New Paltz, NY – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's lacrosse program rounded out its coaching staff with the hiring of assistant Dylan Neisler who will help inaugural head coach Dwayne Stewart in the Hawks' first season.

Neisler, a 2018 graduate from Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee, played under Stewart during his four years with the Railsplitters. A four-year starting midfielder during his playing days, Neisler will work primarily with the offensive unit for SUNY New Paltz as its offensive coordinator, while also serving as the programs recruiting coordinator.

"He brings a level of I.Q that I know for a fact because he has been under my system at Lincoln Memorial for four years. We got to the point where he understands exactly where my mind is lacrosse wise, so I think he is going to transition really well into this position compared to others," Stewart said. "At the same time he is a younger coach, really mature for his age, but where I think he is going to help out is [the] ability to relate to our younger players and get them to expand their minds and develop a little bit quicker than normal." 

Neisler, originally from Detroit, Michigan, developed as one of the best players for Lincoln Memorial and a player who Stewart entrusted with his offense. Stewart praised Neisler's ability to be another coach on the field and his leadership, two traits he believes will translate to the sideline for the Hawks.

"He was a person who led by example for his peers in his year being that he was at the initial start of the program," Stewart said. "He was the eldest and me knowing him for a lot of different things, he manned up to it and he did exactly what we wanted and then some. We appreciated him at Lincoln Memorial and we're looking to have that same kind of feel for him here at New Paltz."

During his time with the Railsplitters, Neisler recorded 72 goals and 31 assists, while totaling 20-plus goals in three of his four seasons. After his four years, Neisler graduated with a degree in exercise science from LMU and worked this past year at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he helped the men's lacrosse program as a graduate assistant coach, while pursuing a Master's Degree in Sports and Entertainment Business.

Although Neisler isn't familiar with the Hudson Valley region, he was excited for the move and the opportunity to influence the development of a new program. He hopes to bring his background from the Midwest and experience as a Division II collegiate athlete over to SUNY New Paltz's program.

"I am extremely excited... I am going to bring a Midwest attitude to this program along with a lot of knowledge from my experience with Stew at LMU and my experience having always played with Canadians growing up and that different style of play," Neisler said. "As a person though I can bring an understanding to what these kids are going to be going through as a new program and having started and been a part of building a new program during my time as a player at LMU."

Additionally, Neisler's unique experience of coming onto a start-up program at LMU mirrors the situation his players will face in the Hawks' inaugural season. He understands the learning curves the incoming players will face as a first-year program and Stewart believes that relatability will only help Neisler's rapport with the incoming players.

"I think in general when you can relate to somebody, you gravitate towards them a lot easier who is out of sync with you," Stewart said. "For Dylan, him being young, him still having some growing to do as a person just like anybody who is fresh out of college, I think the guys are going to look at him as a leader more than ever and his knowledge of the game is only going to get him the respect he deserves from our guys. With that, I hope that he transitions really well into his first assistant position and guys follow his lead how I think they will. Like my previous guys at Lincoln Memorial did as well."

Although the Hawks will have obstacles to face during their first year in a tough State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), Neisler believes in the potential of the program. He was a big part of the Railsplitters development as a program, helping the team improve each of his four seasons to ultimately compete for a conference championship his last year. He hopes to join Stewart in bringing that same type of influence to SUNY New Paltz.  

"New Paltz is an unbelievable place and I have not even scratched the surface of all it has to offer being that I have not been here long," Neisler said. "But personally I think, like I said before, the new connections in a place I have never been and working for a guy like Stew is going give me a lot of great experiences and push my career in the right direction. When it comes to the program there will be growth, how fast that growth comes is all based on how well we as coaches show these players and their families how much we truly care about them. If a player believes in what you are teaching them and understands that you have their back no matter what then the sky is the limit and I firmly believe that will be the case here with Stew and I." 

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