Voelker hired to replace Bates
Mike Mazzeo
Issue date: 7/17/09 Section: Sports
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Former University of Pennsylvania men's lacrosse head coach Brian Voelker was named the head coach of the Dragons June 13. Voelker replaces Chris Bates, who resigned as Drexel's head coach to accept the head coaching position at Princeton University just two weeks earlier.
Voelker, who guided the Quakers to two NCAA Appearances (2004, 2006) during his seven-year stint at the helm which spanned from 2003 to 2009, compiled a 42-51 overall record at Penn, including a 17-25 mark in the prestigious Ivy League.
"It's not easy to leave a place after seven years after you put your heart and soul into it," Voelker said. "I just felt like it [taking the job at Drexel] was the best thing for myself and my career. I feel like Drexel is committed to winning and putting a great product on the lacrosse field. They came and got me and made me feel wanted and feel like this is the place to be. I'm going to do everything in my power to reward them."
Drexel was interested in Voelker to fill its men's lacrosse head coaching vacancy right from the outset due to his highly acclaimed coaching pedigree. And it didn't hurt that he had a close friend in the Athletic Department.
Senior Associate Athletic Director Nick Gannon, the man in charge of selecting the next head coach, had known Voelker since their college days, playing at Virginia and John's Hopkins, respectively, and contacted him to gauge his interest.
"Nick [Gannon] and I talked briefly," Voelker said. "He asked me if I was interested. It kind of progressed from there. Like I said, they made it very clear that I was the person they wanted to hire."
And now that he's been hired to replace Bates, a head coach that brought the Drexel men's lacrosse program prominence and prestige during his 10-year tenure, Voelker is ready to build on the success his predecessor had.
"Well one of the reasons I'm here is I think we can win, and win right away," Voelker, who guided Penn to six victories in his first season and then a postseason berth in his second season which ended a 15-year drought, said. "When I was at Penn we played Drexel the past couple of years. Chris [Bates] has done a great job, and his staff has done a great job of moving this program in the right direction. And we want to take this thing to the next level; win the conference and win the playoffs. There's a lot of good kids here and I'm looking forward to working with them."
The Quakers went 5-8 last season under Voelker, while the Dragons finished 7-8 in Bates' final campaign. However, Drexel returns several key contributors from its 2009 squad, including leading scorer senior Colin Ambler and the Colonial Athletic Association's Rookie of the Year, sophomore goalie Mark Manos.
"My goals in the short term are just to keep my head above water and not get lost in all the things I have to do," Voelker said. "But again the reason I took this job is number one to win lacrosse games, and number two to deal with good kids and make sure they're doing things the right way on and off the lacrosse field."
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