PROVO, Utah – Brigham Young University Men’s Head Lacrosse Coach Matt Schneck announced on Friday, August 25 the addition of two new assistant coaches to the 2017-2018 coaching staff. Evan Clinger (BYU ’15) and Devin Needs (BYU ’17) will join the staff immediately in preparation for the upcoming season.

Clinger and Needs will join Taylor Redd (BYU ’10) and Mark Stout (BYU ’88) to round out the coaching staff.

“BYU is a special school and a special place to play lacrosse. Most of the players on our team have dreamed of playing lacrosse at BYU their entire lives and as coaches, we have a special responsibility to each and every player”, said BYU coach Matt Schneck. “I am confident that this coaching staff will bring an incredible chemistry and unique perspective to our players while helping them reach their full potential both on and off the field.”

Redd will take the reigns of BYU’s offense this year. Redd, who began playing lacrosse at the age of 10 in northern Virginia, had a successful high-school career as a four-year starter and three-year captain at Utica Eisenhower in Michigan. Redd was also a four-year starter for BYU, captain of the team and earned all-conference recognition his senior year. Redd has been coaching for seven years and is entering his second year on the BYU coaching staff.

The Cougars finished the 2017 season as RMLC Champions and reached the MCLA National Championships for the 21st consecutive year. Ranked No. 6 at the end of the 2017 season, the Cougars scored 224 goals while averaging 11.2 goals per game. Redd will be looking to improve that mark even further.

Stout will continue to work with goalies and faceoff specialists this upcoming season. Stout, a native of Canada who played his high school lacrosse in Baltimore and college lacrosse at BYU, has been a consistent figure in the Cougar lacrosse program in a variety of capacities for over 30 years. Stout was one of the founding members of the lacrosse community in the State of Utah, has coached at every level in the state and opened the first lacrosse store in the area.

Clinger and Needs will share duties on the defensive end of the field.

Clinger, a three-time All-Ohio Capital Conference defenseman, two-time All-Ohio defenseman and team captain at Hilliard Darby High School began his college career at Ohio State under the direction of Coach Joe Breschi. Clinger left Ohio State to serve an LDS Mission in Honduras for two years before transferring to BYU, where Clinger was a team captain and earned all-conference and All-America recognition.

Needs, began his playing career for the national high school lacrosse powerhouse New Canaan Rams before moving to Rochester, Mich., where he finished his high school playing career at Rochester Adams High. Needs was a four-year starter at BYU, where he earned all-conference honors and was a member of the 2011 National Championship team as well as two RMLC Championship teams.

The coaching duo will have some big shoes to fill on defense after graduating three MCLA All-America players from last years team (Wardle, Rose, Neser), as well as three-time RMLC Defensive Player of the Year Max Neser. The Cougar defense was one of the stingiest defenses in the country in 2017, allowing 139 goals for average of only 6.95 goals per game.

The Cougars are less than two weeks away from the beginning of their fall campaign. Tryouts will begin at 8:00am on Wednesday, Sept. 6 in the men’s lacrosse team meeting room at 271 Richards Building. Coach Schneck has high expectations for this year’s team.

“The returning players from the 2017 RMLC Championship team are hungry and dedicated. You can see it in their off-season attitude and dedication. The combination of their experience and the new talent joining the team promises to be exciting. I can’t wait to get started.”