NORTON, MA- Wheaton College Executive Director of Athletics Chad Yowell has announced the hiring of Brian Endicott as head men's lacrosse coach, effective August 11. Endicott, an assistant with the program in spring 2007 and the interim head coach the following fall, replaces Mike McCaffrey, who resigned to take a similar position at Rivier College.

"This has been a difficult time for the men's lacrosse program," said Yowell in reference to it having three head coaches in the past four years. "It is great to have Brian rejoin us in his new role as head coach, as he knows many members of the team and has a familiarity with Wheaton and the Pilgrim League. When Coach McCaffrey left, the first name that came to us was Brian's. I think that says a lot about him as a coach and a person. We believe the men's lacrosse program is in good hands for many years to come."

Endicott spent the spring of 2008 as an assistant coach at Endicott College, where he helped lead the nationally-ranked Gulls to a program-record 18 wins and their first Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship. In 2007, Wheaton just missed qualifying for the Pilgrim League Tournament, as its 4-4 mark and tie for fifth in the regular season standings left the Lyons short of a tournament bid.

"I am pleased Wheaton has given me an opportunity to return this fall as the head men's lacrosse coach of a program I feel is on the rise with a very bright future ahead," said Endicott. "Having been the assistant coach in 2007 and the interim head coach last fall, I am anxious to get back on the field with the team and build on the successes of last year. We have a great group of guys who are prepared to work and ready to win, and I am extremely excited to be a part of it."

Endicott brings ample high school and camp coaching experience to Wheaton, having served on the staff of the Rising Star Boys' Lacrosse Camp at the college the last two summers. During the 2005 and 2006 seasons, Endicott was a coach in the boys' program at his alma mater, Malden Catholic High School, and has worked high school and youth camps and clinics in Malden. He was an instructor at Springfield College for the Peak 200 camp in 2004 and Peak Performance camp in 2001 while also gaining experience at the 2002 U.S. Naval Academy camp in Annapolis, Maryland.

A former three-year player at Springfield, Endicott tallied 39 goals and 49 points in 45 games for the Pride between 2002 and 2004 before missing his senior campaign due to injury. Springfield went 37-15 in his three years of action while making a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2001, Endicott was a U.S. Lacrosse High School All-American.

Wheaton is a selective national liberal arts college with 1,550 students drawn from virtually every state and more than 69 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.