Our University of Dayton Flyers had a great experience in 2010 because each UD Lacrosse Student Athlete and their Families make the commitment to our group effort.

-We are ranked #1 in our division
-We won our CCLA Championship on Apr 30th
-We finished the season ranked #2 in the MCLA D II polls going into the MCLA Tournament Championship.

To play lacrosse at UD - you MUST keep your humility, learn our system to play together, and simply enjoy the art-of-our-sport --- by being part of 50 Student Athletes working to execute collectively as a team.

Again this past year, we were invited to the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association National Tournament in Denver, CO, where we enjoyed 6 days of lacrosse - we lost in the quarter finals at Dick's Sporting Goods Stadium (not how we wanted to end up :-) ). These events will be something our players will always treasure. The friends they made, they will keep for life.

Right now, lacrosse at the University of Dayton is a non-sponsored Sport. Our players and our Parents Òself fundÓ 70% of our working capital. We play top-notch lacrosse, and we are competitive with the NCAA DIII teams we play.

The UD Lacrosse program exemplifies a focus on a student athlete's Body, Mind, and Spirit (BMS):

-Fifty Student Athletes coming together to build, fund, and facilitate a nationally recognized sports program ranked
-Democratically chosen Captains of all UD Classes mentoring, sharing skills, knowledge, and the typical hurts and pains they experience together
-Personal prayer, promises, and commitment to each other before every contest
-A demonstrated desire to bring pride to each other, our University, and their families
-Belief and trust in each other, knowing every team member does their absolute best, and works to exhibit a selfless sportsmanship towards our opponent, yet we all , 'leave it on the field - it's all about respectful, relentless tenacity'.

Our student athletes demonstrate the values of BMS. Every lacrosse player adds value. Many individuals learn qualities that carry over into the classroom. They build their future job work ethic through our program. Our three weekly practice times mandate that their personal time management processes are in place to ensure each player allows for their studies. Accomplishing these tasks as a group fosters friendship, responsibility, and organizational skills. Our guys hang together.

We create and maintain this environment of trust. UD Lacrosse players embody loyalty in their desire to lend a hand to their teammates socially, educationally, and spiritually. We are ONE - no one is special.

Each member in our program has a specific role on the team - and on the field. UD Lacrosse serves as a means for individuals to gain friendships. It provides them a Buddy System, which they can and do lean on.

The UD Lacrosse Coaching Staff are there 24/ 7 to help in any way, for any reason. We understand -- sometimes smart college kids,,,, do stupid things.

Message here - If you decide to come to the University of Dayton -- we will be your family away from your family.

My advice to you is, stay focused, practice your leadership skills on the field, be the player who never gives up on the ground ball, demonstrate a relentless ride, be that catalyst that brings your school's team play to the next level. Great players win games - GREAT Teams win Championships.

The University of Dayton traveled north to Grand Rapids, Michigan this past weekend in order to play two of their most important games of the season. On Friday, March 12, the Flyers took on Davenport University in a back and forth scoring battle. The Panthers of DU were the first to light up the scoreboard, but the Flyers were right behind them with a goal of their own. The two teams traded goals all night. The misty weather added a nice element to the close battle, but the real excitement took place late in the fourth quarter.

With the game tied at 12-12, and under 1:30 left to play in the game, head coach Charlie Mark called a time-out to talk it over with his team. The Flyers possessed the ball for the remaining minutes only before team president and captain Zach Burke found the back of the net with one-tenth of a second on the clock. The Flyers sideline erupted as the bench cleared and the dogs piled. The Flyers improved to 3-0 with the win over Davenport University.

The following day, the team took on the St. Johns Johnnies at Davenport University on yet another rainy day. The Flyers continued the momentum from the previous night right from the start as they jumped to a 10-3 lead at half. The Flyers tallied three more by the end of the third quarter. Junior Gerry Jehling led the Flyer offense with four goals and one assist to help the team beat the Johnnies. Freshmen Will McCormick also tallied four goals and played a big role in the Flyers' success over the weekend.

The Flyers defense played solid in both games over the weekend. Freshman goalie Jeff Haberman played spectacular against St. Johns, tallying 16 saves. Overall, the Flyers took care of business as they extended their record to 4-0 with six games remaining on their regular season schedule. The Flyers host Grand Valley State at home on Saturday, March 20.

