Haverford School names Dawson director of lacrosse program
Haverford School didn’t go far to find John Nostrant’s replacement as the head of its lacrosse program.
The school announced Monday that Brendan Dawson will take over as Haverford School’s director of lacrosse and assistant athletic director, effective Aug. 27.
Dawson will work on Nostrant’s staff this spring, his final season at the helm of the national powerhouse, then succeed Nostrant in the top job in 2019-20.
“We are excited about Brendan joining the Department of Athletics at Haverford,” said Mike Murphy, who replaced Nostrant as Director of Athletics, in a school statement. “He has led and elevated three college lacrosse programs and earned conference coach of the year recognition at each. Brendan’s desire to impact student-athletes at an early stage in their development and to further the tradition of Haverford School lacrosse made him a terrific fit for our program. We are fortunate to have such an outstanding coach to work with our boys, and to continue the strong legacy of Coach Nostrant.”
Dawson spent two seasons at Haverford College, breaking a seven-year postseason drought in 2018 to earn Centennial Conference Coach of the Year honors, despite a 7-8 record. Before that, the 2004 graduate of Salisbury spent five seasons at Widener, where he was the MAC Commonwealth Coach of the Year in 2014 and 2016. He also helped launch the program at Aurora University in Illinois.
“My family and I are eager to join The Haverford School community in this exciting new role,” Dawson said. “I would like to thank (Head of School) John Nagl, Mike Murphy, and John Nostrant for their faith in me. I am humbled by the opportunity to learn from Coach Nostrant in this coming year, and motivated to work at continuing the tradition of excellence that is Haverford School lacrosse.”
The spring will be Nostrant’s 28th and final season at Haverford School, where he has cemented a reputation as one of the nation’s finest lacrosse coaches. He stepped down in June to spend more time watching his kids play college lacrosse.
“We were fortunate to interview and meet with some exceptional candidates and Brendan handled himself very well,” Nostrant said in the statement. “He has a lot of experience for a relatively young guy. I am excited for him and feel very strongly that he will be a great fit for Haverford and that he and his family will be a part of the community for years to come. He is going to do great things here.”
