SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican athletics announced a pair of staffing changes Monday as
Samuel Vogel-Seidenberg assumed the duties of the Faculty Athletic Representative and
Bobby Grove was elevated to the position of Head Men's Lacrosse Coach.
"It is a great honor to be able to continue to work alongside Sammy," director of athletics Amy Henkelman said. "He is a great leader, visionary and person. He has done an amazing job with the program to get it where it is today and made a phenomenal hiring in bringing on Coach Grove as he has been a tremendous addition to our coaching staff. Coach Grove will no doubt continue to move the Penguins forward with his experience and leadership."
Vogel-Seidenberg has spent nine seasons at the helm of Dominican men's lacrosse guiding his program to improvement in the MCLA and back to the NCAA for the first time since 2014. He will now transition to a full-time faculty position as an Assistant Professor in the School of Health and Natural Sciences. He will have big shoes to fill with the departure of Dr. Christopher Leeds who guided the Penguins to 11 PacWest Academic Achievement Awards but brings a wealth of experience improving the GPA of the largest roster of student athletes at Dominican. His teams have consistently been above a 3.0 GPA in the classroom and this season earned a 3.31 program GPA after a record 3.47 GPA during the 2022-23 academic year.
"I want to thank all the players who I have coached over my nine years at Dominican," Vogel-Seidenberg said. "Thank you for trusting me, thank you for working hard every day, and thank you for being a part of this family and my family. We would not be where we are as a program without all of you trusting me and giving your all everyday as a player and alumni. Thank you to all my past and current assistant coaches who helped make me better every day. Thank you to all the DU staff, Dr. Leeds, President Mary Marcy, and President Pitchford for believing in me and my vision for this program. Thank you to Amy Henkelman, you are an amazing leader and made it possible for me to get where I am today. Without you and your belief and trust in me and this program we would not be where we are today. Your leadership, guidance, and belief were everything, you motivated me to be better every day. Thank you to my wife and kids for dealing with the sacrifices that come with coaching. I am so excited to be the FAR at Dominican and continue to help and work with the athletes in a different role and impact more than just the lacrosse program."
Grove inherits a lacrosse program that is continually growing after he helped Dominican reach the MCLA Playoffs for the first time in program history in 2022 as their defensive coordinator. Grove brings a wealth of experience having served as the head coach of Tulane for two seasons while also serving as a player coach in Europe for Newcastle University and for the White Knights Lacrosse Club of St. Petersburg Russia.
"I would never have taken this role if I did not know that this program was in the best hands possible," Vogel-Seidenberg said. "Coach Grove and Coach [Lukas] Baildon have both done an amazing job in such a short amount of time and I know the program is going to thrive and move forward to an even higher level with Coach Grove at the helm. Coach Grove is an amazing coach, leader, and shaper of young men. He will take Dominican Lacrosse to the future and to the top I know it! "
Grove has helped coach
Noah Gibson who appeared in the 2024 USILA All-Star game in Dominican's first season back in the NCAA Division II while also helping Cole Ramsay earn the WCLL Defensive Player of the Year in his first season with the program. The Penguins have a roster of 60 individuals for the 2025 season with an accomplished offensive coordinator in Baildon. He has already begun his search for his replacement as he seeks to round out his first staff.
"I'm extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to take over as head coach here at Dominican," Grove said. "With the work we've put in as a staff over the past three seasons and with us getting ready for our first year as full members of the RMAC I think we have the makings of something special here. I'm thankful for all the amazing work Coach Sammy poured into the program to grow in the MCLA and relaunch in D2 this past season. I look forward to building upon that foundation with the backing and support of the university and department, and set up the Penguins for success on the field, in the classroom and community."