The Flyers opened up regular season play in an intense overtime thriller against Elon, which resulted in a 10-9 Flyer victory. The game was played indoors on a turf field provided by Wall 2 Wall Sports Complex on Friday, Feb. 12. The Flyers were led by sophomores Christian Furbay and Connor Carroll, each tallying three goals for the team on Friday night. At the start of the game, there were a lot of forced shots and passes, suggesting the rust of the first game of the season. The second half was much better for the Flyers as they gained control of the game and slowly fought back. In the closing minutes of overtime, junior John Morrow made a spectacular play on the goalie, which led to an open netted goal and a win for the Flyers. Defensively, the Flyers were led by their goalie play in junior Alex Reynolds, who tallied 16 saves in the win over Elon.

The very next day, the Flyers headed to Turpin High School, located in Cincinnati, for their second game of the weekend against SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). SCAD drove from Savannah, Georgia and was certainly ready as the game once again came down to the closing minutes. The Flyers came out of the gates a little flat and had trouble finding the back of net. With drive and determination, the Flyers were able to come back from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Bees. Late in the fourth quarter, freshman Will McCormick came up big with two goals: one to tie the game at 6-6, and shortly after a goal to take the lead at 7-6. The Flyers were able to hold on to their lead and finished the weekend 2-0.

Many thanks to John Furbay who made Saturday game against SCAD possible as he was able to get Turpin’s field and facilities booked and ready for the teams to use. Also, thanks to both Elon and SCAD for making the trip to Cincinnati in order to play both of these games. Without these two games, the Flyers could have been in some trouble down the stretch. The Flyers continue their play with a game against the visiting Harding Bisons Saturday, Feb. 20 at 2:00 p.m. The game is scheduled to be played at Gettler Stadium but is subject to change due to weather conditions.

Last Friday, January 29, the Michigan State MCLA DI team traveled south to take on the Dayton Flyers in a preseason scrimmage. The scrimmage was played at Wall 2 Wall Sports Complex, located in Mason, Ohio, about 35 minutes from UD’s campus. The scrimmage consisted of two 20-minute running clock halves and was followed by man-up and man-down situations for both teams. The scrimmage resulted in a 5-4 win for the Spartans, but the game will not count toward either team’s record.

As for the Flyers, goalie play was phenomenal as junior Alex Reynolds started the game and was later replaced by sophomore Ben Domyancic, who also played very well. The Flyers’ defense looked strong as returning players Steven Hurst, Matt Dowd, and Tim Hartnett held the Spartans to five goals.

The Flyer offense has a lot of potential to put up big numbers this year as it proved to be solid all around. The Flyers' starting midfield consists of star-studded seniors Kevin Bell, Patrick Weinandy, and Andrew Clayback. With these three guys at the helm of the offense, the Flyers bring a lot of experience to the offensive side of the field. The team would like to extend a big thanks to the traveling MSU Spartans. Driving four hours for a scrimmage is a lot to ask of a team, but the Spartans made their presence felt both on and off the field. Many thanks to those parents who attended the game and best of luck to both teams in their upcoming 2010 campaigns.

The Flyers began their Fall Ball season with a win against the University of Kentucky in a close game, resulting in a final of 11 – 10. However, the highlight of the Flyers' Fall Ball season came with a win over DIII Lindenwood University. In a very physical, hard fought battle, the Flyers were able to take an early lead. As Lindenwood slowly came back, the Flyers were able to score late to assure victory with a final score of 10 - 9. This was the first time in team history that the team has defeated Lindenwood, and it couldn’t have been done without the consistent goalie play of Sophomore Ben Domyanic. The Flyer defense has been anchored by Sophomores Matt Dowd, Blaise Liederbach, and Junior Stephen Hurst. Offensively, the Flyers return seven of their top 10 scorers from last season.

In addition to the Lindenwood and Alumni games, other Fall Ball season highlights include victories over Walsh University and Missouri Baptist. The team traveled to Angola, Indiana where they defeated Indiana Tech and DIII team Trine University. The Flyers completed their Fall Ball schedule with an exciting game at Springboro High School against the University of Cincinnati, tallying an overall record of 8-2.

With a highly motivated and competitive team, influential senior leadership, along with a strong cast of returning players, the Flyers also welcome several newcomers, who will have an immediate impact on the field for the Flyers. Division III transfers Connor Carroll (Lynchburg College) and Gerry Jehling (Roanoke College) have strengthened the Flyers midfield, as well as contributing a strong understanding of the game. Other newcomers include freshman Will McCormick, Andrew Urban, and Jeff Haberman, all of which will see playing time in the upcoming Spring Season.

The Flyers hosted their first annual Alumni Game this past Fall. With the help of parents, friends, current players, and former players, the Flyers were able to organize an Alumni game on October 24, 2009 which resulted in a win for the young guys.

