IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine men's lacrosse team is excited to officially announce David Castañeda as their new full-time assistant coach.

Castañeda will help in many ways during his first year at Concordia and will serve as the team's defensive coordinator.

Prior to CUI, he spent the last three years in that same role at his alma mater - Elmhurst University. He helped the Bluejays make three straight CCIW championships, winning their first league title this past season.

"We are thrilled to welcome David to our men's lacrosse program," said CUI head coach Jesse Foss. "He did an outstanding job at Elmhurst, and we are excited for him to bring that experience, knowledge, and passion to our program. As a Southern California native, David has strong roots in the area and a great understanding of the lacrosse community here. We believe he will be a tremendous addition to our staff, and we are excited to welcome him into the CUI Lacrosse family."

At Elmhurst, Castañeda oversaw the play of three USILA All-Americans (2025 & 2026), four IMLCA All-Region defenders, and eight CCIW All-Conference defenders. He led the best defense in the CCIW all three years of his tenure, as the team only allowed a measly 6.2 goals per game in conference during the 2026 campaign.

As a player at Elmhurst University, Castañeda was a 4-year captain and 3-year starter, earning the CCIW Respect Award twice. The Corona, CA native earned his Bachelor's in Sports Management in May 2023 and Master's in Business Administration in May 2025.
 
Castañeda joins a Concordia squad that opened some eyes this past season. In just the program's third year competing as a NCAA DII-sponsored sport, the Golden Eagles got hot down the stretch, defeating Colorado twice in back-to-back weeks and running the table with a thrilling overtime victory over Westminster to win the RMAC Tournament for the first time in school history. CUI also advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time and hosted its first round playoff game against Flagler at Golden Eagle Field in another overtime thriller.