Pat Myers packed his things for a trip to Columbus, Ohio, earlier this week. He’d be visiting his family, who had already made it there, along with his brother Nick, who heads Ohio State men’s lacrosse program.

Now that August has arrived, Myers figured it was one of his last chances to relax before the rigors of the lacrosse season returned.

“It’s the calm before the storm,” he joked.

But this trip, at least figuratively, was a bit different. This time, he’d meet his brother as a fellow Division I head coach. After 16 years of coaching, Pat Myers got his chance.

This entire summer has been a new experience for Myers, who left his post as a Penn assistant to take over the head coaching position at Lafayette on June 4. He joined a Leopards program that has traditionally struggled nationally and in conference, but he’s hopeful he can change the culture in Easton, Pa. 

“Being a head coach is something I’ve always dreamed of,” Myers said. “I was very happy with my position at Penn and didn’t really have any interest to leave, but when you look at taking that next step and becoming the leader of a program, you want to do it at a place with great people. When I was offered the job, the excitement not only in being a head coach, but to do it in a place that the people that were hiring you really believed in you and your vision is something I dreamed about.”

After Myers got the offer, he called his wife, Lauren. Next up was his brother, who had watched him succeed as an assistant at Penn, North Carolina, Bucknell, Cornell and Ohio State. He had talked coaching with his brother for years, but now Nick Myers was advising his brother on joining the Division I coaching ranks.

“I’m blessed to have a brother that is a head coach, one you can bounce ideas off of,” Myers said. “I’ve been able to bounce things off him and he’s done the same with me. Now, taking this next step, not that you're ever prepared to do this, but he is somebody that I believe in and trust to be really honest with me about what the first 60-90 days are going to look like and I can really lean on.”

In the end, it was an easy decision for Myers to make. The support pledged by Director of Athletics Sherryta Freeman and others within the athletic department gave him the belief that he could turn this program around.

Lafayette, playing in the ever-competitive Patriot League, hasn’t won more than four games since 2010. In fact, the Leopards have had one winning season (2010) since 1984.

But Myers isn’t focused on turning the switch right away. He’s still yet to step onto the field with his new team. In the meantime, he’s spoken with various players and voiced his excitement for getting started with the Leopards.

His objective: To build a new culture centered around togetherness and dedication to the game. It’s already a group that he called “tight-knit” — one that forged together after the tragic death of freshman teammate McCrae Williams in September 2017.

“Now, they’re going to be playing for their third head coach in three years,” Myers said. “They’re excited about building a cultural environment about brotherhood. That’s something I’ve heard them say. They know they need to do more from an extra-work standpoint and investing more time into their craft.”

In addition, Myers expects to change the fall practice schedule, moving them to 6 a.m. in Fisher Stadium — where Lafayette’s football team plays its games. While most of the athletic teams on campus practice in the late afternoon (teams cannot practice during the academic schedule from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.), Myers’ team will get in practice early and be able to hit the weight room as a team. 

Myers said the weight room will play an integral role of helping field a competitive team in the Patriot League, one of the nation’s toughest conferences. They may be small changes, but enough to give players and supporters hope that Lafayette lacrosse could compete on the national stage.

“The challenge is that they haven’t had competitive success on the field. How do you attack that and build that belief?” Myers said. “It starts with building an environment of brotherhood, in terms of putting together a staff that fits that cultural blueprint. Guys that are willing to work hard and have a level of toughness. Right now, we’re at the bottom and we’re not going to hide from that and we have a lot of work to do to keep up. We’re going to embrace that process and roll up our sleeves and attack it.”

He's also prideful of the staff that he put together for the 2019 season — led by defensive coordinator Jud Hall, who recently spent three seasons in the same position at Colgate after working at Ohio State, and assistant Scott Bieda, the former Rutgers star that returns for his third season.

Hall brings a wealth of knowledge on the current Patriot League, and Bieda is just years removed from playing the game at its highest level. Not to mention, he starred for Team Puerto Rico in the FIL World Championship.

“I think they’re both bright and they’re both rising stars and super committed to the guys that are in that locker room and making Lafayette lacrosse a winner,” Myers said. “I couldn’t be more excited to have them here.”

The fall season is quickly approaching and there’s a palpable excitement for Pat Myers’ Division I head coaching debut. He knows building Lafayette into a winner will be a challenge, but it’s one he’s ready to take on.

