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Michael Caravana
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Michael Caravana will return for his 17th season as the head men's lacrosse coach at Denison University in 2010.
Caravana made a return to the Denison sidelines in 2009 after a three year hiatus which saw him serve as the head boys lacrosse coach at Woodberry Forest School in Woodberry Forest, Va. In 2009 the Big Red made their 17th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the national quarterfinals (Elite 8) for the 11th time in school history.
Denison spent the entire season ranked in the top-20 and posted a 14-3 overall record to go along with their perfect 5-0 record in the North Coast Athletic Conference. After a loss in late February, the Big Red rattled off 11 straight victories, a streak highlighted by wins over Lynchburg, Wooster, Kenyon and Ohio Wesleyan. In the NCAA Tournament Denison faced of against a familiar foe in Ohio Wesleyan. The Big Red earned a resounding 17-9 victory on April 5 in Delaware and this game followed a similar script as DU prevailed 12-2 to advance to the NCAA's second round where No. 3 Roanoke was waiting.
Roanoke, who boasted the nation's top-scoring offense at 20 goals per game, was 17-1 and had been ranked No. 1 for much of the 2009 season. Their high-powered offense took a backseat to Denison's offense who delivered a 14-7 upset win, sending Denison back to the NCAA quarterfinals. Facing No. 5 Gettysburg, Denison trailed 10-3 at halftime before mounting a second half comeback only to fall to the Bullets 13-8. Gettysburg would finish as the national runner-up after a 9-7 loss to Cortland in the national championship game. Statistically, Denison ended the year ranked second in total defense by holding opponents to just 6.18 goals per game. Their offense ranked seventh at 14.6 goals per game
In 16 seasons at Denison Caravana has recorded a record of 159-68 (.700) to go along with six NCAC titles and nine trips to the NCAA Tournament. In 1999 and 2001 Denison advanced to the NCAA's Final Four.
A 1983 graduate of the University
of Virginia, Caravana was a four-time All-American attackman for the
Cavaliers. He earned a bachelor's degree in education and was a captain
during his senior season. Caravana led U.Va. in scoring three times and
in assists all four seasons. Following graduation, Caravana spent two
seasons as an assistant coach at Brown University, then returned to
U.Va., where he served as assistant head coach under Jim "Ace" Adams
before accepting the head coaching position at Denison in the fall of
1990.
Caravana ranks second at Denison in all-time victories,
trailing only Tommy Thomsen who guided DU to 255 wins over the course
of 25 seasons (1966-1990). In addition to his coaching duties at Denison and Woodberry Forest, Caravana spent four years and assistant coach for the United States lacrosse national team, who earned a silver medal at the 2006 International Lacrosse Federation World Championship.
A four-time NCAC Coach of the Year and the
1994 NCAA Division III Coach of the Year, Caravana is a member of the
Long Island Metro Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the Charlottesville
Chapter Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Caravana and his wife, Ashlin, live in Granville with their three sons, Nicholas, 16; Sam, 14; and Wyatt, 11.