As Assistant Director for Sports Media Relations at Lehigh University, time will be limited during the school year. Unfortunately, so will my writing for In Lacrosse We Trust. I hope to still contribute over the coming months, but it will be in a much smaller capacity since the focus will be on my Lehigh teams, (which include men’s and women’s lacrosse). I hope to be back full-go next summer.
As one last parting shot, I wanted to share the story of Lehigh Men’s Lacrosse from my point of view, and what makes the program so special.
I have experienced many team dynamics, working with several different sports and types of teams. I can safely say I have enjoyed working with each and every team I have ever worked with.
From day one, I knew there was something special and unique about this Lehigh Men’s Lacrosse program. Entering Lehigh, I knew the Mountain Hawks were on the rise under head coach Kevin Cassese. I’ll admit, I didn’t know a lot about the program other than reading that it won the last two games of 2010 (both against nationally-ranked foes) and most of the roster was returning.
Looking back, those wins were just a byproduct of things not seen in statistics.
I will never forget, my first year at Lehigh, the team defeated Navy for the first time in 98 years and late after the game, I saw Coach Cassese in the parking lot. I said something to the effect of “congrats coach” and he responded “congrats to you too, you are part of this.” From day one, Coach Cassese has told his players that I am an extension of his coaching staff. He introduced me to the team and explained to them the importance of what I do, which is write press releases, do stats, work with the media… promote them.
From the beginning, the coaching staff and players welcomed me into their family. If I wanted to write a story, they didn’t scour at the thought of doing an interview. Instead, they looked forward to it and asked what they could do to help. It has always been a team effort. Most importantly, they have always understood how my role effects the program. A team is much more than simply on-field play. Running a solid program means enjoying success off the field – in the classroom, in the community, etc. My job is to publicize student-athletes’ success in all areas.
There are endless examples of Lehigh Lacrosse players going out of their way to thank me. Everything comes back to the culture Coach Cassese has created, which most of all is a culture of respect and hard work. There are good things that happen and there are invariably bad things that happen within a season, but most importantly, there is accountability. No one is perfect. If someone does something wrong, they are held accountable.
This is an underlying expectation within the program. It doesn’t need to be said. If you are part of Lehigh Men’s Lacrosse, you will work your a@$ off in all areas, whether it’s in film, on the practice field or in the classroom. This goes from players through coaches and even support staff. Most people associated with the program were told they were not fast enough for an ACC school or maybe not even good enough to play Division I college lacrosse.
The program enjoyed a breakout 2012 season, finishing 14-3 and hosting Maryland in the NCAA Tournament. The Mountain Hawks earned the #7 national seed. They may not have been the seventh fastest team in the country or seventh biggest team in the country, but hard work, good coaching and the right people on board led to a sum that was bigger than its individual parts.
Two year later, the success has continued and the program continues to gain momentum. Last season was a “down” year, but still featured 13 wins and a trip to the Patriot League Championship Game. A sign of any good program, people stepped up to fill holes that needed to be filled. After All-American David DiMaria exceeded 70 points in 2013, all Dan Taylor did was exceed that number, posting 76 and becoming one of the nation’s elite scorers (and the leading Division I Canadian scorer). Reid Weber went from the bench to posting 44 points while Kurtis Kaunas emerged as an All-Patriot League midfielder and Alex Eaton jumped onto the first midfield line.
The same is true in the coaching ranks. Cassese has effectively mentored numerous coaches into prominent coaching positions, the latest being Brendan Callahan who was named Dartmouth’s head coach on Monday. Callahan lives and breathes lacrosse. He is a tireless worker who is bound for big things. He was the defensive coordinator for the nation’s top defense over the past three years. When looking at that time period, Lehigh allowed just 7.3 goals per game, 0.4 fewer than second-place Maryland (7.7). Callahan will greatly be missed, but I know the same thing will happen on the coaching side that happens on the field. Someone else will step in, learn and become an elite coach … due in large part to the culture of success that Cassese has created. There will be a learning curve, but the feeling of “next man up” will continue.
Just look at the track record. Taylor Wray was Lehigh’s defensive coordinator before Callahan and moved onto Saint Joseph’s. Early in his head coaching career, Wray has already turned a winless team (before he arrived in 2011) into an 11-win team (last season). Tom Compitello, a volunteer assistant on Lehigh’s back-to-back championship teams, was recently named the offensive coordinator at a very good Bryant program.
People wonder why I love working with the Lehigh Men’s Lacrosse program as much as I do. It’s one of those things you have to experience, and can’t truly be appreciated by my words. I did my best to articulate in this story.
The welcoming, family atmosphere coupled with the hard-working approach makes this a group of people you can’t help but root for and feel invested in. One thing I know for sure. As the talent level within the program continues to increase, the culture will continue to be the same.
