Piedmont University Athletics

Now in his second season as a graduate assistant coach is Sumner Gantz who returns for the 2017 season following his debut on the Piedmont College coaching staff in 2016.  Though new to the coaching staff, Gantz is no stranger to Piedmont lacrosse as a member of the inaugural recruiting class for the Lions having completed his four-year career with the Green and Gold as a player following the 2015 season.
 
As Gantz’ departure as a player for the Lions came as part of the first graduating senior class for PC, the 2016 season saw a depleted squad finish the year 1-11 missing out on the SEILC Tournament.  However, Gantz was a part of the program’s largest recruiting effort to date in the summer of ’16 to help rebuild the program bringing in more than 20 new faces to the Lions’ roster readying for a second season in the Dunton era in the spring of ’17.

Gantz' experience came in handy during the first summer he was on staff when Piedmont was moving from the Pete Manderano era to the current era under new Head Coach Tim Dunton who came to PC from Lasell College in the Northeast after 13 successful seasons. Manderano was the program's first coach heading up the first four seasons and bringing in Gantz to the program he called home as a member of the inaugural class of Lions lacrosse.

Though his stint as a graduate assistant with PC is his first college coaching experience, Gantz has already started his coaching career overall working with Atlanta Travel Lacrosse since 2012.  Gantz served the last two years as a head coach after starting as an assistant and led his team to several tournament championships including titles as a head coach at LB3 Summer Jam, Southern Open Lacrosse Championships, and the Catawba Classic in addition to two more titles as an assistant coach (Hogan Revolution and GA Southern Shootout).

Gantz led Piedmont to 21 wins during his four years on campus as a player and helped the program to several firsts as part of the first class to come through the program.  Gantz was a major piece of the program's first-ever victory scoring a hat-trick in a 19-10 win over Rhodes College in just the second game overall for the Lions on February 25, 2012.  

Making his living as a face-off specialist, Gantz led the team with his 75 face-off wins as a freshman before finishing his career as the program leader in that category coming up just nine shy of 500 in his four years.  Gantz was also the architect of the Piedmont offense in his time totaling a program-best 62 assists including a single-season high 26 in the 2014 season, one which stands still as the best in Lions history.  

Gantz would again tally another season of 20-plus assists in his final year with the team leading the squad in assist in both his junior and senior years with the program.  He would also place in the team's top five in total points during his final two seasons with the club as well.

Topping the program charts in ground balls with more than 250 in his career, Gantz tabbed a single-game high 12 in March of 2014 against Point University, the same contest in which he tallied a career-best seven points and five assists.  Gantz ranks 1st in program history in ground balls per game and was easily Mr. Reliable as his 57 games played is the most amongst any Lions including the nearly dozen graduating seniors who finished their careers with Gantz. 

In his final season with the team, Gantz helped Piedmont to a semifinal appearance in the first-ever Southeast Independent Lacrosse Championship hosted at Piedmont's own Walker Athletic Complex in mid-April.  The graduating senior finished out his career with a solid two-assist night that evening with the Lions falling to Ferrum College, the tourney's eventual champion.  

Also heavily involved with the Piedmont community during his time on campus, Gantz headed up the Piedmont Events and Promotion Team along with former baseball player Chris Georshel.  Together, the two along with fellow Piedmont students helped create some of the traditions that still exist today while also creating promotional events that helped bring Piedmont Athletics to the forefront.

In 2013, Gantz helped orchestrate the 'Madness at the Mize' event that ran as a part of Midnight Madness events across the country with new traditions being added for the Piedmont fans before they were dazzled with a dunk contest that went viral over social media.  In 2014, Gantz followed that up with the Homegrown Concert series which brought the John King Band to the Arrendale Amphitheater on the Piedmont campus.  The concert helped kickoff the Piedmont athletic year but also was a benefit event for Habitat for Humanity as well.  

For his work, Gantz earned the Ken Bernhardt AMA Atlanta Outstanding Collegiate Marketer of the Year Award in March of 2015.  The Ball Ground, Georgia native also volunteered in the community helping with the Piedmont Athletic Lion (PAL) Games which allowed elementary school students with special needs to compete in events at Cave Arena.

Having already earned a degree in the spring of 2016 from Piedmont College completing his undergraduate work in Business as a Magna Cum Laude graduate, Gantz is pursuing his Master of Business Administration from the graduate school at Piedmont while also assisting Dunton in all facets of the Lions lacrosse program.