Lake Forest College Assistant Vice President for Athletics Jim Catanzaro recently announced the hiring of Daniel Coates as the Forester men's volleyball program's first head coach.

"We are proud to welcome Daniel Coates to Lake Forest College as the head coach of our men's volleyball program," began Catanzaro. "Daniel's background as both a player and coach, his leadership experience, and his deep understanding of the Division III landscape make him the ideal person to build this program from the ground up. His enthusiasm for mentorship and student development is contagious and we can't wait to see the culture he will create within Forester Volleyball."

The team is set to begin competition as a member of the Northern Athletics Collegiaet Conference (NACC) in the spring of 2027. Coates will spend the 2025-26 academic year recruiting players for the program's inaugural season.

Coates comes to the College after two seasons as a graduate assistant at Concordia University Chicago. The Cougars tied for fifth place in the 13-team NACC in 2025 and Coates coached the league's leader in points per set. Concordia boasted the NACC's leader in kills and points by a freshman in 2024 and the team's setter became the first in program history to surpass 2,000 career assists.

In addition to on-court coaching at Concordia Chicago, Coates also assisted the head coach in all aspects of the program. He earned his master's degree in applied exercise science.

Coates obtained his bachelor's degree in political science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 2023. He served as president of the school's club volleyball program and as a practice assistant for the women's varsity team. Coates also began his coaching career as an assistant with Borderline Volleyball Club, which is also located in Oxford.

"I'm beyond thrilled to join the Lake Forest College family," exclaimed Coates. "It's rare to earn the opportunity to build a program from the ground up, especially at a school as esteemed as Lake Forest. I'm looking forward to hitting the ground running this fall and crafting a culture of excellence, both on and off the court.