Bio

Mark Penn joined the University of Tampa men's lacrosse coaching staff prior to the 2022 season and was a part of the coaching staff that helped the Spartans achieve their first-ever National Championship title.

He was previously the head coach at Florida Tech, where he led the Panthers for four seasons. He was with the Florida Tech program for nine years, serving as the head coach from 2018-21 after serving as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator from 2013-18.

Florida Tech played in only eight games due to the shortened 2021 season as a result of COVID-19. Reid Chaconas earned Preseason First Team All-America honors ahead of the season. Chaconas then became the program's all-time leading goal scorer this season when he tallied his 97th career goal against Florida Southern on April 6, passing Andrew Conley for the top spot. The Panthers had six players named to the All-SSC teams, Chaconas, Justin Williams, and Josh Vetter were named to the first team, Cristian Torres earned second-team honors while Luke Jayne and Zach Rozgonyi were tabbed to the Freshman Team. Chaconas received Second Team All-American honors from USA Lacrosse Magazine and the USILA. Chaconas and Vetter were both named to the USILA All-Region Teams.

Tech played just eight games during the shortened 2020 season. Prior to the start of the season, Reid Chaconas was named an Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-American. Chaconas and David Welsh earned SSC Weekly Player of the Week awards following the team's opener at Division I Mercer.

The Panthers went 7-5 overall and 3-4 in the SSC in 2019 and opened the season winning five of their first six games. One of those victories came in a 12-10 decision over Lenoir-Rhyne where goalie Dan Flock set a school record with 23 saves in the game. In the next game, Tech set multiple school records in a 24-6 win over Nichols College, including single-game marks for goals (24), assists (16), points (40), shots (66), ground balls (66), and face-off wins (27). Six players earned All-SSC honors in 2019, Reid Chaconas received first-team honors, Ryan Land and Logan Sweeney on the second team, and Addison Abramson and Tyler Oblong were played on the honorable mention team. Sweeney was also named an Academic All-American by CoSIDA.

Florida Tech went 9-6 overall and 6-1 in SSC play in 2018. The Crimson & Gray reached as high as No. 9 in the nation in the Nike/US Lacrosse Poll and No. 13 in the USILA Coaches Poll. The 2018 season started very similar to 2017 as the Panthers opened the campaign 1-4 before rattling off a school-record eight straight wins over the final nine games of the regular season. FIT took down No. 5 Tampa and No. 10 Mount Olive in consecutive one-goal victories during the streak and jumped out to a 6-0 mark in the league play, becoming the first team in SSC men's lacrosse history to reach six conference wins. The Panthers made their third appearance in the SSC Tournament but fell to Tampa in the semifinals. Eight student-athletes were named to the All-SSC squads following the season, including two on the first team, four on the second team, and two on the freshman team. Logan Sweeney became the third player in program history to be tabbed an All-American, earning USILA All-American Honorable Mention honors.

Penn helped lead Florida Tech to an 8-7 overall record and a 3-2 mark in the SSC in 2017. Following a 1-4 start to the season, the Panthers won six of their final eight regular-season games and earned their second-ever appearance in the SSC Men's Lacrosse Tournament. FIT picked up its first-ever victory over a Top-5 program this season, taking down Seton Hill, 5-3. Florida Tech defeated Lynn, 13-6, in the semifinals to reach their second league championship game in three seasons where the Panthers fell to Tampa, 12-8. Nine players from the 2017 squad were named to the All-SSC Teams, including five on the first team, two on the second team, and two on the freshman team. Addison Abramson and Grant Hughes became the first student-athletes in program history to be named All-Americans. Abramson was a USILA/Nike Third Team All-American while Hughes earned honorable mention honors. Hughes then became the first Panther to be selected in the MLL Draft, taken in the 10th round with the 82nd pick by the Florida Launch.

