TUCSON, Ariz. -- The University of Arizona men's lacrosse program has named Spencer Fuqua as its new head coach starting with the 2017 campaign.

Fuqua is no stranger to the LaxCats, having served as the defensive coordinator for the past two seasons at Arizona. With the help of multiple All-American and all-conference players, Fuqua helped the LaxCats defense to become regarded as one of the best in the nation. Fuqua helped take UA to its first MCLA tournament in 10 years.

Fuqua played his collegiate lacrosse at Aurora University (Ill.) where he was the captain in both his junior and senior seasons. Along with being a member of the all-conference team all four years, he received the Defensive Player of the Year Award in both his sophomore and junior seasons. Fuqua also earned Team MVP. Being a part of the first class to field a team at Aurora, he helped the new program to back to back NCAA tournament appearances in his last two years for the Spartans.

Fuqua's coaching experience stems from his work at New Wave Lacrosse, where he has been helping coach youth teams since 2012. In the summer of 2013, Fuqua worked his way up to head coach within the program, furthering his coaching experience. Fuqua graduated from Aurora University in 2014.

Prior to his collegiate career, Fuqua attended Los Alamitos High School in Southern California, where he helped the Griffins to multiple Sunset League titles. During his senior season, in which Fuqua was a captain, Los Alamitos reached the semifinals of the CIF Southern section twice and Fuqua finished his high school career as a second team all-Orange County player.