SV grad Clakeley coaching up women’s lax at Presbyterian
CLINTON, S.C. — From game strategies and coaching techniques to forming connections within the sport, Eric Clakeley has been building his knowledge of lacrosse brick by brick for years.
He now finds himself in the middle of a major construction job at Presbyterian College.
Clakeley, a 2011 graduate of Seneca Valley High School, recently finished his fourth season as head coach of the school’s Division I women’s team. The Blue Hose compiled a 6-11 record this spring, the best record in the 15-year history of the program.
“I’m not going to pat us on the back for going 6-11, but the program has never had sustained success,” he said. “This past season, we had a player set the program record for career points and another tied the record for points in a season. We’re building stability and confidence and we’ve moved forward every year.”
Clakeley played lacrosse growing up, but turned his attention elsewhere in high school.
“Physically, I knew continuing to play wasn’t going to work for me,” he said. “I was a manager for the boys basketball team and charted plays for the football team for three years, was in the press box with some of the assistant coaches.”
Back then, he dreamed of becoming a head coach in football.
“Lacrosse is the sport I knew the most about,” said Clakeley. “Life takes you to different places and for me, the opportunities have always been there to keep me involved in lacrosse. I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself.”
He started refereeing youth lacrosse games while still in high school and enrolled at West Virginia University after graduation. While there, he was the defensive coordinator for University High School’s boys lacrosse team, helping the Hawks lead the state in every major statistical category.
He returned home in 2012, enrolled at Penn State-Beaver and became an assistant with SV’s girls team under head coach Katie Smolter.
“There’s a big difference between boys lacrosse and girls lacrosse,” he said. “I had never coached girls and had never seen a girls game. My first day, I think I had a hundred questions for Katie. She taught me everything, not just the rules, but she helped me realize the energy and passion the girls were bringing to the team.”
Clakeley completed his education at Penn State (2016) with a degree in business and from Lindenwood University in Missouri (2018) with a master’s degree in business administration. Prior to taking over at Presbyterian, he was an assistant women’s coach at Lindenwood University-Belleville in Illinois and Lafayette College.
His first season with the Blue Hose was cut short by the pandemic as the team went 2-5.
“The next season (2021), we beat Longwood for the first (Big South) conference win since 2017,” said Clakeley. “This past season, we went 3-6 in conference play.”
Presbyterian, located northwest of Columbia, the state capital, sees models for success in its own conference. Mercer University won this year’s regular-season title. High Point won it in 2021 and the two teams tied for the crown in 2022. Over the last three seasons, both programs have combined for a 38-4 record in conference play.
“The Big South is a good conference, a good place to grow,” Clakeley said. “It’s very competitive, especially at the top.
“We recruit players from Baltimore and Philadelphia ... have a player transferring in from Long Island. But the vast majority of our team is from the Atlanta area.”
Eric and Nicole Clakeley have two daughters — Marion and Eliza.
