SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- The Cal Poly lacrosse program has named Bobby Dabrieo as the new head coach for the 2016 season, announced team administrator and former head coach Marc Lea on Tuesday.

“It took us longer than we would have liked to find the right person for this job, but as the old saying goes – good things come to those who wait”, said Lea. “We are really excited for Coach Dabrieo to join the program. He has a lot of high quality coaching experience, but it was his passion for the game and his enthusiasm for teaching the game that really stood out for us. As much success as we have had over the years in the MCLA, we still recognize that player development is the key to long-term success. We are not as concerned with how the good the players are when they arrive here as with how good they are when they graduate, and we are really confident that will be a big strength of Coach Dabrieo’s.”

Dabrieo has a long history of success in both the playing and coaching ranks.

Dabrieo was a four-year starter on offense at NCAA DIII Plymouth State University from 2003-2006. He led the Panthers in scoring during his junior season and earned All-Conference honors in his senior campaign.

After earning his Business Management degree from Plymouth State, Dabrieo developed a successful career as a marketing manager for a direct flower broker. While balancing his business career, Dabrieo remained heavily involved with lacrosse and served as an assistant coach for Reading (Mass.) High, a program that won league titles during each season that Dabrieo was on the staff.

In 2015, Dabrieo joined Daniel Webster College, an NCAA Division III institution, as the offensive coordinator, guiding the Eagles’ offense to a 12 goals per game average, doubling their output from the previous season. Dabrieo has also been the head coach for the East Coast Rockets, a powerful Massachusetts high school club team, for the past several years.

“I'm very grateful for the opportunity to coach at Cal Poly. It's always been a dream of mine to be the head coach of a collegiate team,” said Dabrieo. “Cal Poly lacrosse is rich with tradition and I'm looking forward to the challenge of maintaining success both on and off the field. The four years of these student athlete's lives are so important and it is my responsibility to create as many life lasting memories as possible.”

Dabrieo will be taking over the reins of the Mustang program from long-time coach Marc Lea, who compiled the winningest record in program history during his fifteen years leading the team. Dabrieo joins a talented and knowledgeable coaching staff, which includes current interim head coach, Josh Moore, who is in his sixth season as the offensive coordinator. The Mustangs have three additional coaches in their first year with the team, including former Mustang MCLA All-American long-stick midfielder Chris Nespor, former Clarkson University NCAA Division III All-American midfielder Brendon Shearin, and Matt Leal, a Mustang team captain in '09.

"I'm very excited to bring Coach Dabrieo on and start working with him”, Moore said. “During the interview process, we had great rapport and share a lot in common with regards to how we coach. Additionally, this year's team is very young, with only a handful of seniors. Numerous underclassmen will have to step up and contribute, so Coach Dabrieo has a great opportunity for player development and will be able to work with largely the same team for the next couple of seasons."

Cal Poly made their first MCLA National Tournament appearance in 2002, and in the thirteen years since their debut they have returned to the tournament nine times and earned five Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL) titles. In 2015, the Mustangs finished the season ranked #6 nationally, dropping a close game to eventual title winner Grand Canyon University.