Peter Toner steps down as Wheaton men's lacrosse coach

August 10, 2007

NORTON, MA- Wheaton College Executive Director of Athletics Chad Yowell announced Peter Toner's resignation as the Lyons' head men's lacrosse coach Friday. Toner accepted the associate head coaching post at Division II Bryant University, where he will serve under former Duke University head coach Mike Pressler.

"I was fully anticipating coming back to Wheaton this fall," said Toner. "I had no intentions of moving on, but a great opportunity presented itself that I had to consider at this stage of my career. My experience at Wheaton is what allowed me to be put in this position in the first place, and for that I am grateful."

Toner had a successful start to his tenure at Wheaton, leading the 2006 team to its first Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament championship game appearance and its best Pilgrim League showing since 1998. He led the Lyons to a 9-7-1 record and a 6-2 mark in the Pilgrim, good for third place among the nine teams. Toner's two-year mark with the Lyons was 13-17-1 after narrowly missing the conference tournament in 2007.

"I'm proud of what we were able to accomplish in a short period of time," added Toner. "Our players started to develop a sense of pride and had an understanding of where we wanted to take the program. We recruited prospective student-athletes who bought into this philosophy, and we began to see the overall attitude and culture change. I have full confidence that the coaching transition will be a smooth one and the program will continue moving in the right direction."

Toner leaves the Pilgrim League after eight years, having spent six seasons at Springfield College as a two-year assistant coach and four-year player. As a coach, he helped lead the Pride to a pair of league championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances. A 2003 graduate, Toner's playing days included three NCAA Tournament berths as a star defenseman. After earning a bachelor's degree in sport management, he completed his master's program in physical education in May 2005.

Yowell said a search for Toner's permanent replacement, pending approval, will begin immediately and is expected to be filled by November 1. Yowell has named current assistant Brian Endicott as the interim head coach. A teammate of Toner's for two years, Endicott played on two NCAA Tournament teams at Springfield from 2002-04. He is set to begin his second year at Wheaton.

Wheaton is a selective national liberal arts college with 1,550 students drawn from virtually every state and more than 30 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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