BATON ROUGE, La. -- The LSU men’s lacrosse team is excited to announce the promotion of Reece Townsley to head coach for the 2022 season.

Townsley returns to the program for his sixth season in 2022. The LSU alum spent his first four years as a player, earning Lone Star Alliance all-conference honors. He was a team captain and contributed to the Tigers' historic run that resulted in the program first MCLA national championship tournament appearance in 2019.

After graduating, Townsley returned to the program as assistant offensive coordinator for the 2021 season, where he helped LSU repeat as champions at the Lone Star Alliance Invitational Tournament.

"This is such an exciting opportunity to be able to coach the team I’ve made so many memories with as a player and as a coach," said Townsley. "LSU lacrosse means so much to me and I’m so grateful that I’m able to continue my work with the program. My family, the team and myself are so excited for this transition. I can’t wait to help the boys continue to grow as a team, as lacrosse players and to become quality men."

A statement from the LSU men's lacrosse board:

Coach Townsley is a well-respected member of the LSU lacrosse family and has always been a leader in our program. He is beloved by the team and was the natural fit for this position.

He has extensive knowledge of the game and was exceptional as a member of our staff last season. We praise his ability to effectively communicate, make decisions, and he’s excelled at building relationships with all involved in LSU lacrosse.

He’s earned the respect of the team, and we’re looking forward to putting in the work together to reach our goals of another conference championship and another trip to the MCLA national championships.