UNC men’s lacrosse head coach Joe Breschi, the winningest coach in program history, has agreed to a three-year contract extension through the end of the 2029 season.

Breschi has led UNC to 11 NCAA tournament appearances and the 2016 national title, when Carolina became the first unseeded team to take home the championship. Breschi was named 2016 national coach of the year.

“Our program goals have always been to recruit the best student-athletes nationally, compete for championships and be dedicated members of the UNC and Chapel Hill community,” Breschi said. “I’m excited for the future of Tar Heel lacrosse.”

The 2026 season is Breschi’s 18th in charge of the UNC men’s lacrosse program. A 1990 Carolina graduate, Breschi was named a first team All-American defender as a senior. Immediately after graduating, he served as an assistant coach at his alma mater and helped the Tar Heels win the 1991 national title.

Since returning to Chapel Hill in 2009, Breschi has won four ACC Coach of the Year honors and won a program-record 178 games. In addition to UNC’s 2016 title run, Breschi led the Tar Heels back to the NCAA Final Four in 2021. This year, Carolina sports a 9-1 record and is ranked No. 2 in the country.

In Breschi’s tenure, 42 Tar Heel players have earned All-America honors and five have been named ACC Player of the Year. Three Tar Heels have been named finalists for the Tewaaraton Award, given to the national player of the year.

“Coach Breschi has been an outstanding mentor to our student-athletes, not only on the field but in the classroom and our community,” said UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham. “He continues to bring in outstanding talent, builds great camaraderie, gives back to the community and graduates outstanding leaders. We are excited to have him continue to lead our men’s lacrosse program.”

Breschi and the Tar Heels open ACC play Saturday at Dorrance Field, hosting No. 3 Syracuse at 2 p.m.

 

Featured image via Dakota Moyer

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Men's Lacrosse's Season Ends vs. Syracuse in NCAA Quarterfinals
Despite leading 6-2 in the second quarter, UNC fell to No. 6 overall seed Syracuse 13-11 in the NCAA quarterfinals Saturday in Hempstead, N.Y. The Tar Heels’ season is over. Carolina, the No. 3 overall seed in the field, had taken its early lead thanks to three goals in rapid succession from Brady Wambach, Anthony […]
Photo Gallery: UNC Men's, Women's Lacrosse Win NCAA Tournament Openers in Chapel Hill
Both the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams hosted NCAA Tournament action at Dorrance Field during the weekend. The No. 3 seeded men’s team earned a blowout, first round victory against Albany on Saturday, before the No. 2 seeded women’s team handled Clemson on Sunday after having a bye in the first round. Check out […]
Pietramala's Record-Breaking Day Helps UNC Men's Lacrosse Beat Albany in NCAA Tournament
UNC junior attackman Dominic Pietramala rewrote several record books in a 24-6 Tar Heel win against Albany in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Saturday in Chapel Hill. The win was the Tar Heels’ first in the NCAA Tournament since 2021. 🗣️ HEELS WIN#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/2tGpLXLAB1 — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) May 9, […]
4 UNC Lacrosse Players Named First Team All-Americans, Several Others Honored
A combined four players between the UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams were named as first team All-Americans by USA Lacrosse this week. Brady Wambach earned first team honors on the men’s team, while Chloe Humphrey, Sam Forrest and Eliza Osburn each earned nods on the women’s team. Wambach, a junior faceoff specialist, has already […]
UNC Women's Lacrosse No. 2 Overall Seed, Men No. 3 in NCAA Tournament
The UNC men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are both national seeds in their respective NCAA Tournament fields, which were announced Sunday night. The women’s team is the No. 2 overall seed in the bracket, while the men are No. 3 overall. On the women’s side, the Tar Heels earned the No. 2 overall seed despite […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falls to Virginia in ACC Championship Game
Virginia scored 11 unanswered goals to end the first half to blow open the ACC Championship game early and beat UNC 16-6 in Charlotte Sunday. Carolina is still searching for its first conference tournament title since 2017. The Tar Heels had opened on the front foot, scoring two goals in the first five minutes to […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Beats Syracuse, Will Face Virginia in ACC Championship
UNC fought back from multiple deficits Friday night against Syracuse in the ACC Tournament semifinals in Charlotte and finished strong to defeat the Orange 12-10. 🗣️HEELS WIN #GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/BOPH3HoE0G — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) May 2, 2026 A low-scoring first quarter ended with the two teams tied 1-1, but Syracuse opened up a […]
UNC Men's Lacrosse Falls to No. 16 Duke in Regular Season Finale
No. 16 Duke raced out to an early lead and never looked back in a 16-12 win against UNC Saturday at Dorrance Field in the regular season finale for both sides. The Tar Heels found themselves down 2-0 inside of two minutes played, then trailing 4-0 before finally finding the back of the net late […]
Overtime Winner Helps UNC Men's Lacrosse Escape No. 8 Virginia
Despite losing a four-goal lead in the final 5:28 of regulation, UNC found a winning goal in sudden-death overtime to beat No. 8 Virginia 16-15 in a thriller in Charlottesville Saturday. 🗣 HEELS WIN#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/Y9oX8zVRcf — UNC Men's Lacrosse (@UNCMensLacrosse) April 18, 2026 In a topsy-turvy game, the Tar Heels found themselves trailing […]
No. 1 UNC Men's Lacrosse Falls at No. 2 Notre Dame
In a matchup of the two top-ranked teams in the nation, No. 2 Notre Dame got the better of No. 1 UNC Saturday in South Bend, outscoring the Tar Heels 6-2 in the second half to earn a 10-5 win. Carolina started on the front foot after Dominic Pietramala and Brevin Wilson each netted goals […]
›