Eastern University Men's Lacrosse

Shortly after leading the Eagles to a MAC Commonwealth Championship game in his one season as Interim Head Coach, Colin Piper had the interim tag lifted and will lead Eastern Men's Lacrosse. After a challenging season with several critical injuries, the Eagles became the first team to reach a MAC Commonwealth Championship game as a four seed.  In the opening round of the tournament, the Eagles scored in the final minute to claim an 11-10 win at York. The Eagles earned the win despite winning only 4-of-25 faceoffs in the contest.  Piper was appointed to the role of Interim Head Coach after serving as offensive coordinator for two seasons and three years on staff. In his role as full-time assistant, Piper was very involved in recruiting, teaching, program development, and a wide range of administrative tasks. Piper will look to build on a strong foundation left by outgoing Head Coach Kevin Wallace. He will be the sixth head coach in program history. Following in Wallace's footsteps, Piper will begin as interim head coach. Wallace, who won 134 games in his twelve years, began as an interim in 2012. His teams won six MAC Freedom Championships. Piper, from Manchester, Md., came to Eastern as a first-year student in 2016. After waiting his turn for two years, he emerged as a primary initiator on the Eastern attack in 2019. He led the Eagles in points with 29 goals and added 27 assists in that season. The following year, he was off to a good start when COVID shut down the entire NCAA Lacrosse schedule. He finished his career with 75 career points and is ranked in program history in both single-season points and assists.  In his time as offensive coordinator, the eagles have averaged 14.5 goals per game and have garnered six All-MAC Commonwealth honors on offense. In 2023, Nicholas Fanelli recorded the first 100-point season in program history, and the Eagles averaged nearly 20 goals per game in league play. Fanelli was named to the USILA All-America list and was Co-Attackman of the Year in the MAC Commonwealth.  5/14/24

Wallace began as the head coach for Eastern Men's Lacrosse in 2012 and has led Eastern to its most successful seasons in each of the last four years. In 2012, he guided the Eagles to Freedom and Mid-Atlantic Conference championships as an interim head coach. Wallace's team went unbeaten in Freedom Conference play and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament with a thrilling 12-11 overtime win over local rival Widener University.   With the interim tag lifted, Coach Wallace had Eastern Men's Lacrosse poised to take the next step toward national prominence. Eastern's 2013 squad finished 15-2 and earned a second straight Freedom Conference Championship. Despite being ranked nationally in winning percentage and several defensive and offensive categories, the Eagles did not get a chance to return to the NCAA Tournament because the Freedom Conference did not have an AQ.  The Eagles returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 after a 14-5 season and another Freedom Championship. Eastern made it four conference championships in a row in 2015 and made the NCAA Tournament for third time in program history.  Wallace grew up in Southeast Pennsylvania where he played high school lacrosse at Avon Grove before playing college lacrosse at Ursinus College. After graduation, Wallace moved to California where he coached high school and club lacrosse. Wallace and his staff have made recruiting inroads into local programs while looking to continue to recruit players on a national level.   Coach Wallace can be reached in his office at or through email at Kevin Wallace Head Coach Kevin Wallace began as the head coach for Eastern Men's Lacrosse in 2012 and has led Eastern to its most successful seasons in each of the last four years. In 2012, he guided the Eagles to Freedom and Mid-Atlantic Conference championships as an interim head coach. Wallace's team went unbeaten in Freedom Conference play and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament with a thrilling 12-11 overtime win over local rival Widener University.   With the interim tag lifted, Coach Wallace had Eastern Men's Lacrosse poised to take the next step toward national prominence. Eastern's 2013 squad finished 15-2 and earned a second straight Freedom Conference Championship. Despite being ranked nationally in winning percentage and several defensive and offensive categories, the Eagles did not get a chance to return to the NCAA Tournament because the Freedom Conference did not have an AQ.  The Eagles returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2014 after a 14-5 season and another Freedom Championship. Eastern made it four conference championships in a row in 2015 and made the NCAA Tournament for third time in program history.  Wallace grew up in Southeast Pennsylvania where he played high school lacrosse at Avon Grove before playing college lacrosse at Ursinus College. After graduation, Wallace moved to California where he coached high school and club lacrosse. Wallace and his staff have made recruiting inroads into local programs while looking to continue to recruit players on a national level.   Coach Wallace can be reached in his office at or through email at

Tony Verna brings 23 years of coaching experience to the Eastern staff in 2020. Coach Verna started his coaching career as an assistant coach at Friends Central School (1997-1998) before taking the same role at Sun Valley High School (2001-2004). After a year as an assistant coach (2005) at Great Valley, Verna served as Great Valley’s Head Coach from 2006- 2016. At Great Valley, Coach Verna’s teams won 126 games over 11 seasons, reaching the Final Four in the PIAA playoffs, twice. In 2017, Coach Verna had an opportunity to return to his Alma Mater, Ridley High School, and served as an assistant coach there for 4 seasons (2017-2020). Before he began his coaching career, he played collegiately at Saint Joseph’s University and Widener University. Coach Verna is currently employed at Great Valley High School as a Social Studies Teacher and resides in Ridley Park with his wife, Michele and his daughters, Alexa and Bella.

O'Neal ranked top-10 nationally for most assists per game in 2014, helping the team qualify for a second-straight berth in the NCAA Tournament after securing the inaugural OAC Championship. He was voted Offensive Player of the Year by the league coaches of the Ohio Athletic Conference. He is also a recipient of the Clyde A. Lamb Scholar Athlete Award. O'Neal was a health promotion and fitness major at Otterbein and is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer. He holds work experience through Cardinal Fitness Health Club and trained athletes as an intern at Soar Fitness in Columbus, Ohio. He also earned his certification as a National Strength and Conditioning Association's Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.