Men's Lacrosse 08-09
Nationwide search underway for Denison's next men's lacrosse coach
Date: August 15, 2008
Location: GRANVILLE
Denison University has begun a national search for the next head coach of its highly successful men’s lacrosse program. Matt McGinnis, coach of the Denison program for the last three years, has been named as the new associate director of athletics at his alma mater, Salisbury University in Maryland.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for a top-notch individual who can guide our national-class men’s lacrosse program,” says Denison’s Director of Athletics Larry Scheiderer. “We are looking for someone to build on the traditions shaped by former coaches Rix Yard, Tommy Thomsen, Mike Caravana and Matt McGinnis.”
Since taking over as Denison's head lacrosse coach in 2006, McGinnis’ squads have earned 35 victories, made three consecutive trips to the NCAA Championship Tournament, and captured two North Coast Athletic Conference championships. Last spring, the Big Red posted a 14-3 record and finished the season ranked 12th in the USILA Division III coaches’ poll. The 14 victories were the most by a Denison team since 1982 and represent just one off the program’s all-time record for wins. As coach of the Big Red, McGinnis posted a winning percentage of .729, the best record since Tommy Thomsen earned a .735 winning mark at Denison between 1966 and 1990. McGinnis succeeded Mike Caravana, who earlier this summer became head coach at Otterbein College, where he has taken on the challenge of building a new program.
Of McGinnis, Scheiderer says, “Matt has done a tremendous job representing Denison University on the lacrosse field over the past three seasons. The program has reached greater heights under his watch, and we wish him nothing but the best as he embarks on the next phase of his career in athletics administration at Salisbury.”
Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in research, civic engagement, and the cultivation of independent thinking.