Mercadante was named the first-ever men’s lacrosse head coach in Delaware Valley University history on August 12, 2013. After spending the first year organizing the program and recruiting, he has led the squad to 22 wins and one conference playoff appearance in four seasons of competition.
Mercadante led the 2015 edition to five wins - the most victories by an Aggie team in any sport in their inaugural season. They won the program's first-ever game, an 8-7 triumph over Immaculata University, and produced victories in three of its first four games. The Aggies notched a Freedom Conference (now MAC Freedom) win at Manhattanville College and saw one of their players, Danny Smith, earn a spot on the all-conference team.
The 2016 squad was selected to finish sixth by the MAC Freedom coaches. However, the Aggies had a historic campaign, going 4-3 in conference play and earning the program's first-ever conference tournament berth as the fourth seed. DelVal suffered a loss in the MAC Freedom semifinals to the eventual champion, Eastern, and ended the year 8-8 overall. PJ Rafferty was named the conference's Rookie of the Year while Danny Smith received Defensive Player of the Year honors. In total, seven Aggies were chosen to the all-MAC Freedom team in just the team's second season of intercollegiate play.
In 2017, the Aggies racked up six wins and placed five players on the all-conference team, including Smith who repeated as MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Year. Smith was also one of 16 Aggies named to the conference's academic honor roll and earned a regional academic honor as well from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Last year, 16 Aggies were once again selected to the academic honor roll while two players earned spots on the all-conference tram.
Prior to coming to DelVal, Mercadante spent four years as a full-time assistant coach at nearby Ursinus College. He was the defensive coordinator for the Bears and also coached the man down unit as well as running the substitution box. Mercadante also served as the team’s academic, budget, recruiting and video editing/software coordinator.
Ursinus posted winning records in three of Mercadante’s four years, including a 9-5 mark in 2013. That season also saw the Bears notch their first victory over a top 20 team when they defeated No. 18 York College. In 2011, Ursinus went 9-6 and reached the Centennial Conference playoffs for the first time in program history. One year earlier, Mercadante’s man down defense ranked eighth percentage-wise in Division III.
Mercadante was a four-year letterwinner and two-year captain at Dickinson College. His college career came after being a member of the four-time New Jersey state tournament champions at Delbarton School.
Mercadante, who has worked numerous camps over the years including roles as the site coordinator for Champ Camp and King of the Hill, graduated from Dickinson in 2009 with a bachelor of arts degree in American Studies. He has also added the duties of recruiting coordinator for the DelVal athletic department.
