JU Men: Galloway Named SoCon Coach of the Year
Spartanburg, S.C. – Jacksonville Men’s Lacrosse head coach John Galloway was tabbed the 2022 Southern Conference Coach of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday afternoon.
The award, voted on by the conference’s head coaches, is Galloway’s second time receiving the honor, with the first coming in 2018. Galloway becomes the second head coach in SoCon Men’s Lacrosse history to receive the award multiple times, and the first coach in JU history to be named Coach of the Year on more than one occasion.
“This award should be appropriately named the coaching staff of the year award,” Galloway said. “This journey began May 6th, 2021 when our coaches challenged me and us to be better in every facet our jobs. They pushed me to look at things differently every day, and we trust each other enough to hold each other accountable. I am excited about this award because I know it reflects on the impact Tyler Granelli, Chris Perzinski, Nik Colpitts, Pat Cornelius, Henry Chastain and Danielle Della Rocca have on me and my life. Coaching is a 24/7 job, and I am thankful I get to do it with that crew.”
“Coach Galloway was the clear choice for Coach of the Year and I am thrilled he was officially recognized as such by the league,” said Athletic Director Alex Ricker-Gilbert. “To see the growth of the program not only this year, but over the last six years, is a testament to John’s leadership. He is one of the best at his position in the country.”
“I also want to congratulate the entire men’s lacrosse staff. If I know our head coach, he would immediately say that this is a staff award, not an individual award. Our staff has been remarkable all year,” Ricker-Gilbert said.
Galloway has led the Dolphins through a “year of firsts” in his sixth season at the helm, including the first national ranking, first 10-win season, and first Regular Season title as a member of the SoCon. The Dolphins have numerous notable wins on the campaign, including victories over #2 Duke, #14 Denver and #17 Richmond, the first season with multiple ranked wins in program history.
Under Galloway’s mentorship this season, a total of 10 Dolphins received SoCon honors, including Colin Hinton being named the Defensive Player of the Year, and Jackson Intrieri being named Freshman of the Year.
The success of the Dolphins in 2022 has been seen in the national spotlight, as the Green and White were featured on April’s cover of USA Lacrosse Magazine. In addition to the national coverage, the Dolphins closed the regular season ranked in the top-3 nationally in scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, shot percentage, points per game, assists per game, and caused turnovers per game.
The #1 seeded Dolphins return to the field Thursday night, facing #4 VMI in the 2022 Southern Conference Tournament semifinals. Opening faceoff from Vert Stadium on the campus of High Point University, is slated for 5 PM.
