By Meliyah Venerable / Delta Sports Editor

Missouri Valley College lacrosse head coach John LeMay recently resigned from his position, leaving both the men and women’s teams without a coach before the season has begun. LeMay decided to take a position that would move him closer to home. 

“My thoughts on the situation on LeMay leaving is he has to do what’s right for him and what makes him happy,” Hayden Adkins said “At first, I was very emotional knowing the coach I really liked was leaving but eventually got over it and made his last few weeks here the best I could make them. 

Sr. Associate Athletic Director Mike Machholz was asked how unusual it is for a coach to leave prior to the season starting he said “Somewhat unusual within the semester but not that uncommon for late summer before fall season or mid-year before the spring season.  It really depends on when the opportunity opens up in most cases and this was an opportunity for Coach LeMay to get closer to his parents.  We are grateful for all that he has done while here at MVC and wish him good luck in the future.”

 Most of the lacrosse players were shocked and uncertain as to how the season would go after having their coach leave so abruptly. For some athletes this is their senior season, so they were worried if they would have a season, or if the athletic department would be able to find a coach in a short amount of time. Machholz said as soon as the department was aware of his departure they began looking for possible coaches for the season.  

“It was hard for me because I’m a senior this year and we have gotten a new coach every year so it’s hard to keep transitioning from coach to coach but I am happy that Lemay is making good moves for his career,”  Kaitlyn Mccaskill explained, “ My plan for the rest of the season is to help as much as I can if we receive new people and to keep a good attitude about the upcoming season.” 

Some of the lacrosse players have either decided to transfer schools or step away from the sport as a whole. But with the NAIA rules, there is a possibility that players will have to sit out a season. Which is helping some of the players make the big decision of whether to transfer or not. Machholz and the athletic department plans to make the season happen. He said that Valley intends on having a season this season and the years in the future. But the program wants the athletes to stay rather than transfer. 

“Whether we have a coach in place or not, it is always the athlete’s right to make decisions for themselves regarding their future,” Machhols said. “As far as releases go, those are all done on an individual basis.  MVC would hope that all the athletes involved with Lacrosse would sit tight and continue to train so that we can bring a coach in and be ready to play.   Students who are in athletics don’t just go to school to play a sport, they are also striving for a degree as well.  All of their scholarships are still intact so that they can continue their education and be prepared for the spring season.” 

Matthew Heinzerling-Wies has now been named the Men’s head coach. The women are still on the search for a head coach, but still have time before the season begins. Heinzerling-Wiese is a Missouri Valley Alum, he was also an assistant coach at Clarke University before accepting the head coach position. 

“I had heard about the Lacrosse coach leaving Moval and thought this would be a great opportunity to become a Head Coach at my alma mater and try to steer the program in the right direction,” Heinzerling-Wies said.

“Our goal is to be able to complete our full season schedule and compete at the highest level that we can. I am setting a standard for my team to complete the spring semester with a team GPA of 3.0 or higher and hopefully getting a bid into the conference tournament!”