SUNY - Oneonta Men's Lacrosse

Pete Owens was named by Oneonta in January of 2019 as the Head Coach for the men's lacrosse program after spending a year as the Interim Coach. Owens finished his ninth season as Oneonta's head coach in 2026. In 2026, the Oneonta team reached the SUNYAC Championship game for the second consecutive season after finishing the year at 10-8 overall and 6-1 in the conference. Thomas Hnis was selected USILA All-American Honorable Mention, while seven Red Dragons picked up All-SUNYAC selections. Wyatt Martin earned the SUNYAC Elite 20 Award for holding the highest GPA among conference championships student-athletes.  The 2025 season saw Oneonta finish 9-10 overall and 5-2 in the conference. Oneonta defeated Oswego in the SUNYAC Semifinals to reach the Championship for the first time since 2002. Jamie O'Neil was selected a USA Lacrosse and USILA All-American and was the SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year. In total, six Red Dragons were named All-SUNYAC. The Red Dragons had the SUNYAC Rookie of the Year in 2023 and 2024. Oneonta had four All-SUNYAC selections in 2024, and two in the 2023 season.    Owens on his vision for Oneonta Lacrosse: “It is my expressed goal and genuine intent to make SUNY Oneonta one of the best places to play college lacrosse in the country.  Consider everything that is a part of the student athlete experience: education, preparation, competition, travel, community service, team culture, campus life, etc.  When student-athletes, prospects, families, opponents, other groups on campus, or onlookers add everything up, they will see that ‘the whole is greater than the sum of its parts’ here at Oneonta.”   Entering his third year, the team has experienced steady improvement, climbing a spot in SUNYAC rankings in both 2018 and 2019. This past spring, the team finished second in conference in goals per game with 10.69, while attackman Stephen Panno was named SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year.   A native of Baltimore, Md., Owens comes to Oneonta from Goucher College where he spent two seasons with the men’s program.  In 2016, he worked primarily as the Offensive Coordinator while also being involved with the goalies and faceoff unit.  That season, the Gophers finished in the top-10 for extra-man offense with a conversion rate of better than 47 percent while having the leading extra-man goal scorer in Division III.   Prior to Goucher, Owens served as the offensive coordinator at Gordon College in Massachusetts, for three seasons and helped lead the Fighting Scots to two conference playoff appearances in the nationally competitive Commonwealth Coast Conference.   He has also served on staff with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Lacrosse ministry, helping develop and manage their club lacrosse program.  Owens was able to work with elite level lacrosse players many of whom are playing in Division I as scholarship athletes.   Owens graduated from Messiah College in 2011 where he received a degree in Sport Management while playing four years of lacrosse.  During his playing career, the Falcons were a combined 39-26, reaching the MAC conference final twice.

Shaler is entering his third year working with the Red Dragons. He will be assisting the offense this year.  He also serves as a Residence Hall Director at SUNY Oneonta, and previously worked at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, N.Y.   He attended Canisius College in Buffalo, N.Y. where he received a Bachelors Degree in Digital Media Arts in 2009.  He most recently completed his Masters Degree from Syracuse University in Higher Education Administration in May 2013.   The Central New York native played lacrosse for the Chittenango Bears, where he earned two varsity letters.

Resnick returns to his alma mater this spring as an assistant coach.  Resnick played for the Red Dragons in 2013 and then served as an assistant coach during the 2014 season.   There are certain places that leave a lasting impact on an adolescents life and SUNY Oneonta has left an immensely positive impression for my teammates and I, as both a student and an athlete. While we spend an enormous amount of time working with our student-athletes on the field, our goal is to craft an attractive candidate for their future career, whether it be a broker on Wall Street or an aspiring teacher and coach. The colossal amount of resources available at SUNY Oneonta has provided myself, as well as thousands of alumnus with these same opportunities, allowing the growth from a youthful freshman to an ambitious graduate ready to enter the work force.   While looking for young men with talent on the field, we believe that a student-athlete must provide more than just natural ability in their sport. While searching for prospective student athletes, we believe that these athletes must show a selfless commitment to their teammates, a passion for the game, as well as demonstrating a positive outlook both on and off the field. While our student-athletes may enter SUNY Oneonta unsure of what the next four years may hold, our goal is for them to graduate from this institution and reminisce about this experience being the greatest four years of their life.   Its these memories that have brought me back to SUNY Oneonta after graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Adolescent Education with a focus in Social Studies. While I spent the last two years working as both a teacher and coach with the Briarcliff Manor School District, Westlake School district, and the Elmsford school district, I was lured back by my love for this school and this city.   I will now be preparing myself for the next chapter in my life as I work on my Masters Degree in Literacy. I will certainly miss the young men I have coached in football for the Briarcliff/Alexander Hamilton football team. It was a great experience to get to work at the high school I graduated from and work with the coaches that impacted me greatly as a young man.   While I may have viewed the Westlake Wildcats as the enemy growing up in the town next door, I will certainly miss the great community and the young men I had the chance to coach over at Westlake High School. It was at Westlake where I was lucky enough to spend two seasons with the lacrosse team, making the playoffs for the first time in school history my first year coaching (and getting our first playoff win), as well as getting to work with a close friend and leading Westlake to a top 15 defense in all of section 1. It was this relationship with both the coach and the players (positivity is contagious) that I believe lead Westlake to their first ever 3 seed in the playoffs, leading to the first ever playoff home games in school history (And playoff home win).   Oneonta has always held a special place in my heart and not only provided me with a great education, but a group of friends that will last a lifetime. While we may not have as much time to spend together as we once did during our time in Oneonta, its thankfully because we all have jobs that wouldnt be possible without our time here in the classroom. While our love for the sport of lacrosse all brought us to SUNY Oneonta, its the connections we made both on and off the field that have kept us together. Whether it be gathering for a golf outing at Oneonta Country Club during alumni weekend (trying to relive our glory days), or playing together during the summer on the courses in Long Island, I couldnt be more thankful for the relationships and opportunities this college has provided me with during my time as a student-athlete. 

Holland joined the coaching staff for both lacrosse programs in the spring of 2021.   Holland has spent over a decade in the game of lacrosse dating back to his playing days at Shaker High School.  After graduating from Shaker, he continued his career at Widener University from 2011-15 eventually serving as Team Captain during his final season where he started all 17 games for the Pride.  As a starting defender, Holland collected 39 ground balls while causing 20 turnovers in his senior campaign and was selected to the Mid-Atlantic Conference All-Conference Second Team.   Holland is currently the President of the North Colonie/Shaker Capitals Youth Lacrosse Club a position he has held since 2018.  The Club is involved in developing community programs to help spread the game of lacrosse to young aspiring lacrosse athletes.   Holland graduated from Widener with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and served as the Team Leader of the Senior Engineering Project for the college.