Piedmont College Men's Lacrosse

Duntons first season (2016) as the leader of the Green and Gold was the fifth season of the programs existence as the Lions began play in the spring of 2012 as Piedmonts 14th sport added.    Dunton came to Piedmont following a successful 13-year career as the Head Mens Lacrosse Coach at Lasell College in Newton, Massachusetts.  His first season at PC saw a depleted Lions squad go 1-11 overall after having graduated their first senior class the year prior.    Just prior to accepting his new role at Piedmont, Dunton led Lasell College to a 9-7 overall record in 2015 including a 5-3 record in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC).  The Lasers earned a postseason win with a 21-8 victory over Rivier in the GNAC Quarterfinals before falling to Emmanuel (MA) in the Semifinals, the eventual GNAC champ.   Duntons Lions will no doubt likely absorb their new leaders defensive prowess as his Lasell team ranked nationally in several NCAA Division III categories including a top ten spot in caused turnovers.  The Lasers were 7th in the country in the 2015 season with 12.5 caused turnovers per game and also ranked 11th in the country in ground balls per game as well.    Along with his defensive success, Lasell showed balance this past season ranking in the top-40 in the nation in both scoring offense and scoring defense while ranking 26th in scoring margin outscoring opponents by almost five goals per contest in 2015.  The Lasers possessed the most efficient attack in the GNAC during 2015 scoring 12.38 goals per game while also ranking 2nd in total goals (198 in 16 games), 2nd in assists (123), and 3rd in goals against average (7.66) while topping the league in man-up scoring percentage (34.9).    In his time with Lasell, Dunton led his team to conference tournament appearances in nine seasons across two league affiliations with one of those campaigns resulting in a championship game appearance, that coming during the 2011 season.  In a 2008 postseason run, Dunton's team earned the first-ever postseason victory by a Lasell athletic program as his Lasers defeated Plymouth State 10-5 before falling to his alma mater, Endicott College, in the ECAC title game.   Prior to Lasells current GNAC era, Dunton helped guide his team to postseason appearances in the ECAC during the 2003, 2005, 2006, and 2008 seasons during an 8-year affiliation with the Pilgrim League.  Duntons postseason showings included four in the ECAC and five in the GNAC including a run to the title game in 2011, the first year of affiliation in the GNAC for Lasell.    Since moving Lasell to the GNAC as a founding league member, Duntons Lasers dominated going 36-7 in five seasons since the leagues inception.  In all five of those seasons, Duntons teams posted winning records and most recently finished in the leagues top four this past year.    Overall, Dunton mentored 44 All-Conference selections during his 13 years with Lasell as the programs head coach including three Rookies of the Year, two Players of the Year, and four All-New England honorees.  Named Coach of the Year in 2005, Dunton owned a 107-98 record in his time with Lasell earning his 100th career victory just this past season against Centenary (LA) on March 15, 2015.    Duntons 107 career wins prior to coming to Demorest had him just outside the top 40 in the country on the NCAA Division III Winningest Active Coaches list.  Named as the Head Coach of the Lasers lacrosse program prior to the start of the 2003 season, Dunton owned a 65-37 mark in conference play over his 13-year career as well.   Success was not limited to the field for Dunton who also served in several administrative capacities at Lasell including his time as a representative for the Pilgrim League on the USILA (United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association) Top 20 panel.  Dunton also served as a representative on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee gaining invaluable knowledge of the selection process for the NCAA Division III Mens Lacrosse National Tournament.    In his 4th year on staff at Lasell, Dunton was named Assistant Director of Athletics, a post the coach would serve in for the next nine years before elevating to Associate Director of Athletics in 2014.  In his administrative work, Dunton oversaw equipment and facility operation, assisted with contest management, managed travel for the department, and served as a member of development committees.    Spending his collegiate playing days at Endicott College in the late 90s, Dunton was a four-year letter winner for the successful program which is coming off its 8th CCC (Commonwealth Coast Conference) title and 5th NCAA National Tournament appearance after the 2015 season.  In Dunton's time at Endicott, the Gulls went an impressive 42-19 earning double-digit win totals in each of his four seasons with the team. After his first three seasons saw the Gulls compete as a Division III Independent, Dunton's final season at Endicott saw the Gulls usher in a new era as a new member of the CCC going 6-2 in league competition making an appearance in the Quarterfinals of the league's championship tournament.     During his time with the Gulls where he was named a captain in his senior season, Dunton was a four-year letter winner and earned All-Conference accolades during his twilight campaign in 2000.  In that same season, the midfielder participated in the NEILA East-West Senior All-Star Game as well capping a fine four-year career for the Gulls.   A native of Billerica, Massachusetts, Dunton graduated in 2000 from Endicott College in Beverly, Massachusetts with his Bachelor of Science in Communications with a concentration in Media Production.  Dunton went on to earn his Master of Science in Sports Administration with a concentration in Sports Leadership from Lasell.    Dunton relocated from his hometown in the Northeast to the Peach State in 2015 along with his family: wife, Karen, daughter, Madison and son, Logan.     Season at Piedmont: Alma Mater: Record at PC: Overall Record: "I would like to congratulate Tim Dunton in the Piedmont College athletic department and community on the hiring of an outstanding and respected men's lacrosse coach but even more importantly a true gentleman in every facet. It has been a pleasure and a reward to see the growth of Tim Dunton first hand as a player, assistant coach and a well accomplished head coach. I could not think of a better person to build the Piedmont men's lacrosse program. The values, work ethic and loyalty that coach Dunton displays as a mentor, coach and family man will reflect in his everyday interactions with the Piedmont student athletes and community. Although New England is losing a very fine coach and man in Coach Dunton our loss in New England is Piedmonts gratifying gain! I wish Coach Dunton, his family and Piedmont all the success and happiness in years to come." -Sean Quirk, Endicott College

