CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland State University head lacrosse coach Dylan Sheridan stepped down from his position Monday to accept an assistant coach/offensive coordinator position at Ohio State.

"The Viking program is in a great place and poised for great things," Sheridan said. "I hope, in time, people will understand that I merely pointed the ship in the right direction, and that our student-athletes did all the rowing. There is no doubt the program will move on without me."

Sheridan, who arrived at CSU following coaching stints at Princeton and Denver, led the way as Cleveland State steadily built from the ground up, with the Vikings showcasing noticeable improvement from one season to the next.

Cleveland State had its finest season yet in 2019 with Sheridan leading the way. The Vikings won seven of their final 10 games to close the year, doubling their win total from the prior season in the process. In doing so, CSU posted a winning record in just its third season of existence despite facing six teams among the top 25 in the NCAA's RPI.

Cleveland State led the nation in opponent clearing percentage (.707) this past season, edging out national champion Virginia, while also finishing sixth nationally in faceoff percentage (.631). CSU finished among the top 25 nationally in eight team statistical categories overall with Sheridan's assistance in 2019 despite having no true seniors on its roster.

Coach Sheridan's teams also had tremendous success off the field, hosting Community Day events for local children, organizing a military appreciation event that raised over $6,000 for USO and posting strong academic marks, including a 3.34 team GPA in the spring 2019 semester.

"While I have only been here a couple of months, I have been so impressed by Coach Sheridan's leadership and his sincere approach to deliver on our mission of providing a transformational student-athlete experience," said Scott Garrett, Cleveland State Director of Athletics. "While we are certainly disappointed to lose a coach of Dylan's caliber and character, I wish him the best of luck and know that he leaves behind a program that is in tremendous shape. We are committed to keeping CSU lacrosse on a sustained, positive trajectory."

Garrett has named Andy German as interim head coach. German has served as the top assistant coach with the program throughout its three-season existence.  A national search will be conducted to fill the head coach vacancy permanently.