Mesa State College has named A.J. Stevens as the first head coach of the Grand Junction, Colo.-based school’s NCAA Division II men’s lacrosse program.

Stevens, who has also been named the school’s Director of Lacrosse, most recently coached the MCLA Division I program at the Claremont Colleges. Prior to that, he was the head coach at the University of Illinois, leading the Fighting Illini to a 23-13 record in two seasons. He has also served on the coaching staff for the Chicago Machine of Major League Lacrosse.

Stevens has also coached as an assistant at Dartmouth, and he was the head coach at NCAA Division III Roger Williams. He played three seasons at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth.

“We are excited to have Coach Stevens on board as our head men's coach and to oversee the transition of lacrosse as an intercollegiate sport at Mesa State,” Mesa State Athletic Director Butch Miller said in a news release. “He has the experience, knowledge and proven record to make an immediate impact in the sport of lacrosse around the region.”