In the midst of possible MLL expansion, NCAA Men’s lacrosse is also amplifying itself with the addition of four new teams for the 2014 season with Boston University, Richmond, Monmouth and Furman. In 2013, there two new teams in Marquette and High Point, with Michigan jumping from the MCLA to NCAA in 2012. Since these three teams first seasons, they have combined for a record of 10-46 – Michigan 2-26 (over two seasons), High point 3-12, and Marquette 5-8.
Boston University will be led by Ryan Polley, who was an assistant coach at Yale over the past six years. Assisting him are Drew Kelleher from Siena, who ended 2013 with the fourth ranked offense in Division 1 men’s lacrosse and defensive coordinator Justin Domingos, out of Colby College. The Terriers will compete in the Patriot League, taking on back to back champion Lehigh, and strong programs in Bucknell, Navy, Army, Lafayette, Colgate and Holy Cross. Lacrosse at BU has been dated back to the 1920’s for the women’s team and men’s lacrosse was an official student run organization in 1972. The men’s program helped form the Pioneer Collegiate Lacrosse League, which part of the MCLA. This will be the first time in school history that Boston University will field a varsity team in NCAA Division 1 men’s lacrosse. There will be one Sophomore on the Terriers roster in Syracuse transfer Elliott Burr, who is a native of the area from Hamilton, Massachusetts. Coach Polley has signed the team up for four exhibition games. Two will take place at the Catamount Classic against Sacred Heart and Hartford. Following are the alumni game on October 19 and their match-up against Team England on October 23.
The state of Virginia is adding another men’s division 1 program at Richmond, which will compete in the Atlantic Sun Conference, with Dan Chemotti at the helm. Chemotti comes to the Spiders after helping the Loyola Greyhounds take home the 2012 National Championship, where he spent five seasons trying to do so. Paul Richards will head the defense, face-offs and wing play. Richards was a volunteer assistant at Goucher College in 2009, coordinated the offense at Washington College in 2010 and has been part of the Cornell Big Red for the past three seasons. Steve Layne will assist with the fundamentals, technique and mechanics of the close defenders and joins Chemotti after working as Director of Lacrosse Operations at Loyola. All three of these coaches are coming out of Loyola. They will also be joined by volunteer assistant and current Charlotte Hound, Mason Poli, who just completed his four years at Bryant as an outstanding LSM under Mike Pressler.
New Jersey gives birth to Monmouth University, who’s men;s program has Brian Fisher leading them on to the field. Fisher is no stranger to the NJ lacrosse scene, as he both played and coached (five years) at Rutgers University. He has spent the past six years as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, helping the Fighting Irish’s face-off units to become one of the best n the Division 1 men’s lacrosse scene. Andrew Geison, a graduate of Maryland in 1999, joins Fisher after heading Elmhurst College’s first ever men’s Division 3 lacrosse program just last June. Andrew has also spent four season’s at DeSales as the head coach, along with two years at Lafayette as an assistant and a volunteer year at Rutgers in 2004, helping the Scarlet Knights to an NCAA Playoff berth. On the sideline with Fisher and Geison will also be Bill McCutcheon, a former attackman at Towson. McCutcheon comes to the Hawks after three years as the head varsity coach at Millburn High School. Good news for the Hawks is that they have five juniors joining their squad, which will give their incoming freshmen some leadership to look up to. They are Jordan McElligott out of Genesee C.C., John Castellano from Curry College, Brookdale C.C.’s Ryan Horsch, Onondaga C.C.’s and Zach Johannes from Franklin & Marshall. The Northeast Conference will welcome the Hawks as they join Mount St. Mary’s, Bryant, Quinnipiac, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart and Wagner in conference competition.
Here come the Paladins. Furman University went right for the gunny, hiring former Navy head coach, Richie Meade. While Meade prepares his team for battle in the Atlantic Sun Conference, he will also have his hands full with team USA, who will try to defend their FIL title in Denver in July of 2014. Helping Meade along the way is assistant coach Andrew Athens, who comes to Furman from Queens University. A former player of Meade’s in Jon Birsner, comes to the Paladins after four seasons coaching the Naval Prep squad as an assistant coach and volunteer coach David Cohn.
The fastest game on two feet is the fastest growing game in America and will continue to grow in 2015, with six division three teams, two division two teams and UMAss-Lowell as the sole men’s division 1 program.
