St. Andrews Names Smith New Men's Lacrosse Coach

(Story and photo provided by St. Andrews Sports Communications)

LAURINBURG, N.C. - St. Andrews Director of Athletics Elizabeth Burris has announced the hiring of Kristian Smith as the new men's lacrosse head coach. 

"His background (made him attractive as a coach)," Burris said. "He wants to be here. I think he's energetic, I think he addressed the guys right away when he came on campus. He always was responsive, prepared, and ready to go." 

Prior to joining the Knights athletic department, he was the Keene High School men's head lacrosse coach in Keene, N.H., for two years where he managed a successful merger of two rival high school teams. He did so by focusing on film sessions, developing scouting reports, and implementing concept-specific practice plans. He also launched an indoor lacrosse league to support player development in the off-season. 

Additionally, he was the team's assistant coach for the 2020 season. During his tenure, he focused on developing the team's game-day defensive strategy. 

He also served as a volunteer head coach at his alma mater Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama from 2016-2018 where he developed warm-up routines for goalies and assisted with practice execution. 

"I'm just going to take every day, day by day," Smith said. "I coached six years of my life before this…I've picked up new things and just take it one at a time, go through it, and just dive straight in. Hopefully, it'll bring in kids who want to play, whether they are already students or incoming students."

Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts from Huntingdon College with a concentration in history. 

He officially assumed his responsibilities on January 3, 2024. The men's lacrosse team kicks off their season on Sunday, February 4, at home against Keiser University.