Drew University Men's Lacrosse

A former standout for the Drew University men's lacrosse team, Dan Leidl C'97 will enter his fifth season as the Rangers' head coach in 2026. Leidl has guided the Rangers to vast improvement since taking over the helm in the summer of 2021. In his first season, he guided the Rangers to a 9-7 record, the team's best overall mark since 2012. In addition, Leidl coached a player who captured Drew's first, First-Team All-Landmark Conference award since 2017 and one Ranger who broke the Landmark record for points in a season. In 2024, Leidl steered Drew to an overall record of 10-8 - the program's first 10-win campaign since 2012. The team also went 5-4 in Landmark Conference play and qualified for the conference's postseason tournament for the first time in a non-Covid season since 2017. One year later, Leidl was honored as the Landmark Conference Men's Lacrosse Coach of the Year after directing the Rangers to another appearance in the Landmark Conference Championships, marking the program's first repeat postseason appearance since 2005-10. The team finished 10-7 and 6-3 in Landmark Conference play, good for third place in the conference standings, which earned the Rangers their first postseason home game since 2012. It also marked the most Landmark victories in team history and the highest conference victory total since 2007. At the individual level, four Rangers earned All-Landmark Conference honors in 2025, including one who was named the Rookie of the Year and went on to become the seventh USILA All-American in team history.   Prior to his return to the Forest, Leidl worked as the head boy's lacrosse coach and as an English teacher at St. George's School, an elite boarding school in Middletown, R.I., for three years. He provides the Rangers a rich and varied background, having coached and played at the sport's highest levels, building a successful career in leadership development, and co-authoring a book. At St. George's School, Leidl recruited nationally, bringing in players throughout the United States and even Canada. He had players go on to attend Kenyon College and Rhodes College - programs that were coached by Drew alums. During his time at St. George's, while disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Leidl worked with a variety of national clubs and showcases, including coaching with True National, Juniors Open, and both the CONNY and New England regions through Under Armour.  Leidl has also coached at multiple collegiate levels, including a one-year stint as a volunteer assistant men's coach at Stevens Institute of Technology. He was also an assistant women's coach at C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University, helping the Pioneers reach the NCAA Division II semifinals three times. In addition, Leidl was an assistant men's coach at Colby College and a graduate assistant men's coach at Tufts University. As a student-athlete, Leidl was an All-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) performer and MAC Player of the Year for the Rangers. After graduating from Drew, Leidl became a professional lacrosse player when he competed for the New Jersey/Anaheim Storm of the National Lacrosse League from 2001-04. He went on to represent the United States as a member of the National Indoor Lacrosse Team, helping the squad capture a bronze medal at the 2003 World Indoor Championships in Toronto. From 2002-15, Leidl served in multiple capacities for the Irish National Lacrosse Team. He initially joined the team as a player and went on to compete at the FIL World Championships in 2002, 2006, and 2010. He was a team captain on the 2006 squad before moving into a role as head coach of the Women's Team that competed in the European Championships in 2008 and the World Cup in 2009, when the squad posted a fifth-place finish. Leidl also served as an assistant men's coach for three teams that competed in World Championships. Leidl has also worked to assist the development of lacrosse in numerous capacities throughout the region. Most recently, he has assisted Glen Rock Lacrosse Association with the advancement of their youth program, and Patriot Lacrosse with the development of their indoor box program. Leidl began his career in leadership development as a managing partner for Meno Consulting from 2008-14. He later became the director of organizational development and human capital at Production Resource Group, the world's leading supplier of entertainment and event technology, from 2014-18. In 2012, Leidl co-authored the book Team Turnarounds: A Playbook for Transforming Underperforming Teams.  At Drew, Leidl was a versatile performer who competed at multiple positions throughout his career under legendary Head Coach Tom Leanos. As a freshman, he was one of the team's primary face-off specialists for a team that would capture the 1994 MAC title. He became a starting midfielder over the next two seasons and gained All-MAC status in 1996, when he posted career-highs for goals (29), assists (18), and points (47).  As a senior, Leidl took on more of a defensive role but still posted 11 goals and 10 assists on his way to earning MAC Co-Player of the Year distinction. He finished his career with 56 goals, 35 assists, and 326 ground balls, which ranks seventh in school history, while winning 53 percent (148-279) of his face-off attempts. He helped the Rangers qualify for the ECAC Championships in 1994, 1996, and 1997. Leidl graduated from Drew with a bachelor of arts degree in English and philosophy before earning his master of arts degree in child development from Tufts in 1999. He went on to pick up another M.A. in counseling and his doctorate in sport psychology from West Virginia University in 2008. He was inducted into the Drew University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.

