After one of the most impressive seasons in recent history the Ohio State men's lacrosse team is facing some notable changes. Last season, the squad earned a share of the Great Western Lacrosse League title and snagged an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament where it lost in the second round to the top seeded Duke Blue Devils. The team's first round upset of Cornell was the program's first win in the NCAA tournament. The success of the team drew the attention of North Carolina's Director of Athletics, Nick Baddour. Head coach Joe Breschi, a former Tarheel, has now departed for the same position the historically more prominent program, North Carolina. "Joe has done an outstanding job of building a fine program at Ohio State," Baddour said. "I'm thrilled that he has decided to accept our offer. Joe had a tremendous playing career in Chapel Hill and it will be great to have him back as part of our athletic family." Ohio State Director of Athletics, Gene Smith, kept the search for a new coach within the confines of campus by selecting top assistant, Nick Myers, as the next head coach on July 10. "Nick is ready to take the next step in his coaching career," Smith said. "He has experience in our program and demonstrated a commitment to Ohio State and its student-athletes during the interview process." Myers was the offensive coordinator during last season and helped the Buckeyes' offense rank third in NCAA scoring. The team ranked seventh nationally in the final polling with a record of 11 wins and six losses. Myers was also on the staff during Ohio State's last appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2003. He has spent five seasons on the coaching staff at OSU and was an All-American during his playing days at Springfield College. "I want to thank athletics director Gene Smith, TJ Shelton and the Ohio State administration for the opportunity to lead the Buckeye lacrosse program," Myers said. "I need to thank (former coach) Joe Breschi, who did so much for both the Ohio State men's lacrosse program and for me as a coach and person. I really appreciate the support I've received from the players, parents and alumni. I am excited about the bright future we have here." Beyond the coaching change, there will also be a change in scenery and competition for the men's lacrosse team in the 2009-2010 season. It was announced July 11 that Ohio State will be joining other current Great Western Lacrosse League teams Air Force, Bellarmine, Denver and Quinnipiac in an exodus to the Eastern College Athletic Conference, although the GWLL was extremely competitive. In the ECAC, the former GWLL teams will compete with the already tenured teams Fairfield, Hobart and Loyola. ECAC commissioner Rudy Keeling feels the move will make the conference more competitive in men's lacrosse. "The lacrosse world is going through a metamorphosis and the ECAC lacrosse league has emerged stronger than ever," Keeling said. "The combination of the teams from the ECAC and the Great Western Lacrosse League will make us one of the power lacrosse conferences in the country." The timing is odd for Ohio State who, as previously mentioned, replaced former coach Breschi with Myers the day before the announcement of the conference shuffling. Myers believes changes will bring a more competitive schedule to his squad. "The eight teams that will make up the ECAC lacrosse league in 2010 will form one of the strongest conferences in division I lacrosse," Myers said. "Three of the teams competed in the NCAA tournament last season and from top-to-bottom it will be a competitive league each year." Historically the ECAC has been a strong conference for men's lacrosse. In its nine-year history league members have earned 19 NCAA tournament bids. It's strongest year was the 2003 season when four teams out of the ECAC earned bids to the NCAA tournament, accounting for a quarter of the total field.
Bob Strickley can be reached at strickley.3@osu.edu.
Be the first to comment on this article!