When Jacob Manning played lacrosse as a kid, he didn’t feel fulfilled with his coaches.
“I think, in high school, I was never really satisfied with my coaching experience. I never felt like I was really pushed,” Manning said.
Now, he strives to coach the next generation of lacrosse players at Chapel Hill High School.
Manning finished his first year as the head coach of the Tigers with a record of 5-11, going 2-4 in the conference. Chapel Hill won three of its first four matches but dropped games to Durham Academy, who had a record of 13-5, and East Chapel Hill, who made it to the state finals.
Senior Duncan Tart led the way for the Tigers on the offensive end, tallying 36 goals and 19 assists, while sophomore Brett Reynolds scooped up 120 ground balls on the season, the most on the Chapel Hill squad.
Despite losing seven seniors, Manning is very optimistic about the future of the Tiger program. “I’m looking forward to how motivated a majority of the returning players are to get ready for the season,” Manning said.
Players are already asking Manning to get in extra work for next season. Chapel Hill will return its entire defensive unit, including junior defensemen Ben Gleiter, who was sidelined the whole season with an ACL tear.
When Manning arrived to teach history at Chapel Hill High school in 2016, he also took over the junior varsity team and was the defensive coach for varsity. “I love it here. I love the feel of the school,” Manning said. “I really feel like I lucked out by landing here.”
Manning focuses on the development of players, in hopes of establishing a dominant program. “[It’s great] to see the growth of the individuals, to see how the kids I coached on JV last year as freshmen and sophomores are already contributing on the varsity squad. For me, it’s about being competitive,” Manning said.
Tart commented on the positive impact that Manning has had on him. “Coach Manning has helped me become a better player by giving me the confidence to go out and take over a game if needed, while also showing me how to be the ‘quarterback’ of our team and a leader on the field,” Tart said.
Before he started his coaching career, Manning played lacrosse at Occidental College in Los Angeles, CA and served on the coaching staff at East Chapel Hill High School, when the Wildcats made the state semifinal four years in a row, advancing to the championship game in 2011. Manning also managed the Athens Drive High School and Seattle Prep lacrosse teams before coming back to Chapel Hill.
Manning replaced longtime coach Brent Voelkel. While many programs might experience a rocky transition between coaches, Manning feels that the program has held strong.
“I don’t sense any cultural change,” Manning said. “It also helped that I had so many of those JV guys on varsity now because they know exactly what the routine is.”
Gleiter also spoke highly of Manning. “He integrates a lot of little competitions in practice to make our team better and make practices more fun,” Gleiter, who still attended practice despite his injury, said. “Coach Manning has allowed me to stay involved with the team, even though I have been unable to play this year.”
Chapel Hill’s lacrosse program has won multiple state championships and produced many collegiate players, some of whom have even played professionally. One of Manning’s goals is to connect the current program to its storied past. “I think our past, while we don’t need to dwell on it, is really worth talking about,” Manning said.
While Manning recognizes the many previous accomplishments of the program and its players, he looks forward to continuing Chapel Hill’s legacy.
“We are a team that is poised for the future,” Manning said.
