Teams - Denver and Harvard
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University of Denver
2011 Record: 15-3 (Final National Ranking #4)
NCAA Tournament (Beat Villanova and Johns Hopkins; Lost to Virginia in Semi-Final Game)
Denver finished its second-straight undefeated Eastern College Athletic Conference season at the end of April to claim the regular season title and went on to win the inaugural ECAC Tournament Championship, beating Fairfield 11-9 in the title game. The win earned Denver an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, and on May 15 the No. 6-seeded Pioneers hosted No. 11 Villanova in front of a sold-out home crowd. In the first NCAA tournament game to ever be held west of the Mississippi River, DU earned its first tournament win in school history, beating the Wildcats 13-10 to advance to the quarterfinals. Denver's Elite Eight match-up against No. 3 seed Johns Hopkins marked the Pioneers' first foray into the national spotlight as they prepared to battle the nine-time NCAA champion Blue Jays. DU handed Hopkins a 14-9 loss in Hempstead, N.Y. and earned a spot in the NCAA Final Four. Riding a school-record 12-game winning streak into the May 28 contest, Denver faced No. 7 seed Virginia at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md. The Pioneers battled back from a 9-2 halftime deficit, but fell 14-8 to the Cavaliers, who went on to claim its fifth NCAA lacrosse title after defeating Maryland in the championship game. Denver will see many outstanding returning players, including seniors Mark Matthews and Alex Demopolous, and juniors Cameron Flint and Chase Carraro. Sophomore goaltender Jamie Faus should continue to be strong in the net.
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About University of Denver Head Coach Bill Tierney
One of collegiate lacrosse's legendary coaches, Bill Tierney took over the reins of the University of Denver men's lacrosse program in July, 2009 after serving as the head coach at Princeton since the 1988 season. In his first year, Tierney surprised many by guiding the Pioneers to a 12-5 overall record, a record-setting nine-game winning streak, and a trip to the NCAA Tournament. In his second season at the helm, Tierney wasted no time taking the program to even greater heights. The Pioneers finished the season with their best record in program history (15-3) and their first-ever ECAC Tournament Championship, and all the way to the NCAA Final Fours. Although the Pioneers dropped a 14-8 decision to eventual NCAA Champion Virginia, Denver still had reason to celebrate. The team finished the season with its highest-ever ranking of No. 4 in the nation. Denver also finished second in the nation in with an 83.3 winning percentage and fourth in the nation in scoring offense (12.44), scoring margin (3.78) and assists per game (6.83). Coming to Denver after 22 seasons leading the Princeton Tigers, Tierney amassed a resume that includes six NCAA Championships, eight NCAA championship final appearances, 10 NCAA Final Four appearances, 16 quarterfinal appearances including one in 2009 and 14 Ivy League Championships. Tierney has been coaching for 35 years, and has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including the Morris Touchstone Award for the NCAA Division I Coach of the Year in 1992, twice ECAC Coach of the Year, and 2009 US Lacrosse Magazine Person of the Year.
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Harvard University
2011 Record: 10-6 (Final National Ranking #15)
Lost to Cornell in Ivy League Championship
The Crimson closed the 2011 regular season out with an impressive win against Yale to earn a #3 seed in the Ivy League Tournament. The team went on to knock off then #15 Penn in the first round of play before falling in the championship game to #2 ranked Cornell. The 2011 season was an impressive one for the Crimson by any measure, with the squad, under first year head coach and 1996 graduate Chris Wojcik, notching its most wins since 1998. Freshman Daniel Eipp was named NEILA Player of the Year in 2011 and was joined on the NEILA All-New England first team by senior attackman Dean Gibbons, junior midfielder Kevin Vaughan and junior long stick midfielder Daniel DiMaria. Harvard has four Under Armour All Americans joining the team for the upcoming season.
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About Harvard University Head Coach Chris Wojcik
In his first season on the Harvard sideline, Head Coach Chris Wojcik guided the Crimson to a 10-6 overall record, marking the most wins for the program in a season since 1998. Harvard, which earned a spot in the Ivy League tournament final, finished tied for third in the Ancient Eight with a 3-3 mark and earned four all-conference selections, led by Dean Gibbons and Kevin Vaughan who were named to the All-Ivy first team. A 1996 graduate of Harvard, Wojcik, an All-American in lacrosse and All-Ivy League selection in both lacrosse and soccer with the Crimson, as well as a former Harvard lacrosse assistant coach, returned to Cambridge after a two-year stint as the top assistant coach at Penn. Previously, he spent five seasons as an assistant coach in Cambridge under former head coach Scott Anderson. As the program’s offensive coordinator in 2006, Wojcik oversaw an offense that helped the Crimson earn its first NCAA Championship berth since 1996. As a two-sport standout with the Crimson, Wojcik earned lacrosse All-America honors in 1996, captaining Harvard to the NCAA tournament. He led the Crimson to a 15-12 victory against Hofstra in the first round of the tournament before the team fell to Virginia in the national quarterfinals. He completed his career with 134 career points on 89 goals and 45 assists, placing him first among midfielders and 15th overall all-time on the program’s scoring list. In addition to his honors on the lacrosse field, Wojcik served as captain of the Harvard soccer team, earning two All-Ivy League honors and leading the team to an Ivy League title and an NCAA tournament appearance in the fall of 1994. Prior to graduation, Wojcik was named the winner of Harvard’s Bingham Award, presented to the top male student-athlete in the senior class.
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