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BREAKING NEWS: Guy Van Arsdale named men’s lacrosse head coach

Written by Lee Roggenburg on . Posted in .
With a resume of building young men, establishing tradition and winning championships, Guy Van Arsdale has been named head coach of the Jacksonville University men’s lacrosse team.  “We are excited to have Guy join our staff and his vision to build our men’s lacrosse program into one of the best in the country,” said JU director of athletics Alan Verlander. “Guy is deeply connected in the lacrosse community and has been successful at every level of coaching. We know that he can continue to build on the foundation we have in place. “I have been impressed and amazed by the outreach and support of the national lacrosse community and I expect that to magnify once people meet him in Jacksonville.” Van Arsdale becomes the second coach in JU history and comes to the First Coast after spending the last two seasons as head coach of Division III Colorado College, with previous stops as an assistant coach at Notre Dame and Penn State. “I’m honored to be the new head coach at Jacksonville University,” Van Arsdale said. “The support of the leadership at JU and the vision that President Kerry Romesburg and AD Alan Verlander have for this program is what excites me about taking this position. “This is a tremendous area to recruit, coach and live. My wife and I look forward to being a part of the JU community as well as getting out in the lacrosse community in Jacksonville to help the sport continue to grow.” Van Arsdale, who has been a collegiate coach for 27 years, led Colorado College to its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2011, overseeing a Tigers program that finished 15-1 en route to capturing a SCAC championship by going undefeated in league play. In two seasons with the Tigers, Van Arsdale posted a 25-3 record to earn SCAC “Coach of the Year” honors both times. He has a career heading coaching record of 135-57. Prior to his stint in Colorado, Van Arsdale was as an assistant coach at Penn State University from 2004-09, serving as the recruiting coordinator and running team film sessions. He fulfilled a similar role in 2003, working as an assistant on the Notre Dame staff. Van Arsdale started his head coaching career in 1988 when he took over the men’s lacrosse program at Rochester Institute of Technology. In 12 seasons, his compiled a 112-54 record and made five NCAA Tournament appearances. He led his team to the quarterfinals four times and reached the semifinal round in 1999. He has coached more than 50 All-Americans in his three decades in the profession and continues to be sought after as a featured speaker at regional and national coaching clinics. Besides his collegiate experience, Van Arsdale has also coached in the professional ranks. From 2001-03, he served as head coach and assistant general manager of Major League Lacrosse’s Rochester Rattlers. Besides being the franchise’s first-ever head coach, Van Arsdale also oversaw the budget and marketing plan. Van Arsdale also was an assistant for the Rochester Knighthawks from 2001-03, serving under Paul Day to help the franchise advance to the National Lacrosse League’s championship game in 2003. Before entering coaching, Van Arsdale excelled as a player at Hobart College, earning NCAA Division III “Player of the Year” honors in 1983. A member of the Hobart College Hall of Fame and the Western NY Chapter of the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Van Arsdale played under then-Hobart coach and current Georgetown head coach Dave Urick. Van Arsdale graduated from Hobart with a degree in history in 1984. His brother, Marc, is the associate head lacrosse coach at the University of Virginia.

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