Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Nan Carney-DeBord has announced the hiring of Eric Koch as the next head men's lacrosse coach at Denison. Koch replaces Mike Caravana who stepped down in May after a 28-year tenure leading the Big Red.
 
Koch is the eighth coach in Denison's history of the men's lacrosse program. He comes to Denison after seven seasons at Washington & Lee, where he began as an assistant coach in 2014 before being elevated to Assistant Head Coach in 2018. During his time coaching at W&L, the Generals went 94-43 (.686) and won three Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) regular season titles, two conference tournament titles, and made three trips to the NCAA Tournament.
 
"We are excited to welcome Eric Koch to the Denison family in his role as Head Men's Lacrosse Coach. His leadership at W&L has provided him outstanding skills for him to take on this leadership opportunity at Denison," said Carney-DeBord. "He has a clear understanding of skill development physically, mentally, and in terms of strength and conditioning. He has a strong heritage of competitive success, both as a player and as a coach. He will embrace our incredible alumni and families, which are some of Denison's greatest assets. Ultimately, Eric has a clear understanding of the role of Athletics within a highly academically competitive institution and will advance our core value of competitive excellence. Our men will thrive under his leadership, mentorship, and skill development prowess. We also would like to welcome Eric's family to Granville!"
 
"First I would like to thank Nan Carney-DeBord and the search committee for their faith in me and the incredible opportunity to lead the men's lacrosse program. This is a dream come true and I am honored to work at such a distinguished university that values success both on the field and in the classroom. Denison men's lacrosse has a rich and storied history, and I am proud to now be part of it," said Koch. "Moreover, I am humbled to follow and build upon the successes of one of our sport's greatest coaches in Mike Caravana. I look forward to building relationships with players, alumni, friends of the program, colleagues, the administration and the greater Denison community as my family and I make our new home in Granville. I also want to thank everyone at Washington and Lee who helped me grow and evolve throughout my seven years back in Lexington.  I cannot thank Coach McCabe and Jan Hathorn enough for the opportunity and for sharing their wisdom and guidance over the years."
In 2018, Koch was named Assistant Head Coach at W&L and served as the team's defensive coordinator. His defenses were some of the best in the country during his time leading the defensive unit. In his first year in this new role, Koch's defense led the ODAC in goals-against average (GAA) with 8.20 which also ranked in the Top 50 of Division III. In 2019, Koch's defense climbed toward the top of the national rankings with the Generals taking the top spot for their man-down defense (.869) and third spot in defense scoring, allowing only 6.48 goals per game. This past year, W&L ranked second in the conference in goals-against average with 6.80 and led the conference in save percentage with 64.9.
 
Over his time at W&L, Koch coached 16 defensive players to All-ODAC honors, and nine players earned All-American status. He was named to the IMLCA South Region Coaching Staff of the Year in 2018 and 2019.
 
Before returning to his alma mater, Koch coached at Stevens Institute of Technology where he spent five seasons as part of the Ducks staff. Over his five seasons, Stevens went 63-25, made three trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament, and won one Empire 8 Conference title in 2012. During this time, Koch earned his Master of Science in Management degree at Stevens.
 
Koch graduated from Washington & Lee where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics degree in 2005. He was a four-year letter winner for the Generals, captaining the team in his senior year. As a defenseman, he was a three-year starter and helped lead the Generals to two ODAC titles and a trip to the 2002 NCAA Semifinals. He was named to the All-ODAC Second Team in 2004 and All-ODAC First Team in 2005. Koch was named Honorable Mention All-America selection following his senior season.
 
In addition to his head lacrosse coaching duties, Koch will serve as an assistant professor in Denison's Department of Physical Education.