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Mike Faith
Mike Faith enters his 12th season at the helm of the Franklin & Marshall women's lacrosse program in 2024. He has guided the Diplomats to the NCAA Tournament during each of his seasons in which the national tournament has been held. His NCAA Tournament success includes three trips to the Final Four (2015, 16, 23) while making it to the Elite 8 on five other occasions. Faith has compiled a 173-42 record at F&M, including a remarkable 80-6 mark in Centennial Conference action. The Diplomats have won four Centennial Conference Championships under his watch (2015, 17, 21, 23). His overall record as a college head coach is 270-90.
Faith has seen his student-athletes be recognized among the nation’s best as Paige Moriarty ’18 was named the IWLCA Attacker of the Year in 2016 and 2017, while Vanessa Budd ’17 and Mary Pat McKenna '23 earned the IWLCA Defender of the Year award in 2017 and 2022. Faith's coaching has led the Diplomats to receive 32 All-America, 48 all-region, and 66 All-Centennial Conference awards during his tenure. Eleven players have earned Centennial Conference Player of the Year honors under his watch at their position, including seven Centennial Conference Defenders of the Year.
The Centennial Conference has recognized Faith as the Coach of the Year on three different occasions (2016, 19, 21), making him a five-time conference coach of the year during his career. He was also named to the Metro Region Coach of the Year following both the 2016 and 2023 Final Four appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
Faith was named the 12th head coach in the program's history on Aug. 1, 2012. He joined the Diplomats after eight seasons as the head coach at Elizabethtown College. Taking over a program just four years into its existence, Faith wasted little time building it into a perennial conference contender. The Blue Jays competed in seven conference championship tournaments, including five trips to the finals and two MAC championships under Faith's leadership. He was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2010 as Elizabethtown made its way through the conference schedule with an unblemished mark. Faith compiled a 97-48 mark at Elizabethtown, including a 65-14 record in conference play.
Under his guidance, 44 All-Conference selections were named, including four MAC Player of the Year honors and two Rookie of the Year awards. Also, 20 All-Region selections and four IWCLA All-Americans were awarded during Faith's tenure. Faith also served as the director of intramural sports at Elizabethtown.
"F&M has a remarkable tradition of success of our intercollegiate athletics programs, and the selection of Coach Mike Faith reflects our ongoing commitment to developing the talents, character and leadership qualities of all student-athletes," said former Dean of the College Kent Trachte at the time of Faith's hiring.
Faith was ecstatic at the time of his hiring about the potential of the program. "This is a great opportunity to work at one of the finest educational institutions in the country," Faith said. "I'm very excited about this new chapter in my coaching career, and I'm looking forward to leading one of the most successful women's lacrosse programs in Division III."
A 2000 graduate of Salisbury University, Faith brings his own experience as an All-American lacrosse player to the sidelines. As a student-athlete, he was named a first-team All-American in 1998 and was a two-time first-team All-Capital Athletic Conference selection in 1997 and 1998.
Before leading the coaching staff at Elizabethtown, Faith served as the first assistant women's lacrosse coach at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, a Division I program. While at UMBC, he helped lead the Golden Retrievers to their first two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003. He spent a year as the offensive coordinator at the University of Richmond in 2001 and spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons as a volunteer assistant at Salisbury.
Faith is a native of Perry Hall, Md., and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Fitness. He currently resides outside of Baltimore with daughters Maddie and Mollie.
Faith's Coaching Highlights
First in all-time wins at F&M
2016, 2019, and 2021 Centennial Conference Coach of the Year
2016 & 2023 Metro Region Coach of the Year
12 NCAA Appearances
3 Final Four 2015, 2016, 2023
5 Elite 8 2013, 2014, 2018, 2019, 2022
4 Centennial Conference Championships 2015, 2017, 2021, 2023
2016, 2018, 2019, 2021 Regular Season Conference Champions
36 All Americans
68 All-Region
110 All-Conference
3 Attackers of the Year for the Centennial Conference
1 Midfielder of the Year for the Centennial Conference
7 Defenders of the Year for the Centennial Conference
5 Rookie of the Year for the Conference
4 Players of the Year in the MAC
4 National Players of the Year (Paige Moriarity 2016, 2018 Attacker; Vanessa Budd 2017 Defender; Mary Pat McKenna 2022 Defender)
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