Garrison Wojtas was hired by Lees-McRae Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Josh Shingleton on August 11, 2022. Wojtas comes to the mountains from William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa where he was Men’s Lacrosse Defensive Coordinator, while also earning his Master’s degree in Sport Management.
“I would like to welcome Garrison to Bobcat Nation and the men’s lacrosse program,” said Shingleton. “After our first conversations, I knew that Garrison was the perfect person to add to our coaching staff to help propel this program into the future. His experience as both a player and as a coach is impressive and will help our student-athletes achieve success on the field and in the classroom. I’m excited for our team to return to campus and get to work for the upcoming season.”
In addition to his role as the defensive coordinator at William Penn, for a team who posted a goals-per-game allowed average that ranked third in the entire NAIA, Wojtas also assisted in spearheading recruiting practices, maintaining the program’s budget, overall scheduling, and the academic success of the student-athletes. Prior to becoming the defensive coordinator, Wojtas served as a graduate assistant with the program. He also served as an assistant coach for the SUNY Delhi men’s lacrosse program for the shortened 2020 season.
“I want to thank Coach Shingleton for allowing me to join the Lees-McRae men’s lacrosse family,” said Wojtas. “Our expectations for what we know the program can become are in tune and we have a great opportunity to continue the culture that these young men can take ownership of and become proud of. Being able to share my many years of playing experience and my three years of coaching experience, I believe I can help our student-athletes become better on and off the field. Thank you to all of those who have welcomed me with opened arms.”
Before starting his coaching career, Wojtas was a four-year member of the Hartwick College men’s lacrosse program, while also earning his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. A United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-American during his senior year, Wojtas was a First Team All-Empire 8 Conference selection after grabbing the third-highest single season ground ball total in program history. He started all 58 games in his career and tallied a combined 285 ground balls (fourth all-time in program history) and 140 caused turnovers.
