Avery Papalia was named the Head Men's Golf Coach at La Salle University in June 2024.
"We are excited to welcome Avery into the La Salle family," Puri said. "He brings remarkable passion for golf and student-athlete development, and we look forward to partnering with him to grow our men's golf program."
In his first season at La Salle, Papalia made an immediate impact on the program. The Explorers earned a pair of third-place team finishes at the 2024 Temple Intercollegiate and 2024 Matthews Auto Intercollegiate, with Ben Battye capturing medalist honors at both events, including a 7-under-par performance at Matthews. The team also recorded a fifth-place finish at the Red Bandana Invitational hosted by Boston College. At the 2024 City 6 Championship, held at Aronimink Golf Club, Armand Loscalzo finished as runner-up, carding a 74. La Salle posted its season-low team round of 283 (-5) at the 2025 Battle at Rum Pointe, continuing the program’s upward trend under Papalia’s leadership.
Papalia came to 20th & Olney after serving as the Head Men's Golf Coach at Wagner College for the 2023–24 season. He was named to the position in July 2023 at just 24 years old, making him one of the youngest Division I Head Coaches in NCAA sports. He led the Seahawks to an eighth-place finish at the 2024 NEC Championship, with two players tying for 12th individually. During his time at Wagner, Papalia coached Thomas Choi to a medalist win at the 2023 Metropolitan Intercollegiate, and Tyler Galantini to an individual title at the 2024 Carpetbagger Intercollegiate. Papalia hosted and ran the Metropolitan Intercollegiate at Montclair Country Club. Under Papalia’s tutelage the Seahawks won the 2023 Mark Laesch Award for largest improvement in team scoring average.
Prior to his coaching career, Papalia was a member of the Saint Francis University men's golf team from 2017–2023. He served as team captain from 2019 onward and was a six-time NEC Prime Performer. His best season came during his junior year, when he posted a 73.1 scoring average, the second lowest in the Northeast Conference. That season included a standout performance at the ODU/OBX Intercollegiate, where he shot 78-69-68, playing his final 30 holes bogey-free.
Papalia earned his Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Sports Management from Saint Francis in 2023, after completing his undergraduate degrees in 2021. He holds two Bachelor of Science degrees in Strategic Communications and Digital Media, with a Minor in Marketing.
Born in Johnstown, PA, Papalia spent most of his childhood in Kernersville, NC, where he attended East Forsyth High School. He was a three-time All-Conference golfer and qualified for the North Carolina High School State Championship during his senior year.
Papalia currently resides in Marlton, NJ.
"I am thrilled to bring my passion and experience to La Salle as the new Head Men's Golf Coach," Papalia said. "La Salle has a deep commitment to developing student-athletes both academically and personally, and I look forward to building a championship program to compete at the highest level. I am very grateful for this opportunity."
