September 12, 2008 

BRYANT UNIVERSITY'S MIKE PRESSLER NAMED HEAD COACH OF 2010 U.S. MEN'S LACROSSE TEAM

Team USA to compete in 2010 FIL World Championship in Manchester, England 

SMITHFIELD, RI - U.S. Lacrosse has announced that Bryant University head men's lacrosse coach Mike Pressler will serve as head coach of the U.S. men's lacrosse team that will compete in the 2010 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship in Manchester, England.

Pressler, who enters his third year at Bryant, was an assistant coach for the 2002 U.S. team that won the International Lacrosse Federation (one of two organizations that merged to form the FIL) World Championship in Perth, Australia.

"This opportunity to be the head coach of Team USA is the greatest honor of my professional career," said Pressler. "The U.S. is certainly the underdog going over to England and this will be the ultimate challenge for the Team USA coaches."

Pressler has had a very successful career as a collegiate lacrosse coach, compiling a 229-102 record in 22 seasons. Bryant has gone 25-8 under Pressler over the last two seasons, reaching the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history this past spring.

Prior to coming to Smithfield, R.I., Pressler won more than 150 games at Duke University, leading the Blue Devils to 10 NCAA tournament berths and a trip to the NCAA championship game in 2005. He also had successful stints as a head coach at Ohio Wesleyan and VMI.

"This is a tremendous day for Bryant University and the men's lacrosse program," said Bryant athletic director Bill Smith. "Mike is an outstanding coach who commands great respect throughout the lacrosse community. He has enjoyed extreme success everywhere he has been and will undoubtedly continue to do so in this new endeavor. The Bulldog community supports Mike in this well-deserved honor."

"US Lacrosse and our Men's National Teams Committee are very enthusiastic about the appointment of Mike Pressler as the 2010 U.S. men's team's head coach," said Jody Martin, Men's Division director for US Lacrosse. "We feel very confident that Mike is the right guy to lead our quest to win the gold medal in Manchester."

The U.S. team won the silver medal at the 2006 ILF World Championship, the first time it had not won the gold medal since 1978 at the quadrennial event. Canada defeated the U.S. 15-10 in the 2006 championship game, snapping a 38-game win streak in international competition.

"The committee did an excellent job and we were very impressed with the pool of candidates that stepped up this time," said David Urick, chair of the coaches selection committee. "We were certainly very impressed with Mike's professionalism and more importantly, his excitement and enthusiasm for the position. He can't wait to get started and has already put a lot of thought into it already."

US Lacrosse is now soliciting applications for the assistant coaches for the 2010 team. Individuals who wish to apply should email a cover letter, a resume and three references, including their contact info, to mensdivision@uslacrosse.org by Friday, September 26. Tryouts for the team will take place in the summer of 2009.

STX Lacrosse is the official exclusive equipment and apparel supplier to the US Lacrosse Men's National Teams Program. Learn more about the company by visiting its Web site at www.stxlacrosse.com.

US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) corporation, is the national governing body of men's and women's lacrosse. US Lacrosse has more than 260,000 members around the country. To learn more about the organization, please visit its Web site at www.uslacrosse.org.