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Teams: Men's Lacrosse: Team
Overview
During the nine-year tenure of Coach Mike Daly, the Tufts
University Men's Lacrosse program has firmly established itself as a
nationally-ranked squad and as one of the top programs in the
competitive New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).
Last spring, the Jumbos won the conference regular-season title and
earned a berth into the NCAA Tournament. Hosting the first round at
Bello Field, Tufts defeated Endicott before they were eliminated by
#2 in the nation Gettysburg.
The Jumbos finished ninth in the United State Intercollegiate
Lacrosse Association (USILA) national poll last spring, their
best-ever final ranking. The program has been in the national top 20
for five straight years, including a #10 finish in 2004. Tufts was
ranked as high as #5 in the nation last year and #3 in 2006. The
2007 season also featured the program's first victory against NESCAC
powerhouse Middlebury College in 40 years to clinch the conference
regular-season title. Tufts' 13-4 finish tied the program's record
for wins in a season, originally set by Daly's 2004 team.
Jumbo defenseman Wiley Dornseif was selected a USILA All-American
for the second straight year, while leading scorer Mark Warner was
chosen as a Honorable Mention All-American. This marked the fifth
straight year that Tufts has had representation on the USILA teams.
Previously, two-time NESCAC Player of the Year Bryan Griffin and
2005 NESCAC Player of the Year Devin Clarke accumulated five
All-American honors combined. Dornseif and midfielder Chris
Connelly, two of seven Jumbos picked to the '07 All-NESCAC teams,
played in the prestigious North-South Classic last spring.
A 1995 Tufts graduate, Daly was voted by his peers as the NESCAC
Coach of the Year for the second time last spring. After nine
seasons, Daly is the program's all-time leader in coaching victories
with an 88-53 record for a .642 winning percentage. He was honored
as NESCAC Coach of the Year in 2004 and coached the North team at
the North-South Classic. He is also the special teams coordinator
and linebackers coach of the Tufts Football team.
Members of the NESCAC, the Tufts program plays in the nation's most
competitive small college conference academically and athletically.
The Jumbos play at a post-season pace week after week against
conference competition. Tufts also plays the best non-conference
teams in New England, including Endicott and Western New England,
and will travel to Virginia to play nationally ranked Roanoke
College for the third straight year in March. The Jumbos defeated
the Maroons last season.
The Tufts program is one of the nation's oldest, playing 875 games
since the team's beginning in 1930. The 2008 team looks to continue
a run that has produced a 58-22 record over the last four seasons.
Led by All-NESCAC First Team picks Matt Harrigan in goal and Jordan
Yarboro at long-stick middie, Tufts returns plenty of talent. Clem
McNally, a 40-goal scorer last year, is the top returnee on offense,
while All-NESCAC selection Tucker Merrigan is the leader on defense.
The Jumbos will be bolstered by the return of medical red-shirts
Brett Holm and Mike Cortese.
Tufts recruits on a national level, seeking the finest high school
and prep talent available. The foundation of Daly's teams has been
built around talented players who also love the game. These lacrosse
junkies must also be highly motivated in the classroom. The same
drive that propels a student-athlete to academic success enables him
to compete at the highest level athletically. Dornseif and Warned
both also earned USILA Scholar All-American honors last spring.
Located right outside of Boston, Tufts offers a well-rounded
collegiate experience to student-athletes. Within its picturesque
small-college campus, Tufts is a major university with an
unprecedented diversity of programs, exceptional faculty and staff,
and bright and talented students, according to President Lawrence
S. Bacow. The Athletics Department sponsors a varsity program of 28
sports that is among the most competitive in the NCAA's Division
III. Tufts finished sixth in the 2006 U.S. Sports Academy Directors'
Cup, the award presented annually to the best overall collegiate
athletics programs in the country. The University's proximity to a
world-class city renowned for its academic institutions is also a
major draw.
The Jumbos play their home games on the Bello Field turf, opened in
2004 and site of the NESCAC Tournament last spring. Weekday games
are regularly played under the lights, and the Jumbos have drawn
some of the largest crowds to watch college lacrosse in New England.
Daly, his wife Norah, daughter Fiona and son Liam reside in nearby
Reading, Mass. Mike Higgins returns as the team's defensive
coordinator. A 1993 graduate of Hobart, he was a two-time
All-American, played on three national championship teams and
captained the 1993 team. Rory Doucette is in his second year as the
team's graduate assistant coach this spring. A 2006 Tufts graduate
who captained the team, he was a two-time All-NESCAC choice as a
face-off specialist.
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