MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg director of athletics Rahsaan Carlton has announced that longtime NCAA Division I head coach Tom Gravante has been named the first men's lacrosse head coach in program history. 


Gravante will take charge of a Penn State Harrisburg men's lacrosse program set to begin NCAA competition in the spring of 2027. He brings with him three decades of Division I coaching experience after spending 28 years as the head coach at Mount St. Mary's and two more as an assistant at Bucknell.  


"We could not be more excited to bring on Coach Gravante as our first men's lacrosse head coach," said Carlton. "You'd be hard pressed to find someone as dedicated to the game of lacrosse than he's been the last 30 years. His overall experience, along with his passion for preparing young men for life beyond graduation, is the perfect combination to lay the foundation for our newest program."


Most recently, Gravante spent the last two seasons as an assistant coach at Bucknell, primarily working with the program's offense. 


"I am incredibly excited and grateful to accept the head coach position of the new Division III program at Penn State Harrisburg," he said. "I am honored to join the Penn State family with the guidance and support of Rahsaan Carlton and I want to extend my sincere gratitude to him and the search committee for their trust, vision and unwavering support throughout the process."


During his 28 seasons as head coach at Mount St. Mary's, Gravante led the program to unmatched success, including a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and eight conference tournament and regular season championships. A seven-time coach of the year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and Northeast Conference (NEC), Gravante amassed 178 victories during his time at The Mount. In 2002, he received the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Howdy Myers Man of the Year Award and twice served as head coach for the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game. Under Gravante's guidance, Mount St. Mary's student-athletes also secured numerous individual accolades, including three all-America plaudits, three academic all-America honors and 11 conference player of the year awards.


"The opportunity to launch and represent a new Division III program under the Penn State family is beyond exciting," Gravante continued. "It's a chance to build a competitive program from the ground up, rooted with integrity, hard work and passionate commitment to the young men who choose Penn State University for their student-athlete experience. I look forward to working with the current faculty, administration and staff to help my assistants and I build a competitive and respected men's lacrosse program at Penn State Harrisburg."  


During his standout collegiate career at Hobart, Gravante was one of the top attackers in the nation. He helped lead the Statesmen to four consecutive NCAA Division III National Championships during a sensational stretch from 1985 to 1988 and was twice named a first-team all-American for his efforts. Following a stellar senior campaign that saw him record 88 total points (66 goals, 22 assists), Gravante was named the J.I. Turnbull Outstanding Division III Player of the Year, the USILA Division III Attackman of the Year and he appeared in Sports Illustrated's "Faces In the Crowd" in June of 1988. 


"With over 30 years of coaching coupled with my college and professional playing experience, I've learned that success in the classroom and on the field is earned through employing discipline, commitment and accountability in your daily life," he said. "It will be my philosophy to lead by example and guide our young men to employ these characteristics and become outstanding student-athletes and leaders, as we begin to develop and sustain a team culture for the program. Upon graduation, I want our young men to be ready for the next journey of life which is the professional world."


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