Kevin LaSure ’04 enters his seventh season as head coach of the men’s cross country and track & field teams at the University of New Haven. LaSure served his first four seasons as the head coach for both the men and women's programs. As a head coach, LaSure has mentored 21 NCAA National qualifiers and 12 NCAA All-Americans.
Last academic year, LaSure mentored David Thomas ’12 to All-America honors in the long jump in both the indoor and outdoor track seasons. Thomas was also the USTFCCCA East Region Track Athlete of the Year in the indoor season and claimed NE-10 Championship Most Valuable Athlete honors during both seasons. Overall throughout the 2012-13 year, he was a five-time conference champion, five-time All-New England performer and eight-time USTFCCCA All-East Region recipient.
In cross country, the 2012 Chargers gave a glimpse of the future as they were led in all of their meets by freshman Sean Grady ’16.
In 2011-12, LaSure’s cross country squad exceeded preseason projections with a seventh-place finish at the Northeast-10 Conference Championship, while student-athletes Matt Jeune ’14 (indoor and outdoor) and David Thomas ’12 (indoor) each qualified for the Division II National Championships in track and field.
During the 2010-11 season, LaSure coached arguably the most successful student-athlete in the history of UNH athletics. Shannon Gagne won five NCAA Division II Individual National Championships during the year, three during the indoor season and two at the outdoor championships. She was the first student-athlete in NCAA track and field history to win three national championships at one meet across both track and field events when she won the 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash and long jump at the 2011 Indoor National Championships. LaSure also coach freshman Ada Udaya who qualified for both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor National Championships. The two guided UNH to the highest ever finishes by a Northeast-10 Conference team at NCAA Track and Field competition, fourth place at the indoor championships and ninth at the outdoor championships. As a team, the UNH women also finished second at the 2011 Northeast-10 Conference Outdoor Championships.
Gagne received many national awards following the season, including academic accolades. She was named the Division II National Track Athlete of the Year after the indoor and outdoor season, while being named Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year for the College Division, an award which encompassed all NCAA sports.
The women's cross country team also ran impressive during LaSure's fourth season. The team had an All-Conference runner, Dominique Stasulli, and improved their finishes at the conference and regional meets.
In his second season, LaSure coached Gagne to the program's first ever women’s All-American. The sprinter posted national qualifying times in both indoor and outdoor events. Her men’s sprinting counterpart, freshman Kevin Downing, also posted national qualifying times in his first season. Gagne and Downing led the Chargers at the Northeast-10 Conference Championships, including Downing being named the NE-10 Indoor Track and Field Freshman of the Year.
Highlighting LaSure’s first season with the Chargers was the women’s cross country team’s second place finish at the East Coast Conference Championships and the men’s cross country team’s third place finish. At the NCAA Regionals the men’s team finished seventh of 19 teams and the women finished ninth.
LaSure had served as the Chargers’ assistant cross country and track & field coach for the two years prior to his hiring while also a management assistant at Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Milford, Conn. As a member of the UNH staff, he was responsible for coaching the track teams’ sprinters and jumpers, as well as serving as assistant cross country coach during the fall seasons.
A 2004 graduate of the University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice – Investigative Services, LaSure also completed a Master’s degree in Labor Relations at UNH in 2006.
As an undergraduate, Kevin was a wide receiver on UNH’s football team from 2000-2003 and ran on the Charger track & field team from 2001-2005. He won the track team’s Sportsmanship Award in both 2004 and 2005, and was an All-New England performer in the 200- and 400-meter dashes as well as on the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams. A native of Newark, N.J., LaSure was a multiple-time all-county selection in track & field and earned All-State Parochial and All-America honors on Essex Catholic High School’s 4x200-meter relay team.
