Stevenson University

 Paul Cantabene enters his 23rd year at the helm of Stevenson men’s lacrosse for the 2026–27 season.

Cantabene stands as the winningest coach in program history, leading the Mustangs to 14 NCAA Championship appearances, one NCAA National Championship, eight MAC Commonwealth titles, the 2010 CAC Championship, and the 2006 ECAC South Championship.

Throughout his tenure, he has mentored numerous professional standouts. Mike Simon earned three MLL All-Star selections and won five MLL championships. Callum Robinson represented Team Australia at the World Lacrosse Championship and played professionally in the MLL. Jimmy Dailey captured three MLL championships, and eight Mustangs have gone on to be drafted into professional lacrosse.

Under Cantabene’s leadership, Stevenson has produced 11 USILA First Team All-Americans, 16 Second Team All-Americans, 14 Third Team All-Americans, and 61 Honorable Mention All-Americans. Steve Kazimer, Kyle Holechek, Evan Douglas, and Brett Hiken each received national positional honors.

In the IMCLA, Dominic DeFazio was named IMCLA South Defensive Player of the Year, while 13 Mustangs earned All-Region First Team honors and nine were named to the Second Team.

Within the MAC Commonwealth, Stevenson has produced seven Offensive Players of the Year, three Defensive Players of the Year, three Midfielders of the Year, two Rookies of the Year, and two Specialists of the Year. The program has also earned 66 All-MAC Commonwealth First Team selections, 52 Second Team selections, and 22 Honorable Mention honors.

Prior to joining the MAC Commonwealth, Stevenson competed in the CAC, where Jimmy Dailey earned both Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, and Ryan Rubenstein was named Rookie of the Year. Between 2007 and 2012, the Mustangs collected 38 all-conference selections.

Cantabene’s impact extends beyond Stevenson. In 2019, the PLL introduced the Paul Cantabene Faceoff Man of the Year Award in his honor. He was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2013 and 2017 and earned Coach of the Year recognition from FieldTurf and CaptainU in 2013. In 2012, he was inducted into the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He was also named to the MLL 10-Year Anniversary Team, recognized as one of the top 10 players in MLL history, and inducted into the Rochester Chapter of the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

While serving as Stevenson’s head coach, Cantabene was also an assistant coach for the U.S. Lacrosse team at the 2010 FIL World Championship. Prior to arriving at Stevenson in 2004, he held assistant coaching positions at Maryland, Towson, Johns Hopkins, and McDonogh School.

As a player, Cantabene competed for six seasons in Major League Lacrosse with the Baltimore Bayhawks and Philadelphia Barrage. He appeared in five championship games, winning three titles, and was a five-time MLL All-Star, two-time All-MLL selection, and recipient of the SoBe Iron Lizard Award in 2002. He also enjoyed an 11-year career in the National Lacrosse League from 1994–2004, playing for the Baltimore Thunder, Pittsburgh Crossefire, Washington Power, and Philadelphia Wings. In the NLL, he was a three-time All-Star, the 1999 All-Star Game MVP, and earned both MVP and Rookie of the Year honors with the Baltimore Thunder.

Cantabene earned his bachelor’s degree in communications and advertising from Loyola University Maryland, where he was a standout faceoff specialist. He was a Second Team All-American, team MVP, a 2003 North-South All-Star Game selection, and helped lead the Greyhounds to four NCAA Tournament appearances.

Cantebene resides in Seven Valleys, Pa. with his wife, Tracey Whetstone, an inaugural member of Stevenson's Athletics Hall of Fame, and his children Lilly and Curry. In 2025, Lilly earned an NCAA Championship title with the Shippensberg University Field Hockey Team.