Plus, he's got the wisdom of coaches like Mike Murphy and Joe Breschi to lean on. But his biggest source of guidance comes from his brother.

“The best advice came from my brother,” Myers said. “He said ‘Pat, you are going to get pulled in different directions. Wake up every morning, make a plan and do your best to stick to that plan each and every day and really prioritize the things that are really going to move the needle. Hit the reset button and do it again.’”

And in a couple weeks, Pat Myers will heed that advice as he prepares for his first season at Lafayette.

Lafayette is one of a number of programs to name a new head coach this offseason. Here's a glimpse at the rest of the men's Division I coaching carousel. This list will be updated as news arises.

Peter Burke
Promoted from Assistant to Head Coach at Holy Cross 

Peter Burke served as an assistant for Holy Cross for three seasons before being promoted to head coach on June 29. The news came after fourth-year coach Judd Lattimore was placed on administrative leave following reports of incidents within the program. 

Burke and fellow assistant Nico Capron took over the reins of the program mid-season, and Capron left in the offseason to take an assistant position at Colby. 

Liam Gleason
Albany (Assistant) to Siena (Head Coach)

Gleason joined the Siena program as head coach on June 28, weeks after he helped lead Albany to the NCAA final four for the first time as an associate head coach. Gleason will replace former coach John Svec, who was let go after going 11-30 in the past three seasons.

As much as it’s Gleason’s first head coaching experience, he the knowledge of having served as an assistant under Brian Brecht at Siena from 2008-10. 

“I'm excited for the opportunity to build Siena back into a MAAC Championship contender, and I look forward to rekindling the relationships I previously made with our loyal alumni base,” Gleason said at his introductory press conference.

Gleason enters with a defensive mind, aiming to boost a Siena unit that finished 69th in Division I, allowing 13.33 goals per game last season.

Matt Karweck
Notre Dame (Assistant) to Colgate (Head Coach)

Karweck was one of the later hires, joining on with the Colgate program on July 26. He comes to Hamilton after serving as a Notre Dame assistant for six seasons.

Colgate began its search for a new head coach after former coach Mike Murphy resigned on June 19 (he later took a job coaching Hill School [Pa.]). He’s another first-time Division I head coach heading a Patriot League program.

"My mentors, Kevin Corrigan and Gerry Byrne at Notre Dame, have taught me over the last six years many things, but certainly about the relationships with the student-athletes that you have to have,” Karweck said at his introduction. “We have an amazing group of young men here and you can tell the guys are really excited to push this program to be great."

Peter Milliman

Cornell (Interim) promoted to Head Coach

Cornell announced that interim coach Peter Milliman, who led the team to a 13-5 record and an Ivy League tournament title in 2018, would shed the tag and become the official head coach of the Big Red. Milliman had spent three seasons as associate head coach before becoming interim in 2017.

Milliman starts his first season as head coach looking to build off an NCAA quarterfinal appearance.

Jim Mitchell
Rutgers (Assistant) to Bellarmine (Head Coach)

Jim Mitchell, the former Rutgers assistant, was named Bellarmine head coach on June 20 following a national search. He returns to the school where he served as an assistant in 2013 and 2014, running the team’s defense. 

Mitchell spent four years leading the Scarlet Knights offense, one that included Scott Bieda, Jules Heningburg, Kieran Mullins and Adam Charalambides.

Eric Seremet
Air Force (Head Coach) to Rutgers (Assistant)

Eric Seremet was suspended for the entire 2017 season after members of the Air Force men’s lacrosse team were revealed in a hazing investigation. He and the program “mutually parted ways” over the summer.

Seremet decided to take an assistant position at Rutgers. Scarlet Knights coach Brian Brecht said he’s confident in Seremet despite the rocky ending with Air Force.

"None at all," Brecht said via NJ Advance Media when asked if he had any hesitation in hiring Seremet. "He didn't do anything wrong. I've known Eric for over 20 years coaching against him and working events with him in the summertime. There's no better coach, leader, offensive mind with experience to attract and bring to Rutgers to help our program grow and to provide our student-athletes the best experience throughout their four years here than Eric Seremet."

Bill Wilson
Promoted from Assistant to Interim Head Coach at Air Force

After the departure of Eric Seremet, Air Force decided to promote assistant Bill Wilson to interim head coach. Wilson spent eight seasons as an assistant with the Falcons after six seasons at the helm of the Dartmouth program.