Joseph Michael Heckel joined the Concordia University Irvine coaching staff in the summer of 2025. A former goalie for the CUI men’s lacrosse team, he is in the second year of the MBA program concentrating in Corporate Sustainability for a career in Venture Capital Private Equity.
Originally from the East Coast, he brings coaching experience and a unique perspective. He coached for the HEADstrong Foundation in the Lehigh Valley, close to his roots in Southeast Pennsylvania and his home state of New Jersey.
As a student-athlete between the pipes, he redshirted his freshman year at Florida Southern College and later transferred to Anderson University (SC). He started at goalie the next three years at Anderson and went on to be voted All-SAC in 2022. That same season he was also featured as Jimmy John’s Player of the Week and was named SAC Astroturf Player of the Week.
The summer before coming to Concordia, he helped grow the game of lacrosse in Peru, introducing the sport to four high schools in that country. During his time there he helped host the first organized lacrosse tournament in South America.
