Andrew Copelan

Director and Head Lacrosse Coach

Andrew Copelan was named head coach of the Fairfield University men’s lacrosse program on August 25, 2008.  He is the third head coach in the varsity history of the program.

“I am extremely excited and honored to be have the opportunity to be the head coach of the lacrosse program at Fairfield,” said Copelan.  “There is a strong tradition of winning at Fairfield and I look forward to the challenge of taking the Stags to the next level.”

Copelan comes to Fairfield after serving as an assistant coach to Dave Cottle at the University of Maryland, for the past three seasons.  In each of those campaigns the Terrapins qualified for the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Final Four in 2006.

For the past two years Copelan has been the Terps offensive coordinator, leading one of the top ranked offenses in the nation.  Last season the Terps finished the year 13th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 10.5 goals per game, while finishing the season as the sixth-best team in man-up scoring. The Terps were also seventh in the nation in scoring margin in 2008.   In 2007 Copelan had Maryland ranked fourth in the nation in man-up goals and 12th in goals.

Copelan also served as the recruiting coordinator for Maryland in his final two seasons, with great success.  InsideLacrosse ranked the Terps 2008 class as the third best in the country, while the 2007 class was ranked second.  Individually, Copelan helped the Terps secure six of the top-50 recruits in this season’s class.

Copelan broke into the coaching ranks at Marist College in 2004 as the youngest Division I head coach in the nation.  That first season he was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Coach of the Year, leading the Red Foxes to the MAAC Regular Season crown and their first winning season in six years.  He followed that the next season leading Marist to their first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

Copelan was a four-year varsity letter winner at Bucknell University, where he earned All-Patriot League accolades. Additionally he was named to the Academic Honor Roll for Student-Athletes in each of his four seasons.

Kevin Conry

Assistant Coach

Kevin Conry is in his first season as a member of the Fairfield University men's lacrosse coaching staff.  In his role as assistant coach he will serve as defensive coordinator, as well as assisting with recruiting and game and practice planning.

Conry, a native of Rockville Centre, N.Y., has spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Penn State University.  With the Nittany Lions he assisted in recruiting efforts, helping sign the fifth-best recruiting class in the nation in 2008, according to Inside Lacrosse Magazine.  On the field he worked with the Penn State defense, helping them earn a national ranking of 13th in goals-against average in 2007.  He began his coaching career as an assistant at Siena College from 2004-06.

A 2004 graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Conry, was a four-year member of the men’s lacrosse program. He served as captain of the man-down unit, and was a member of the Blue Jays’ 2003 Division I National runner-up team. Conry, who holds a Bachelors degree in political science, also earned a Masters of Science in Education from the University of Albany in 2006.

Tony Vallance

Assistant Coach

Tony Vallance is now in his second season as an assistant coach with the men’s lacrosse program at Fairfield University.  He is responsible for coaching the goalkeepers and face-off men, as well as assisting in recruiting and practice and game planning.

Vallance comes to Fairfield from Bellarmine University where he has served as an assistant coach since Dec. 2003.  In that time he has worked with the goalkeepers, face-off men and defensive unit.  In addition, Vallance was responsible for recruiting efforts, strength and conditioning and opponent scouting.

Vallance began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at Dean (MA) Junior College during the 2001 season, coaching the goalies and defensive unit.  He spent Oct. 2001 through May 2002 in the Republic of Kiribati with the US Peace Corps.  Upon his return to the States, Vallance was hired as an assistant coach at Muhlenburg in July 2002, working again, with the goalies and defensive unit.  He also handled recruiting, and scouting in that role, which he held until making the move to Bellarmine.

A native of Laurel, Md., Vallance was a goalkeeper for Penn State from 1995-97.  He earned his degree, B.S., in Labor and Industrial Relations, graduating in 1998, from the University Park, Pa., institution.

Andy Whitley

Assistant Coach

Andy Whitley begins his first season as a member of the men's lacrosse coaching staff. Whitley will have a role in day-to-day operations of the Stags program, with his primary responsibilities being with the face-off men and scout team preparation.

Whitley comes to Fairfield after serving as an assistant coach at Yale for three seasons. With the Bulldogs worked with the goaltenders and defense, as well as helping design and implement the team's game plan on a game-by-game basis. He began his coaching career in 1997 at Wesleyan as the defensive coordinator. In that time the Cardinal defeated four top-20 teams and appeared in two ECAC Tournaments. Whitley also spent three seasons as an assistant coach at The Hopkins School in New Haven, Conn.

Whitley earned a pair of varsity letters at Franklin and Marshall College, helping the squad to the schools third-ever NCAA Tournament berth in 1995. He was a two-time All-Centennial Conference selection as a goalkeeper and currently ranks 18th in league history with a .574 save percentage and 25th with 346 career saves. Whitley played two seasons at Alfred University, advancing to the NCAA Tournament in each of those seasons. Whitley graduated from Franklin and Marshall in 1996 with a B.A. in Sociology.

Whitley, a native of Milford, Conn., and his wife Sarah Freedman, currently reside in Norwalk, Conn.