Jacob Ashton enters his second season as an assistant coach with the Messiah College men’s lacrosse program in 2015-16. Ashton, a 2013 graduate of James Madison University, initally joined the Falcons after coaching for a year at Ohio Valley University.
Ashton played club lacrosse at James Madison for three years, where he started as a midfielder, helping the team to their first ever NCLL appearance. Ashton competed on a Dukes squad that advanced to the Final Four after upsetting No. 2 ranked Hofstra.
During his senior year at James Madison, Ashton coached at Bridgewater University as a volunteer assistant during their first season competing in the ODAC conference. Upon his graduation Ashton was an assistant coach at Ohio Valley University for the 2013-14 season. During that season, the Fighting Scots had four athletes earn academic honors and two earn all conference honors.
Regarding his coaching philosophy Ashton said, “My goal is to incorporate character traits such as honesty and hard work into my players. I'd rather have the hardest working players on the field; who I know will come to play every day and play to the whistle, then having the most talented squad.”
“I hope that through my coaching that I can teach good behaviors through reinforcement and building of good habits that will carry on through life. I want to be remembered for making a difference in a player's life, rather than being a tough coach who only gave them a hard time.”