"Today is an exciting day for RMU Athletics and the men's lacrosse program," King said. "Selecting Craig McDonald as our new head coach sets the course for a new era of success in all phases of our program. He's been part of championship-level lacrosse at UMass, and he will bring that kind of competitiveness to RMU lacrosse.

"When we started this search, we were looking for a coach that was energized by the challenge of competing for and winning ASUN and NCAA Tournament championships and also understood the importance of building upon the history of the RMU men's lacrosse program," King said. "After speaking with several of the top head coaches in college lacrosse, it became clear that Coach McDonald has a strong ability to recruit, lead, inspire, communicate and develop meaningful and long-lasting relationships with student-athletes. His philosophies on the student-athlete experience align with the vision, core values, purpose and culture of our department and the men's lacrosse program. We are thrilled to welcome Craig, his wife, Maggie, and son, Conor, to the RMU family."

McDonald comes to RMU after spending the last seven years at UMass, where he started as an assistant coach before being promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2018. While with the Minutemen, McDonald served as both defensive coordinator, working with the goaltenders while assisting with the faceoff unit, and recruiting coordinator.

During his time at UMass, the Minutemen appeared in three Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championship games, winning the 2018 CAA tournament crown and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. In 2019, UMass advanced to the CAA Tournament semifinals behind a defense tutored by McDonald that ranked third in the country in scoring defense. Over the last four seasons with McDonald on the coaching staff, the Minutemen compiled an overall record of 31-18 (.633).

"My family and I are very humbled and thankful for the opportunity to join the Robert Morris University family," McDonald said. "I would like to thank Vice President and Director of Athletics Chris King for this great opportunity and his belief and confidence in me to lead the RMU men's lacrosse program forward as we move into the ASUN Conference. I'm excited to get started and look forward to building on the foundation and tradition that was established by Bear Davis and Andrew McMinn, as well as all the student-athletes that have come through this great program.