Stewart and Laura Moan will remember Saturday, May 4, 2013, with
nothing but fond memories.
The couple saw their youngest child, Lucy, receive her first Holy
Communion that morning. Hours later, Laura, the head coach of the
Susquehanna University women's lacrosse team, guided the
11th-ranked Crusaders to their first-ever Landmark
Conference championship title.
Laura, her two children, friends and family sat in the stands just
several hours later to watch her husband, Stewart, and his
Susquehanna men's lacrosse team win its own Landmark
Conference title, the first championship in program history.
Stewart is in his sixth year at the helm of the men's
program while Laura is in her fifth year as the head coach of the
women's team. Stewart took the job at Susquehanna prior to
the start of the 2007-08 academic year. Laura stayed home with
their two young children, George and Lucy, for that first year
before the women's lacrosse head coaching position opened at
Susquehanna. Laura applied, got the job and ever since then the
couple has been working together.
Both took over programs that needed the energy and fresh
perspective of new head coaches, and both programs received just
that.
“Stewart and Laura's extensive experience, strong
leadership and passion for lacrosse provided the framework for
elevating the competitiveness of our teams,” Susquehanna
Director of Athletics Pam Samuelson said. “This is an
incredibly exciting time in SU Lacrosse and it is a direct result
of their efforts.”
Stewart guided the men's team to a program-record 11-win
season in 2011 and was named the Landmark Conference Coach of the
Year that May.
Now just two years later, Stewart and his team found themselves
competing in their first-ever conference championship game. Last
Saturday's 6-3 home win over the United States Merchant
Marine Academy in the Landmark Conference title game made this 2013
season the most successful in program history. It is not over yet
as the Crusaders continue play in the NCAA Division III Men's
Lacrosse Tournament on May 8.
Laura, meanwhile, has seen her team earn national recognition the
past two seasons. This year the Crusaders women's lacrosse
team is ranked 11th in the nation, its highest ranking
in program history, and has a perfect 17-0 record to date, marking
the most wins in team history.
The women's lacrosse team made its second-straight Landmark
Conference championship game appearance this past Saturday. This
year, however, Susquehanna found itself on the winning side as the
team defeated defending champion Catholic by a 16-9 score.
Like Stewart's team, Laura and her players will see their
season continue. They received a bid to the NCAA Division III
Women's Lacrosse Tournament and are primed to make a deep run
at that event.
Saturday's wins were made even sweeter by the fact that
Stewart's 90-year-old father and extended family and friends
were in town. He was able to watch his granddaughter receive her
first Holy Communion and both his son and daughter-in-law win
championship titles.
The Moans certainly hope their seasons get extended far beyond
their first-round games on Wednesday, May 8, but no matter the
outcomes of their remaining games, Saturday, May 4 combined family
and Susquehanna athletics in the best possible way.
