One of the top vacancies in Division I men’s lacrosse is now filled. Joe Amplo, the former Marquette coach and U.S. national team assistant, has accepted the head coaching position at Navy. The school announced the hiring, which was first reported by Inside Lacrosse, on Wednesday afternoon.

Amplo succeeds former Midshipmen coach Rick Sowell, who was let go by the Academy after eight seasons in charge. He had signed a five-year extension in 2016, but Navy finished this season 6-7 and missed out on the Patriot League tournament.

In comes Amplo, who built Marquette into a consistent contender in the BIG East over his eight years (seven seasons) at the helm of the program. Hired as the first coach in program history, Amplo led the Golden Eagles to consecutive BIG East titles and NCAA tournament appearances in 2016 and 2017.

He finishes his Marquette career with a 52-53 record, including a 6-8 mark in the past two seasons.

“I am forever grateful to Marquette University, the people who believed in me, and the players who fought so tirelessly to build a nationally-recognized program,” Amplo said in a press release.  “I will cherish the relationships that we built and the memories we all shared knowing those experiences have provided me with a framework to lead a program that I have always held in the highest regard.”

“To begin, then lead a sport of a major Division I institution may be the most significant challenge in our profession,” Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk said. “To do so with such astonishing short-term success is historic. Marquette lacrosse with so many documented accomplishments is a tribute to a man whose untiring work ethic and determination provided life-changing experiences to student-athletes. Joe built a foundation on vision, sound educational principles, competed against and beat the best and left a legacy of success that can now be carried over to his next challenge at Navy.”

In addition to his work with Marquette, Amplo served as an assistant on John Danowski’s U.S. men’s national team staff for the 2018 FIL World Championships. The national team took home gold with a win over Canada in the final last July.

Amplo, also a member of the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Committee, will return to the U.S. national team staff for its 2022 run in hopes of defending that gold medal.