Montreat College announced on Jan. 11, 2014 the hiring of Will McMinn as the inaugural Director of Lacrosse for the Cavaliers.
Will McMinn joins Montreat College having spent five years in charge of Concordia University Irvine (Calif.) men's and women's lacrosse teams, during which time the Eagles reached their first national championship appearance in 2012 while also finishing ranked No. 11 in the nation, and most recently, finished first in the Southwestern Lacrosse Conference's South Division with a perfect 5-0 division mark and a 12-4 overall record. McMinn's squad scored a conference best, 273 goals and allowed the third fewest (105).
A longtime player turned coach, Will McMinn has been around the game of lacrosse for over 30 years. McMinn started his career at St. Ignatius College Prep (San Francisco, Calif.) and was named a team captain his senior season before attending UC Santa Barbara where he was a member of back-to-back WCLL Conference Championship squads in 1983 and 1985. McMinn played four intercollegiate seasons for the Gauchos as a defensive midfielder and faceoff specialist.
Coach McMinn led the Eagles of Concordia University Irvine for five seasons ('09-'13). In McMinn's first year with the program, he led the team to a 1-9 finish while one Eagle was named All-Southwestern Lacrosse Conference (SLC).
His 2010 team finished with a record of 10-4, an SLC semi-final appearance and a No. 43 power-ranking. McMinn was named SLC Coach of the Year and had one player named Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) All-American, as well as seven others named SLC All-Conference.
McMinn's 2011 team finished with a 13-3 record, an SLC finals appearance, and a No. 15 national ranking at the division II level. McMinn had three players named MCLA All-American, one MCLA Scholar-Athlete, and seven SLC All-Conference selections.
McMinn's 2012 squad finished with a 14-5 record, an SLC finals victory, No. 11 national ranking, and made the program's first National Championship tournament appearance as McMinn was named MCLA DII Co-Coach of the Year and SLC DII Coach of the Year. Two of McMinn's players were named MCLA All-American, three MCLA Scholar-Athlete, and eight named SLC All-Conference that season.
McMinn got his start in coaching as a co-founder of youth lacrosse in Orange County, California where he helped build eight local programs from the ground up, including his first at Trabuco Hills High School. He also served as president of the Orange County chapter of the US Lacrosse Organization from 1990-92 and again in 2006-08.
McMinn continued to build high school programs in California in the early 2000's, starting the Tesoro High School program in 2004 and leading them to a 9-3 record with a CIF Southern Section (SS) Semifinal appearance and a No. 6 ranking in the 2005 season. During the 2005 season he was also named Coach of the Year while also being named to the Greater Los Angeles chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
In 2006 he accepted a position at Junipero Serra Catholic High School. In McMinn's first season he led the team to a 3-4 finish. The 2007 season saw him lead his players to a 13-4 finish with a CIF SS Quarterfinal appearance and a No. 6 ranking. McMinn's final season at JSCHS in 2008 ended with a 14-5 record, a CIF SS semi-final trip and ranked No. 5.
McMinn's ended his career at the high school level a 39-16 record before transitioning to the college game with Concordia University Irvine in 2009.
