SALISBURY, N.C. — Catawba College Head Men's Lacrosse Coach Mike Murphy announced the promotion of Will Urban to Associate Head Coach on Monday afternoon.

"It gives me great pride to announce the promotion of Will Urban to Associate Head Coach," said Murphy. "Will was one of the best D2 college lacrosse players in the country during his career at the University of Mount Olive. Fortunately, I was able to see him grow as a player, and later as a coach at his stops before Catawba."

The Bel Air, Md., native arrived in Salisbury ahead of the 2023 season to join Murphy's first coaching staff at Catawba. Urban has been the defensive coordinator for a Catawba Indian program that has improved from eighth to fourth among South Atlantic Conference teams in scoring defense from 2023 to 2026. He also helped facilitate the recruitment of and oversees three-time SAC Defensive Player of the Week Owen Conway and two-time Specialist of the Week Ben LoPiccolo. Urban's efforts have paid off in the win column with consistent growth from three wins in 2023 to seven in 2024, nine in 2025, and 11 in 2026. This season has been Catawba's third-winningest campaign in program history, warranting a peak national ranking of No. 10.

"Will has become one the top assistant coaches in the country and this promotion is well deserved. His tireless efforts in recruiting, scouting, game planning and developing our student-athletes has helped lead us into becoming a nationally recognized team both on the field and in the classroom. The trajectory of our program has been extremely positive the last few years and I look forward to pushing it to new heights with Coach Urban."

"I am thrilled to receive this new title as Associate Head Coach within this program that has grown to mean so much to me over these last four years," said Urban. "I am incredibly grateful to Mike Murphy, Michelle Caddigan, Christie Ward and the rest of the athletic department. The people around this program, the families, the alumni and the student-athletes I've had the privilege to coach have made a lasting impact, and I look forward to what impact I can continue to leave on this program."

The Catawba Indians hope to obtain an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament; the field will be determined on Sunday, May 3.