In 2016, an injury-plagued and inexperienced Panther squad posted a record of 6-7, including a 1-4 mark in the SSC. Highlighting the season was a 12-11 come-from-behind, overtime victory over Wheeling Jesuit at Johns Hopkins' Homewood Field. The Panthers also earned a key 13-11 victory over No. 19 Saint Leo on Apr. 1 at Florida Tech Panther Stadium. FIT had five student-athletes receive All-SSC honors: Brian Bacarella and Tom Filipow were named to the first team, while Tyler Covey and Addison Abramson were selected to the All-Freshman Team; Travis Wunder rounded out the pack with an All-SSC Honorable Mention selection.

In 2015, Penn guided a Panthers' defense that ranked 18th in the nation, and third in the Sunshine State Conference, in scoring defense, allowing just 9.19 goals per contest. Florida Tech was even more effective on man-down defense, stopping .776 percent of opponents' extra-man opportunities, good for ninth in Division II. Penn's aggressive style of defense helped the Panthers force a school record, and league-leading, 138 caused turnovers in 2015, 50 more than the previous mark set during the 2013-14 campaign. FIT also topped the SSC with 3.63 caused turnovers per game.

Leading the Panthers' defense was senior Jordan Carlock who recorded 58 caused turnovers, good for second in the nation in 2015. Senior goalie Eric Biller ranked 13th in the nation, second in the SSC, with a .551 save percentage. Biller also registered the third-most saves per game in the league, stopping 10.53 shots per contest.

Three Florida Tech defensive players were named to the All-SSC team in 2015. Biller and Carlock were awarded first-team selections while sophomore defender Tom Filipow took home second-team honors.

During Penn's first season as defensive coordinator in 2014, the Panthers caused 88 turnovers. Carlock's 19 are just four away from tying Stuart Nystrom for the career mark at FIT, while Cherry's 12 forced turnovers earned the Pa. native All-SSC Second Team and All-SSC Freshman Team honors. Against Mount Olive University, a program that concluded the month of April ranked No. 15 nationally, Carlock forced six turnovers, the most in a single game in school history, and second-most in a single game (14). All-SSC Honorable Mention freshman Travis Wunder also set the school mark in ground balls, recording 64 for the season. In his collegiate debut, Wunder registered 12 ground balls in a win over Coker College (Feb. 17). In their first-ever SSC victory, the Panthers' 49 ground balls against Lynn were a single-game high.

During his final two seasons at Westminster HS, Penn coached a defense that finished fourth in Maryland in opponents' goals per game (4.63) and first in the state in goal difference at 12.11.

His 2013 club ranked first in the state of Maryland and 14th nationally. For their efforts, Westminster HS was named the Maryland High School Team of the Year. Ten players earn all-county selections and two were named to the all-state team. The championship was the program’s first-ever 4A State Title.

The 2012 team ranked third in Maryland and featured nine all-county picks. The Owls finished the season fifth in the state in goals allowed per game at 5.53 and advanced to the 4A State Championship.

Becoming the defensive coordinator in 2011, he coached a program that ranked sixth in the state with nine all-county picks. The team finished in the top 20 in goals allowed with 5.25/game.

From 2007-13, he was the goalie coordinator and defensive coordinator for the Chesapeake Rock, a club team that featured over 75 percent of their players go on to play Division I lacrosse.

He spent one season as the goalie's coach for the Friends School of Baltimore, an MIAA ‘A’ Conference team.

Penn played one season for Essex Community College in Baltimore. While at Essex, he was the team captain of a team that finished the 1995 season as runner-ups in the national championship. He earned NJCAA Final Four Defensive Most Valuable Player honors and was named to the all-20 Region team and Region 20 Tournament MVP.

After his sensational freshman season as Essex, he played one season at Salisbury University before transferring to Greensboro, where he helped the Pride to a 9-4 record and a top 20 national ranking in 1998.

Penn is a graduate from Towson University. He also played for the Jacksonville Bullies in 2012 and 2013, a Pro Indoor Lacrosse team that plays in the Professional Lacrosse League (PLL).