Tom West
Director of Lacrosse and Varsity Boys' Lacrosse Head Coach
Email

Tom West was named Director of Lacrosse and Varsity Boys' Lacrosse Head Coach in October 2021. West has extensive and successful coaching experience at the high school, club and college levels. He has guided the Bulldogs to three straight district titles and three state semifinal appearances, along with a state final berth in 2023.

West started the Ponte Vedra High School lacrosse program in 2008, building the Sharks into one of the top high school lacrosse teams in the state and nation. He led Ponte Vedra to a state title in 2019, a runner-up finish in 2016, eight district titles, five regional championships and coached numerous players to All-American and All-State honors. West’s 2019 squad finished with a record of 24-1, ranked second in the South in the Nike/US Lacrosse rankings, was named the Florida Times-Union’s Team of the Decade and 14 of the team members have gone on to play lacrosse in college. West was named the 2019 National Coach of the Year by LaxRecords.com  and 2019 Boys’ Lacrosse Coach of the Year by the Florida Dairy Farmers Association.

West has produced an overall record of 385-75 throughout his more than two decades as a head coach. His accolades also include the 2021 News4Jax Coach of the Year; the 2011 and 2020 Jeff Holt/Pursuing Victory with Honor Coach of the Year; the 2006, 2010 and 2014 North Florida US Lacrosse Coach of the Year; the 2008 US Lacrosse Orlando Man of the Year and the 2004 US Lacrosse Orlando Assistant Coach of the Year.

West’s high school coaching career began in the late 1990s at The Phelps School, a boarding school in Philadelphia. He went on to Flagler Palm Coast, where he served as assistant coach from 2003-2005. West then started the lacrosse program at Matanzas High School in 2005, where he was head coach until starting the Ponte Vedra program. West’s history of building programs also includes the club level, founding Team Florida Lacrosse and co-founding the Florida Possums and Ponte Vedra Sand Gnats. He currently coaches the Florida Crabs 2024 Team.

West’s commitment to the sport of lacrosse also includes multiple efforts to grow the sport on a national level, develop players and help facilitate opportunities to play in college. He currently serves as Director of College Recruiting for the Florida Crabs, Florida Director of the Nike National All-Star Game, Executive Vice President of Events for Epoch Lacrosse equipment company, Co-President of Prospects Lacrosse Consulting and Executive Director of Lacrosse for Triple Crown Sports.

West’s coaching career began at the college level, as an assistant coach at Norwich University in 2000-01 and head coach at Saint Michael’s College in 2001-02. He played NCAA Division III lacrosse at Castleton University, where he earned at B.A. in Education and History. West earned a master’s degree in Education, Counseling and Psychology from West Chester University and participated in a Professional Development Program at Harvard. West is married to Bolles alumna Whitney Korchun West ’99 and has two children, Broderick 11 and Quinn 10.