PHILADELPHIA — Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse head coach Scott Meehan announced Monday the hiring of former Hawk student-athlete and coach Charles Giunta '17, '19 as associate head coach.
 
"I had the pleasure of working with Coach Giunta in my first year on Hawk Hill and could not be more excited to bring him back home," Saint Joseph's men's lacrosse head coach Scott Meehan said. "He was a huge part of building this program as a player, and the energy and enthusiasm he brings to the game will be a tremendous asset to our team and our culture."

Giunta returns to Hawk Hill after six seasons as an assistant coach at Fairfield. In 2025, he helped guide the Stags to a 12-3 record, tying the program's single-season wins mark set in 2012 and 2014. Fairfield finished 8-0 at home and appeared in the national polls for 10 straight weeks before falling in the CAA semifinals to Drexel.

"I want to thank Jill Bodensteiner, Scott Meehan, and the entire athletic administration for the incredible opportunity to return to Saint Joseph's University. I have been deeply impressed by their vision for the program and their passion for creating a truly transformational experience for our student-athletes," said Giunta. "Hawk Hill is a special place, and I pledge to give everything I have every day, with relentless effort, selfless commitment, and unwavering passion for Saint Joseph's lacrosse. The Hawk Will Never Die."
 
Specializing on the defensive side, Giunta played a central role in Fairfield finishing second in the nation in caused turnovers per game (11.6) in 2025. The Stags' man-down unit ranked first in the CAA and 11th nationally (.750), while the defense allowed just 9.27 goals per game - the lowest in the league. Giunta coached CAA Defensive Player of the Year and consensus Honorable Mention All-American Julian Radossich, who set a program record with 41 caused turnovers and became Fairfield's first player to earn the honor.
 
Under Giunta's guidance, Fairfield ranked among the nation's top 25 in caused turnovers in each of the past four seasons. The Stags produced a yearly improvement in the category over each of his six seasons on the staff.
 
Prior to his tenure at Fairfield, Giunta spent two seasons on the Saint Joseph's coaching staff. In 2018, he coached the defense and faceoff unit as the Hawks ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense, and seventh in man-down defense en route to an NEC regular-season title and a then-program record 11 consecutive wins.
 
In 2019, Giunta oversaw the faceoff unit, helping the Hawks improve their win percentage by more than 20 points behind NEC Rookie of the Year Zach Cole. Cole won 62.6 percent of his draws (169-270) and collected 102 ground balls as a freshman.
 
Outside of the collegiate game, Giunta has served as director of youth operations and defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Big 4/HHH club program.
 
A four-year starter on defense at Saint Joseph's, Giunta appeared in 56 career games, recording 41 ground balls and 25 caused turnovers. He helped the Hawks to three straight NEC postseason appearances and was named team captain as a senior. He was also one of 20 national candidates for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award.
 
Giunta graduated from Saint Joseph's with a bachelor's degree in marketing in 2017 and a master's in organizational development and leadership in 2019. A Philadelphia native, he played high school lacrosse at William Penn Charter.