Leanos is in his fourth decade as the Head Coach of the Drew lacrosse program. A fixture in the New Jersey lacrosse community and a member of the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Leanos has led the Rangers to postseason play 20 times, including conference playoff appearances in eight of the last 10 seasons. After claiming both the inaugural Landmark Conference crown in 2008 as well as the ECAC-Metro Championship, his teams continue to be among the top in the league. He owns a 23-12 record against conference opponents and has missed the playoffs only twice in seven seasons. His 2012 squad posted a school-record 13 wins and earned a trip to the Landmark Conference Championship game. Leanos had earned three Landmark Coach of the Year awards since entering the conference in 2008. With a total of five Coach of the Year awards to his name, six ECAC titles and a pair of conference crowns, Leanos has become a coaching legend in the lacrosse community. He ranks ninth in career Division III victories among active coaches and 11th among all-time coaches in Division III. His teams claimed MAC-East regular season championships from 1988-91, and he led the 1994 squad to the programs first-ever MAC Championship title. In addition, five of Leanos squads have earned the prestigious Frenchy Julien Memorial Sportsmanship Award from the District III Lacrosse Officials Association. Leanos has coached 95 players who have been named to All-Conference teams with four conference MVPs, six USILA All-Americans, and two Academic All-Americans. He guided the 1990 team to a final national ranking of 18 and also served as the coach for the South Team in the 1991 Division III North/South All-Star Game. A 1970 graduate of Hofstra University, Leanos was an All-Met Division All-Star for the Flying Dutchmen and participated in the North-South All-Star Classic. Prior to his arrival at Drew, he served as the head coach at Southampton College on Long Island and assisted at Salisbury. In addition to serving as the mens lacrosse coach, Leanos is the facilities manager for the athletic department, organizing the scheduling and operation of Ranger Stadium and all outside athletic facilities.

Manitta joined head coach Tom Leanos' staff as an assistant coach in the summer of 2015.   Manitta is a highly accomplished lacrosse coach with two decades of experience and a long history of success on the high school, Division II and Division I levels. He comes to the Forest after a three-year stint as the head coach at Division I Manhattan College, where he guided the Jaspers to individual and team accomplishments on and off the field. Manitta recruited the programs first three high school All-Americans, coached five All-MAAC Conference selections, and developed the 2014 MAAC Long Stick Midfielder of the Year. The team also placed 12 student-athletes on the MAAC All-Academic Team during his tenure.   We are thrilled to welcome Steve to Drew University and the mens lacrosse coaching staff, said Leanos, who enters his 33 rd season at the helm of the Rangers in 2016. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge and an unparalleled passion for the game of lacrosse. His commitment to growing the game is well known and his tireless work ethic has helped shaped countless young men into the best players they can be. I cant wait to see him on the sidelines and in the office.   Manittas lacrosse coaching career began in 1993 at Roxbury High School, where he was hired as the programs first coach. By his third season at Roxbury, he qualified the team for the NJSIAA State Playoffs. Manitta went on to accept the head coach position at Chatham High School in 2001 and compiled a 115-47 record over nine seasons. He was named the Star Ledger and Daily Record Coach of the Year in 2002 and coached five All-Americans, a State Player of the Year, and a State Midfielder of the Year during his time at Chatham.   Strong recruiting skills and 16 years of player development inspired Manitta to seek his first collegiate coaching gig in 2010. He was hired as the first head lacrosse coach in Mercy College history and also served as an assistant athletic director until 2012. His accolades at Mercy included an East Coast Conference Coach of the Year award in 2011 after posting an 11-3 record and a No. 7 national ranking. He recruited and developed the Division II Goalkeeper of the Year in 2011 and created the programs strength and conditioning platform.   "What an outstanding opportunity I've been assigned at Drew University, Manitta said. I've known Coach Leanos for years. He's a first class educator, and I couldn't be more excited to learn from a true Hall of Famer and assist in the continued development of this Rangers program."   Manitta earned a bachelor degree in business management from Nyack College in 2006.