Dartmouth Athletic Director Josie Harper was also present at the meeting, according to team members.
Wilson, in an interview with The Dartmouth, confirmed that he had resigned and that a team meeting, which included Harper, took place. He said he would comment further on the matter until after an official announcement had been made by the College.
Rick Bender, director of sports information for the College, declined to confirm or deny Wilson's resignation, but said that he would have more information about the men's lacrosse team on Wednesday.
"[The meeting] was short on his part," one member of the team, who wished to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the subject, said. "He just told us that it was a tough decision on his part. He said he enjoyed coaching us, but that it was time to move forward."
The athletic department will start a national search for a new coach on Wednesday, according to team members.
"[Harper] said that they were going to work hard to get a coach that will do a good job and bring a winning attitude," the same player said. "She said the department would take our input seriously during the process."
The player added that it was his understanding that the athletic department would assemble a committee to conduct the search for Wilson's replacement, Since the team will retain strength and conditioning coach Kaitlin Sweeney, the student said that Wilson's resignation would mostly affect recruiting, and not the team's physical training.
"Now, since it's the end of the season, we have a four-to-six-week dead period where we don't have practices," he said. "We have a great class coming in, so the main concern will be keeping those recruits."
Harper also said in the meeting that there is a chance of an internal hire, but that she anticipated the new coach will bring in an entirely new staff, according to players who were in the meeting.
"She said that they would look everywhere for the coach, but that the program was looking for a fresh start," the player said.
Wilson also told the team on Tuesday that he wanted to meet with each member individually in the coming week.
"He told us he wanted to have individual meetings with us before he left," another player, who wished to remain anonymous because he did not want to cause divisions within the team, said. "He wanted to talk to us about his time coaching us, not as a team, but as individual team members."
Wilson arrived at Dartmouth in August 2003, after serving as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Cornell. Before that, he served as an assistant coach at Hofstra University and at Princeton. He helped coach both the Big Red and the Tigers to NCAA championships, and took the Pride into the later rounds of the NCAA tournament in 1998 and 2000.
In his first year in Hanover, Wilson coached the Big Green to an 8-5 record, good for third place in the Ivy League. The following year, the Big Green finished with an 8-4 record, despite being ranked as high as No. 11 nationally and beating then-No.9 Notre Dame.
Over the following three years, the team compiled a 19-20 record. The team hit a low point this past season, finishing with a 4-11 record, its worst in over 10 years.
Wilson did not give any indications as to what his future plans would be, players who were in the team meeting said.
"He didn't cite any reasons for his decision, and he said nothing of his future plans," another player, who wished to remain anonymous because he did not want to interfere with the hiring process, said. "He made no indication that he had other jobs lined up."
The player said he held no hard feelings towards Wilson, but was excited about the prospect of playing for a different coach.
"Obviously coach Wilson is a great guy, and I hope that everything goes well for him," he said. "But any time there's a new coach, there's a lot of excitement."
Another player, who also wished to remain anonymous to maintain team unity, said that change will rejuvenate the team.
"Everyone definitely feels a sense of relief and rejuvenation to start fresh," he said. "Everyone will be fighting for spots. When there's a new coach, there's a chance for everybody to reestablish themselves."
