Following the 2017 season he was promoted to the first assistant coach position and took over as the program’s recruiting coordinator.

A year ago, Stevens orchestrated one of the best defensive improvements in Cornell history, as the team finished the season ranked 18th in the nation in scoring defense (9.22 gpg), jumping 50 spots from the previous season (68th; 13.46). Following the 2018 campaign, four Big Red defensemen were named All-Ivy, including unanimous first-team selection and USILA All-American, Jake Pulver '18.

In his first season on the sidelines, Stevens helped a pair of Big Red defenders – Pulver and Marshall Peters '17 – earn All-Ivy distinction.