Eric Koch will begin his second season as the Head Coach of the Denison University men's lacrosse program in 2023.
In Koch's first season coaching the team in 2022, Denison earned its 20th North Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship in program history with a perfect 9-0 conference record. The Big Red then outscored Kenyon College 8-0 in the second half to capture the NCAC Tournament Championship by a final score of 12-5. It was Denison's seventh overall and sixth straight NCAC Tournament title. After finishing with two wins and a combined 21 saves with only 14 goals allowed in two games, junior goalkeeper Archer Darrach was named the NCAC Tournament Most Valuable Player. Senior Camden Bowdy was named the NCAC Men's Lacrosse Player of the Year and was a USILA Third-Team All-American while fellow-senior Davis Cronin was the NCAC Specialist of the Year and was an Honorable Mention All-American along with sophomore defender Brooks Crowley. Lastly, for the 26th time in program history and for the sixth time in a row, Denison men's lacrosse competed in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament, earning a 14-13 win over Grove City in the second round thanks to the game-winning goal by sophomore Nate Kay.
Koch is the eighth coach in Denison’s history of the men’s lacrosse program. He came to Denison after seven seasons at Washington and Lee University, 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," said Denison's Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics, Nan Carney-DeBord. "His leadership at W&L has provided him outstanding skills for him to take on this leadership opportunity at Denison. 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," said Koch. "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. 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 the third spot in defensive scoring, allowing only 6.48 goals per game. In 2020, 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 Duck's 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 and 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 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.
Maiah Bartlett enters her second season as an assistant men's lacrosse coach at Denison University in 2023.
In Bartlett's first season at Denison in 2022, the Big Red earned their 20th North Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship in program history with a perfect 9-0 conference record, and then outscored Kenyon College 8-0 in the second half to capture the NCAC Tournament Championship by a final score of 12-5. It was Denison's seventh overall and sixth straight NCAC Tournament title. For the 26th time in program history and for the sixth time in a row, Denison men's lacrosse competed in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament, earning a 14-13 win over Grove City in the second round.
Bartlett came to Denison from Germany after finishing a stint as the Head Coach of the Luxembourg Men’s National team. She was the first female head coach of the men’s national team and 1st league German men’s program.
Bartlett joined the Luxembourg Men’s National team in 2019 as the Associate Head Coach before being elevated to Head Coach in 2020. In addition to her day-to-day functions as the head coach, Bartlett was involved in growing the game of lacrosse by hosting camps and training opportunities while also writing grants to receive money in her efforts for school development.
During her time as the Luxembourg Men’s National team coach, Bartlett was also the Head Coach of SC 1880 Frankfurt e. V. Barlett was responsible for running six programs in the Frankfurt area while managing players from a wide range of experience level. In her time at SC 1880, she tripled the youth participation. In 2019, Bartlett led the U16 Boys & Girls to the 2019 German Championship.
Before traveling overseas, Bartlett had an impressive playing career at the University of Mary Washington. Graduating in 2017 with a degree in geography, Bartlett was a three-time All-CAC team selection, three-time IWLCA All-Chesapeake Region team pick, and three-time VaSID College Division Women’s All-State team honoree. She was also named team captain in her senior season.
Ryan Rohde enters his second season as an assistant men's lacrosse coach at Denison University in 2023. Rohde serves as the Offensive Coordinator for the Big Red.
In Rohde's first season at Denison in 2022, the Big Red earned their 20th North Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship in program history with a perfect 9-0 conference record, and then outscored Kenyon College 8-0 in the second half to capture the NCAC Tournament Championship by a final score of 12-5. It was Denison's seventh overall and sixth straight NCAC Tournament title. Rohde helped coach senior Camden Bowdy, who was named the NCAC Men's Lacrosse Player of the Year and was a USILA Third-Team All-American. For the 26th time in program history and for the sixth time in a row, Denison men's lacrosse competed in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament, earning a 14-13 win over Grove City in the second round.
Rohde came to Denison from Washington and Lee University after two seasons as an assistant coach for the Generals.
At Washington and Lee, Rohde was the assistant offensive coordinator, faceoff coach, and substitution box coach. He assisted in the offensive game planning and personnel decisions for games. His offense scored 15.06 goals per game with a .325 shooting percentage as the Generals went 11-5 and 9-1 in Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play in 2021. He coached eight All-Conference player selections, four named to the first-team, three scholar All-Americans, and two All-Americans.
Rohde got his collegiate coaching start at Randolph-Macon college and spent five seasons in Ashland, Virginia. From 2012-2017, Rohde served as assistant offensive coordinator where he helped lead the Yellow Jackets to their first ODAC tournament semifinal appearance and second 10-win season in program history back in 2013. He coached 18 All-ODAC selections, three scholar All-Americans, and 44 ODAC All-Academic Team Selections.
Before beginning his coaching career, Rohde had an impressive playing career at one of the best lacrosse programs in Division III, Salisbury University. He was a three-time National Champion in 2003, 2004 and 2005. He was named a USILA All-American selection in 2006 and received the Andy Jones Most Improved Award. At the conclusion of his playing career, Rohde won 79 games while only losing two and at one point won 69 consecutive games, which is an NCAA record.