PHILADELPHIA – Taylor Wray, an eight-time conference Coach of the Year and the winningest men's lacrosse coach in program history at Saint Joseph's, has been named the James H. Greene, Jr. Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse at Penn. Wray led the Hawks to eight regular season conference championships in 14 seasons and the program's first NCAA appearances.
 
"Taylor is a proven winner, and his teams play an exciting and tough brand of lacrosse," Alanna Wren, the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W'69 Director of Athletics and Recreation said. "We were impressed by his ability to maximize his resources and develop his student-athletes, both on and off the field. The future is bright for Penn men's lacrosse as we pursue Ivy League titles and deep NCAA Championship runs."
 
"I am deeply honored to be named the James H. Greene, Jr. Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse at Penn," Wray said. "It's an incredible privilege to serve as a steward of more than 125 years of lacrosse history and tradition. The University of Pennsylvania stands as one of the truly elite academic institutions in the world, and I am humbled to join a community that values both intellectual and athletic achievement at the highest level.
 
"Thank you to Director of Athletics and Recreation, Alanna Wren, Senior Associate AD Tim Folan, Assistant AD Keith Maurer, the incredible alumni, and all those who participated in the search process for this opportunity. Philadelphia is a city I love calling home -- a place known for its relentless spirit, toughness and pride. My goal is to build a program that reflects that identity, while continuing to develop student-athletes that represent Penn with distinction on and off the field. I look forward to leading this program with purpose, passion and great respect for those who have come before me."
 
Wray took over a program on Hawk Hill that was winless the year before he arrived. By his third season, Saint Joseph's was 11-4 and won the Northeast Conference regular-season championship with a 6-0 record. That 2014 season began a three-year stretch where SJU won three consecutive NEC regular-season titles with a combined record of 17-1.
 
The Hawks won the NEC regular-season title again in 2018, then from 2021-24 won 25 consecutive conference games en route to four regular-season titles, two in the NEC and two in the Atlantic 10. In 2022 and 2024, St. Joe's also won the postseason conference tournament and qualified for the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship for the first two times in program history.
 
During the past five seasons, Wray has led Saint Joseph's to a 54-23 record (.701 winning percentage) and a 30-3 mark (.909) in conference play. He owns an overall career record of 127-79 (.616) and a 57-21 (.764) record in conference play.
 
Wray recruited and coached the first 10 All-Americans in program history, as well as 76 all-conference selections, three conference Offensive Players of the Year, three conference Defensive Players of the Year, four conference Rookies of the Year, four conference Scholar Athletes of the Year, and two conference Players of the Year.
 
Wray's leadership made an impact off the field as well. He helped fundraise $2 million for facility and locker room improvements, set an all-time team high for cumulative GPA, and coached 14 USILA Scholar All-Americans. He was the IMLCA league representative for the NEC from 2017-22 and a member of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee (2017 and 2019).
 
From 2007-11, Wray was an assistant coach at Lehigh, serving as the defensive and recruiting coordinator. He helped recruit Lehigh's first-ever top 20 recruiting class and was instrumental in building the team that went on to win the 2012 and 2013 Patriot League championships. He began his coaching career at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C. as a graduate assistant coach, helping the team improve from 3-7 his first year to 9-5 his third year in 2006.
 
Wray has also served as a head coach and assistant coach for Team Canada from 2010-23. He was the senior men's co-head coach in 2023 and its defensive coordinator in 2010, 2014 and 2018. Wray was Canada's U20 head coach in 2012 and 2016 and defensive coordinator in 2022.
 
The Edmonton, Alberta native was a four-year letterwinner and team captain at Duke, earning team Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2003. He helped the Blue Devils to three NCAA Championship appearances and two ACC titles as a player.
 
Following graduation, Wray embarked on a professional career in the National Lacrosse League with the Calgary Roughnecks (2004-06) and Philadelphia Wings (2007-11). He was named the 2004 NLL Rookie of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year, helping Calgary to a league title. He was also an NLL All-Star from 2006-08. In addition, Wray was a member of the Canadian National Team, helping win the International Lacrosse Federation Outdoor World Championship in 2006 and Indoor Championship in 2007.
 
Wray earned his bachelor's degree from Duke in 2003 in biological anthropology and anatomy and a master of arts in teaching from Queens in 2006.