MOUNT VERNON – Former NCAA Division I player and seasoned collegiate coach Jack Spallone has been hired to lead Cornell's men's lacrosse program.
Spallone, a native of Cortland, N.Y., arrives on the Hilltop after two recent head coaching stints at the NCAA Division II level. He was head coach at Saint Thomas Aquinas College (Sparkill, N.Y.) in 2025, following two years at American International College (Springfield, Mass.) from 2023-24.
"Coach Spallone brings many years of coaching experience, a strong background in the sport and a proven commitment to developing student-athletes on and off the field," said Cornell Assistant Director of Athletics for Sport Performance Curt Lamb. "John's leadership, energy and vision make him an outstanding addition to our program. We look forward to the positive impact he'll bring to Cornell men's lacrosse as we continue to grow, compete and pursue excellence within the NACC."
A three-year letterwinner at Division I Saint Joseph's University, Spallone has helped build collegiate programs throughout his coaching career, which includes successful stops in assistant roles at Division II Lewis University (offensive coordinator, 2020-22) and Division III Lycoming College (offensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator, 2016-19).
"I'm very appreciative and thankful of Cornell's administration for this opportunity, to have the trust and belief in me that I'm the right person to take the reins of the program," Spallone said. "I've been involved at every level of the sport and understand what the building process looks like. I'm excited to return to a place with a high-end academic focus and work with self-driven young men."
Known as a strong recruiter, Spallone bolstered the roster at Saint Thomas Aquinas in a six-month period prior to the 2025 season. In two years at American International, Spallone assembled the largest roster in program history, mentored two all-Americans and set a new standard for wins in a season, among several other school records.
While at Lewis University, the Flyers compiled 19 wins over three seasons, highlighted by a 9-6 campaign in 2022. Spallone coached 11 all-conference players there.
Spallone was an integral part of Lycoming College's staff, on which Chris Scanlon was named MAC-Commonwealth Coach of the Year. The team finished 10-7 and 9-9 in Spallone's final two seasons.
Spallone takes over a Cornell program that qualified for the Midwest Lacrosse Conference (MLC) Tournament four consecutive years from 2021-24. The Rams finished 5-11 last season as a first-year member of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC).
"I look forward to building relationships with the players," Spallone said. "My goal is to reach on-field success in the conference and compete at a high level. We're going to do it our way. Our style will be unique to us, well respected, but not liked to play against."
Spallone earned a bachelor's degree in marketing and business administration from Saint Joseph's in 2012. He then graduated from Southern New Hampshire University's Master's of Sports Management program in 2020 with a certificate in athletic administration, earning a 4.0 GPA.
A USILA Academic All-American at Cortland High School, Spallone finished his prep career with 229 points, fifth-most in program history.
Spallone has been head coach of the USA Indoor Box Lacrosse U16/18 Team since 2023. He's also coached Team Scotland the past two years.