Gantz who returns for the 2017 season following his debut on the Piedmont College coaching staff in 2016.  Though new to the coaching staff, Gantz is no stranger to Piedmont lacrosse as a member of the inaugural recruiting class for the Lions having completed his four-year career with the Green and Gold as a player following the 2015 season.   As Gantz departure as a player for the Lions came as part of the first graduating senior class for PC, the 2016 season saw a depleted squad finish the year 1-11 missing out on the SEILC Tournament.  However, Gantz was a part of the programs largest recruiting effort to date in the summer of 16 to help rebuild the program bringing in more than 20 new faces to the Lions roster readying for a second season in the Dunton era in the spring of 17. Gantz' experience came in handy during the first summer he was on staff when Piedmont was moving from the Pete Manderano era to the current era under new Head Coach Tim Dunton who came to PC from Lasell College in the Northeast after 13 successful seasons. Manderano was the program's first coach heading up the first four seasons and bringing in Gantz to the program he called home as a member of the inaugural class of Lions lacrosse. Though his stint as a graduate assistant with PC is his first college coaching experience, Gantz has already started his coaching career overall working with Atlanta Travel Lacrosse since 2012.  Gantz served the last two years as a head coach after starting as an assistant and led his team to several tournament championships including titles as a head coach at LB3 Summer Jam, Southern Open Lacrosse Championships, and the Catawba Classic in addition to two more titles as an assistant coach (Hogan Revolution and GA Southern Shootout). Gantz led Piedmont to 21 wins during his four years on campus as a player and helped the program to several firsts as part of the first class to come through the program.  Gantz was a major piece of the program's first-ever victory scoring a hat-trick in a 19-10 win over Rhodes College in just the second game overall for the Lions on February 25, 2012.   Making his living as a face-off specialist, Gantz led the team with his 75 face-off wins as a freshman before finishing his career as the program leader in that category coming up just nine shy of 500 in his four years.  Gantz was also the architect of the Piedmont offense in his time totaling a program-best 62 assists including a single-season high 26 in the 2014 season, one which stands still as the best in Lions history.   Gantz would again tally another season of 20-plus assists in his final year with the team leading the squad in assist in both his junior and senior years with the program.  He would also place in the team's top five in total points during his final two seasons with the club as well. Topping the program charts in ground balls with more than 250 in his career, Gantz tabbed a single-game high 12 in March of 2014 against Point University, the same contest in which he tallied a career-best seven points and five assists.  Gantz ranks 1st in program history in ground balls per game and was easily Mr. Reliable as his 57 games played is the most amongst any Lions including the nearly dozen graduating seniors who finished their careers with Gantz.  In his final season with the team, Gantz helped Piedmont to a semifinal appearance in the first-ever Southeast Independent Lacrosse Championship hosted at Piedmont's own Walker Athletic Complex in mid-April.  The graduating senior finished out his career with a solid two-assist night that evening with the Lions falling to Ferrum College, the tourney's eventual champion.   Also heavily involved with the Piedmont community during his time on campus, Gantz headed up the Piedmont Events and Promotion Team along with former baseball player Chris Georshel.  Together, the two along with fellow Piedmont students helped create some of the traditions that still exist today while also creating promotional events that helped bring Piedmont Athletics to the forefront. In 2013, Gantz helped orchestrate the 'Madness at the Mize' event that ran as a part of Midnight Madness events across the country with new traditions being added for the Piedmont fans before they were dazzled with a dunk contest that went viral over social media.  In 2014, Gantz followed that up with the Homegrown Concert series which brought the John King Band to the Arrendale Amphitheater on the Piedmont campus.  The concert helped kickoff the Piedmont athletic year but also was a benefit event for Habitat for Humanity as well.   For his work, Gantz earned the Ken Bernhardt AMA Atlanta Outstanding Collegiate Marketer of the Year Award in March of 2015.  The Ball Ground, Georgia native also volunteered in the community helping with the Piedmont Athletic Lion (PAL) Games which allowed elementary school students with special needs to compete in events at Cave Arena. Having already earned a degree in the spring of 2016 from Piedmont College completing his undergraduate work in Business as a Magna Cum Laude graduate, Gantz is pursuing his Master of Business Administration from the graduate school at Piedmont while also assisting Dunton in all facets of the Lions lacrosse program.