Josh Stewart enters his second season at the helm of the Eagles' lacrosse program in 2016. The Eagles started their program strong in 2015 with an overall record of 6-4 while competing in the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association's (MCLA) Southeastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC). Stewart led the Eagles to the SELC playoffs, qualifying for postseason play as one of eight teams to make it out of the 22 teams in the conference.
With the announcement from the NAIA that lacrosse is set to become a National Invitational sport, Stewart and the Eagles will compete in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (ACC) as an affiliate member beginning in 2016.
In February 2013, Asbury University announced the addition of both men's and women's lacrosse as the 16th and 17th athletic programs for the University.
In July of that year, Stewart garnered the honors of starting the Asbury program from scratch. A Maryland native and Messiah College (NCAA D3) lacrosse alumni, Stewart has been involved in the game of lacrosse for nearly 20 years, including the two years as an assistant at Messiah. Although only an assistant at Messiah, Stewart was often tabbed with recruiting, planning practices, and running training sessions for the Falcons during his two-year stint.
In his playing days for Messiah, Stewart was an All-MAC Conference goalie in 2010 as a captain, completing the season with a 5.6 GAA and a save percentage that ranked second-best in the nation (.689). Stewart led his team to a 21-13 record as a starter, as the Falcons advanced to the MAC Conference Tournament in both seasons.
As an assistant coach, the Falcons went 13-15 in two seasons, including 8-8 in a competitive Commonwealth conference. Stewart served primarily as the defensive coordinator and goalie coach for the Falcons. Additionally, he was charged with running the Falcons' summer camps which brought in nearly 200 kids annually.
Stewart came to Asbury after receiving his Master's of Arts in Collegiate Sports Administration (Higher Education) from Messiah in 2013. He also received his Bachelor's of Arts while majoring in Sport Management from Messiah in 2011.
Stewart also serves as the Sports Information Director for the University, managing the statistics for all the sports, the social media platforms of @AsburyEagles on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and upkeep of AsburyEagles.com.
Coach Stewart and his wife, Nicki, reside here in Wilmore with their two daughter, Avery and Teagan.
