Sam Ashton
Summary
Adaptable, communicative, and committed lacrosse coach with 12 years of experience at the collegiate level. A versatile leader with a proven track record of directing all phases of the game, offering expert-level development across every position on the field. A deep passion for developing student-athletes' academic success, athletic success, and competitive excellence.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Head Men's Lacrosse Coach
Lake Erie College
Painesville, OH
12.2018 - Current
- Direct oversight of; recruitment and retention of student-athletes, budget and fiscal management, fundraising, hiring and development of assistant coaches, promotion of a student-athlete centered culture focused on well being and development on and off the field while competing at a high level
- Organizes team operations; travel, facilities, competition schedule, practice schedule, team calendar, film study, scouting reports, meetings, and community service
- Created and adjusted team schematics, philosophies, goals, bonding activities, game day tactics, strength and conditioning programs, individual development programs, mentorship structure, leadership council, and academic progress plans to achieve team GPA goals and ensure academic progress
- Cultivated relationships with administration, admissions office, financial aid office, institutional advancement, faculty and staff, athletic department staff, alumni relations, student-athletes, and community members to enhance support for the lacrosse program
- Developed and implemented a roster management vision with the Director of Athletics. Have had 3 different scholarship allocation models
- Adhere to all written policies and procedures of; Lake Erie College, the Department of Athletics, the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
Adjunct Professor
Lake Erie College
Painesville, Ohio
08.2024 - Current
- M.Ed Coaching and Leadership, Sports Management, Humanities
- Delivered engaging lectures on subject matter, enhancing understanding among diverse student populations
- Facilitated classroom discussions to encourage critical thinking and student participation
- Evaluated student assignments, offering constructive feedback to support academic growth
- Developed course materials and resources aligned with curriculum standards
Head Men's Lacrosse Coach
University of Dallas
Irving, TX
08.2016 - 12.2018
- Managed all aspects of the men's lacrosse program, including recruitment of student-athletes, budgetary decision making, fundraising, and fostering a culture of success, inclusiveness, competitiveness, work ethic, and pride.
- Developed and adjusted schemes, practice plans, strength and conditioning programs, and position-specific workouts to enhance team performance and align with competitive level.
- Coordinated competition schedules and travel logistics for team events.
- Monitored academic progress of student-athletes through tri-semester progress reports to support academic success and eligibility.
- Organized team volunteering activities, contributing 35 hours to community service and fostering team unity and community engagement.
- Designed, created, and led a facility project of switching fields with soccer program
Assistant Men's Lacrosse Coach
Lake Erie College
Painesville, OH
08.2014 - 08.2016
- Served as Offensive Coordinator; designed offensive schematics and philosophies, gameday tactics, made personnel decisions, organized practice plans, and developed an offense fit for the competitive environment of division II lacrosse. Many statistical improvements that included shooting percentage improved from 27th to 12th nationally.
- Oversaw substitution box; designed full field schematics, executed quick personnel changes, and promoted team sportsmanship.
- Achieved during the season; USILA #1 ranking, ECAC regular season and conference champions, NCAA Final Four appearance, 3 all-American selections, an NCAA statistical champion, and the NCAA division II Defensive Player of the Year
- Conducted recruitment of student-athletes to build competitive teams.
- Tracked academic progress of student-athletes by conducting meetings and reviewing progress reports.
Education
Masters of Business Administration -
Lake Erie College
Painesville, OH05-2016
Bachelor of Arts - History
Lenoir-Rhyne University
Hickory, NC05-2014
Skills
- Recruitment & Scouting
- Athlete Development
- Tactical Expertise
- Compliance & Administration
- Student-Athlete Welfare
- Decision Making
- Adaptable
- Communicative
Committee Membership
- Division II USILA All-Region North Committee - 2022 - Present
- Division II North Region Advisory Committee - 2023 - Present
- Division II USILA Coaches Poll Committee - 2024 - Present
- Lake Erie College Athletics Hall of Fame Committee - 2024 - Present
- Lake Erie College Lincoln Library Learning Commons Renovation Committee - 2024
- Lake Erie College Tuition Remission Policy Committee - 2025 - Present
- Lake Erie College faculty and staff hiring search committees - 2018 - Present
Coaching Accomplishments
- Lake Erie College, HC: 42-65 overall record and 33-25 GMAC record, 6 of last 7 GMAC tournament appearances - 6 semi final finishes, 2 USILA All-Americans, 4 All-Region players, 34 All-Conference players in 7 seasons which include 3 Freshman of the Year and 1 DPOTY, recruited over 100 student-athletes into the program, top 5 in face off win % (2023), 2nd in man down % (2023), 9th most efficient defense (2025), School record holders; 5 single game record holders, 6 individual season record holders, 1 career record holder, several offensive players with 100+ points in their career
- University of Dallas, HC: 8-19 overall record, RPI Division III ranking from 242 to 145, departed with the best coaching record in program history, most wins in school history (2018), broke numerous program records including; goals, assists, points, goals per game, and goals against per game (2018), grew roster from 12 to 30 with average high school GPA 3.5 and 1250 SAT score
- Lake Erie College, AC: #1 national ranking, ranked in top 15 entire season (2015), NCAA final four appearance (2015), 3 USILA All-Americans (2015), Division II DPOTY (2015), ECAC OPOTY (2015), ECAC DPOTY (2015), ECAC specialist of the year (2016), 8 All-Conference players (2015-2016), ECAC conference semi-finals (2016), ECAC conference tournament and regular season champions (2015),24-9 overall record, recruited over 25 student-athletes to enroll at Lake Erie College during tenure
Personal Accomplishments
- 4 year player at Lenoir-Rhyne University, part of the program's inaugural class, and became the program's first All-American, selected by teammates as a two-time captain
- Finished as Lenoir-Rhyne's all-time points leader with 145 points on 64 goals and 81 assists
- First-Team All-SAC honors in 2014 and was SAC regular season champions. 2013 named Second-Team All-DSC
- Led Lenoir-Rhyne to its highest ranking in school history at 12th, team finished with the highest shooting percentage in Division II
- Volunteer assistant at Linganore High School, helped coach the team to victory in the 2011 State Championships and coached an All-State faceoff midfielder who played at Army
- Part of the Maryland Roughriders Club Lacrosse team, had a record of 45-3 and earned a national ranking of third at the Dick's Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions
Timeline
Adjunct Professor
Lake Erie College
08.2024 - Current
Head Men's Lacrosse Coach
Lake Erie College
12.2018 - Current
Head Men's Lacrosse Coach
University of Dallas
08.2016 - 12.2018
Assistant Men's Lacrosse Coach
Lake Erie College
08.2014 - 08.2016
Masters of Business Administration -
Lake Erie College
Bachelor of Arts - History
Lenoir-Rhyne University