BURLINGTON, Vt. — Vermont men's lacrosse head coach Drew Kelleher announced Thursday morning that Troy Haefele has been hired as an assistant coach. Haefele is the first addition to Kelleher's staff since he was named the eighth head coach in program history on June 8, 2026.

"I'm thrilled to welcome Coach Haefele to the Vermont Lacrosse family," said Kelleher. "Coach Haefele has been incredibly successful at Lafayette, Middlebury, and Nazareth and has proven the ability to recruit and develop players at an extremely high level. I think he is a great fit for our staff, and I know our players will love his attitude and work ethic!" 

Haefele comes to Vermont after spending the past two seasons as an assistant coach at Lafayette College. During his first season with the Leopards, the program surpassed the 10-win mark, won five Patriot League regular-season games, and received votes in the national rankings for the first time in school history. As offensive coordinator, Haefele helped Lafayette average 11.31 goals per game while leading the Patriot League in shooting percentage (.321).

Prior to Lafayette, Haefele spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons as an assistant coach at Middlebury College, helping guide the Panthers to consecutive NCAA Tournament quarterfinal appearances. During his tenure, Middlebury produced eight USILA All-Americans.

Before joining the Middlebury staff, Haefele spent five seasons at his alma mater, Nazareth College, from 2018-22. He served as an assistant coach for four seasons before being promoted to associate head coach for the 2022 season. In his final year with the Golden Flyers, Nazareth ranked among the nation's top 10 in goals, assists, points, shooting percentage, and man-up percentage while setting a program record with 307 goals.

Haefele began his coaching career at Dickinson College, serving as an assistant coach during the 2016-17 season.

A native of Greene, Maine, Haefele earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Nazareth in 2016 and later completed a master's degree while serving on the coaching staff. As a player, he was a four-time all-conference selection and All-American who helped lead the Golden Flyers to Empire 8 championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2013 and 2015. 

For news and updates about the Vermont men's lacrosse program, follow @UVMmlax on Instagram, X, and Facebook, and visit UVMathletics.com.