Monday, Chris Feifs was named the associate head coach and defensive coordinator for Virginia men’s lacrosse. The arrival of Feifs marks the first choice at the assistant coach level under Coach Kevin Cassese’s leadership of the Cavaliers.
“Chris is one of the most elite coaches and leaders in our sport,” Cassese said. “He spent the last decade building Vermont into a championship-caliber program ... after establishing himself as one of the game's top defensive minds at North Carolina.”
Feifs’ hire expands the coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball. At present, the only other coach on staff working with the defense was Logan Greco. Greco was a championship-winning player for Virginia in 2019 who later came back in 2023 on the coaching staff to assist with defensive strategy, although he also helps with recruiting and scouting.
Feifs began his time in lacrosse at Maryland, where he was the first student from the state of North Carolina to earn a lacrosse scholarship for the Terrapins. He served as a team captain in his senior year. Over his time as a student, the Terrapins played Virginia eight times — four apiece in the regular season and postseason, with Maryland earning a 3-5 record against the Cavaliers in that time range.
In his first coaching position, Feifs served as an assistant at VMI for the 2008 and 2009 seasons. The Keydets had records under .500 both years, but notched their first appearance and victory in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament while Feifs was coaching, which eventually led to a promotion to offensive coordinator.
VMI struggled against Virginia both seasons that Feifs served as a coach, losing 24-5 and 19-3 against top-3 Cavalier squads in the first two seasons of a four-year Championship Weekend streak. Those losses contributed to Virginia’s best record against any opponent, with the Cavaliers being 25-0 all-time against the Keydets.
Following his time in Lexington, Va., Feifs coached at North Carolina, joining as an assistant coach in 2009 before eventually earning the title of defensive coordinator after several seasons. His experience was not limited to the defense alone, though, as he worked with faceoff specialists for the Tar Heels — including North Carolina’s first midfielder to be named first-team All-American in over 15 years.
With Feifs on staff, North Carolina was successful, making the NCAA tournament every year from 2009 to 2016. The Tar Heels won the ACC Tournament in 2013, and were co-regular season champions in 2010 and 2016 — the former of which they shared with Virginia.
However, what distinguishes Feifs is the final season he spent in Chapel Hill, in which North Carolina won a national championship against Maryland. Following this moment on the mountaintop, Feifs went north, taking up the helm for Vermont in 2016.
He ultimately became the winningest head coach in Catamounts men’s lacrosse history, amassing a 78-59 record. Along the way, he collected two America East conference championships, along with a smattering of runner-up spots. Although the two NCAA Tournament appearances only resulted in one victory, a 15-3 demolition of Manhattan in 2022, the blame hardly falls on Feifs for drawing No. 1 ranked Maryland in their two other NCAA tournament games.
Despite falling short on a national stage, the Catamounts regularly stood head-and-shoulders above their conference competition, with Feifs at one point shepherding a 16-game, four-season-long winning streak in regular-season play against conference opponents. Although in his first season Feifs’ Catamounts went 1-5 in conference play, Vermont never again slipped below .500 against America East competition over the remainder of his tenure.
The track record for Feifs is remarkably similar to Cassese’s — assistant at an ACC school, head coach for a lengthy stretch for a mid-major in a small conference, and then associate head coach at Virginia.
Per Inside Lacrosse but preceding the official announcement Monday, several players from Vermont men’s lacrosse entered the transfer portal. None have yet landed at Virginia, but it is possible that some Catamounts could follow Feifs south to Charlottesville.
The decision to hire someone as experienced as Feifs speaks to the prestige of Virginia within the lacrosse world, being able to pry long-tenured coaches away from smaller schools. When Cassese came to Virginia as an assistant, he had coached for nearly 20 years. Lars Tiffany had over a dozen years under his belt before coming to Grounds. Dom Starsia, Tiffany’s predecessor, paid his dues at Brown for a decade before coaching the Cavaliers.
A job at Virginia is a premier position, even if at the assistant level. Feifs recognizes this stature.
“Representing the proud tradition of U.Va. lacrosse is a responsibility I do not take lightly,” Feifs said. “I ... look forward to giving my all to the tradition of excellence in Charlottesville.”
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