combines a traditional curriculum in the arts and sciences with an innovative emphasis on real-world experience - internships, jobs and volunteer service - to help students make the connection between theory and practice. Its students gain admission to the nation's most prestigious graduate programs and regularly win competitive academic awards such as the Rhodes, Marshall and Fulbright scholarships.

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