Manitta Steps Down at Sussex

After 5 seasons, Sussex will have a new head coach on the sidelines in 2025.

Steve Manitta, the schools first and only coach has resigned after building the program to back to back Regional title appearances. 

Manitta coached 18 all conference, and all region players in his time at Sussex including two Region 19 players of the year, and three Conference players of the year, including this season with Nate Melnick capturing the prestigious honor after defeating Mercer for the first time in the programs short history. 

"Our teams were never large on the roster side, but we always played hard, we won some big games, played for titles, and created something special for the next coach to continue to build on," said Manitta. "The athletic department supported the guys, and gave us everything we needed in order to be as successful as possible. John Kuntz, Todd Poltersdorf, Cory Homer, Traci Smith, Joe Bruno, and so many others were terrific friends along the way as we all had a hand in developing this program from the ground up." Manitta continued. 

Over the past several seasons NJCAA men's lacrosse programs have pulled the plug, but Sussex continued to be competitive with smaller roster sizes. 

The Skylanders return several pieces from the 2024 team that lost in the Region 19 Final 12-11 to Del Tech and welcome a very talented incoming class.