Bradenton, Fla. (August 1, 2014) – Veteran lacrosse coach Bill Bjorness has joined the IMG Academy Lacrosse program as the Sport Advisor.  In this role, Bjorness will lead the effort to strengthen relationships with college and high school teams and their players, attracting them to the program’s camp, showcase and tournament events. “It is an honor to be joining the IMG Academy program, and specifically, the coaches and leadership staff in IMG’s Lacrosse Program”, said Bjorness. “All eyes have been on the program since its inception just a few years ago, and it has made an incredible impact in the sport in such a short period of time. I can’t wait to be a part of this world-class program and contribute to the experience.” Bjorness recently completed his 16th season as head coach of the Hartwick College men’s lacrosse team. He holds the second most wins in Hartwick program history (109), achieving his 100th victory in the 2012 season finale, and has led the Hawks to seven postseason berths in the past 16 years. Bill Shatz, Director of Lacrosse, IMG Academy, remarked, “We’re very excited about having such a highly-regarded college and international-level coach join our program.  His experience as a player, knowledge of the game that he has acquired through decades of college coaching, and a wonderful range of professional relationships across every aspect of the sport will allow him to make an immediate impact in building our program.” Bjorness started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Keuka College from 1986-88 and served stints as an assistant coach at Hartwick from 1989-1991, an assistant at his alma mater, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), from 1991-1993 and then as the defensive coordinator at Dartmouth College from 1994-1998. Returning to Hartwick, Bjorness helped turn the lacrosse program around, winning the ECAC Tournament in 1991. On the international level, Bjorness was recently appointed Offensive Coordinator with the Dutch National Team at the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship in Denver, Colo.  He has served in various roles with the Iroquois Men’s National Team at the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) World Championships. In 1994, he was the defensive coordinator for the Iroquois team that finished in fifth place at Manchester, England. Bjorness returned in 2002 and helped the team earn a fourth-place medal at Perth, Australia. He doubled as the general manager and assistant coach for the Iroquois at the 2003 ILF Boys Under-19 World Championships at Towson University (Md.), helping the squad finish fifth overall. In 2006, Bjorness served as co-head coach for the Iroquois National team at the ILF World Championships in London, Ontario, Canada. He piloted the team to an upset of Australia in the preliminary round and became the first team from outside the “big three” (Canada, the United States, and Australia) to defeat one of them. The Iroquois advanced to the medal round, but fell to Australia in the bronze medal game. In 2008, Bjorness captured his first medal as the Iroquois captured the bronze in Coquitlam, British Columbia. He was a defensive coach with the team. As a student at RIT, Bjorness was a three-time All-American lacrosse player and a left wing on the ice hockey team that won the national championship in 1983. As a sophomore, Bjorness led the NCAA in scoring with 86 points and was selected as a first-team All-American in lacrosse. He was honored as a second-team pick as a junior and returned to the first team as a senior while also serving as the team’s captain. Bjorness finished his competitive collegiate career as one of the all-time leading scorers in school history and was honored for his athletic accomplishments when the school inducted him into the RIT Sports Hall of Fame on November 13, 1999.