Head Coach Charlie Mark refereed the game, which ended with a final score of 8-6 in favor of the current Flyers. Win or lose, the Alumni game was successful in all aspects and at the end of the day, everyone was all smiles, especially during the barbeque that followed. Of the Alumni who returned for the game, notable players include 2009 graduates Alex Urban and Alex Walter, as well as 2008 graduate Chris Jehling.

In regards to the first ever Alumni game, we would like to thank all of those Alumni and parents who traveled to UD in order to be a part of something as special as this. Most importantly, this event was a great success and it couldn’t have been done without the help of parents and those Alumni who helped organize it. We as a team hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday season and best of luck to all in 2010!

We had a great season this past year because each UD Lacrosse Student Athlete and their Families made the commitment to our group effort. We went undefeated in our division, winning the Central Collegiate Lacrosse (CCLA) Championship.

Our student athletes kept their humility, played together, and executed collectively as a team. We were invited to the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) National Tournament from May 11th through the 17th in Denver, CO, enjoying six days of lacrosse. We lost an exciting hard fought encounter in the finals hosted at Dick’s Sporting Goods Stadium, on a live broadcast televised by the Fox College Sports network. These events will be something our players will always treasure. The friends they made, they will keep for life. The UD Alumni were in force in the stands, shouting and providing support to our Flyers.

Presently, lacrosse at the University of Dayton is a non-sponsored Sport. Our players and our Parents “step up” financially. We play top-notch ball, and are competitive with the NCAA DIII teams we play. UD Lacrosse was seeded #1 out of 198 colleges, because we think, act, study, socialize, and play as a team. No one is special. Good players win games, great team players win Championships. Every UD player gives their best effort when they step on the field for their teammates.

Our Student Team President, Zach Burke and our Captains decided we would dedicate our season to the memory of a recent UD lacrosse graduate, Evan Witty. The link http://cambodiashope.org/home/evan.php, presents a tribute to Evan that appears on the Cambodia's Hope web site. Evan loved his time at UD and we believe it instilled in him the sense of service that he felt so deeply. He recently died while volunteering and supporting the needy in Cambodia. Our Players wore a “W” on the back of their helmets in support of the Witty family. His younger brother, Elliot is a Face-Off-Specialist playing for our team. We played every game with honor, humbleness, and relentless tenacity - as our sacrifice to the Witty family and out of respect for each other. We are blessed to have had Evan touch many of our players, and just maybe --- this tribute helped us have the wonderful season we enjoyed.

Head Coach; University of Dayton Men’s Lacrosse; Charlie Mark

If beating the 6th-ranked MCLA Division 2 team is quite a challenge, then beating that team twice in a season, with the second victory earning a championship trophy, is even more impressive. But that’s what this University of Dayton lacrosse team has been this season – impressive. The Flyers finished the conference tournament undefeated at 10-0 after defeating No. 7 Grand Valley State 18-15 and No. 6 Davenport University to become the 2009 CCLA Champions. The team earned an automatic bid to the MCLA National Tournament in Denver and a No. 1 overall seed. Resilient would be another term to describe the Flyers as no matter what challenges have faced them this season, they have pulled through, and the 2009 CCLA Championship Tournament shows the heart this team has.

In the semifinal game against defending CCLA champions GVSU, Dayton fell behind 8-3, only to regain composure and the lead on strong play from freshman Christian Furbay and senior Alex Urban. Faceoffs rolled in favor of GVSU early and Lakers attackman Cameron Holding managed to get his hands free around the cage, but the Flyers locked down on defense, led by sophomore Tim Hartnett, allowing the offense to rattle off 6 straight goals. After trading goals throughout the second half, Dayton pulled ahead on another run of unanswered goals to find itself in the championship game once more, and against a foe they saw earlier in the year.

Earlier in March, the Flyers defeated Davenport on a rainy day at home on NCR Field, and the Panthers showed up for the second meeting with revenge in mind. They scored three goals in the first minute and a half, putting the nation's top team down early. Again the Flyers were in an early hole until Furbay and company, in this case freshman Sean Hartnett, responded with another strong scoring outburst to post a 10-6 lead over the Panthers. The score didn’t change for much of the second half, but an unfortunate own-goal off an errant shot dropped into the Dayton net and started the scoring again. Goals by junior Patrick Weinandy and sophomore Ryan Arling decided the game at a final score of 14-10. Freshman goalie Ben Domyancic had two great games for the Flyers, making clutch saves and executing face break clears, often by advancing the ball himself.

Dayton claimed its second CCLA championship in three years and earned a third-straight appearance in the national tournament. Follow the Flyers in Denver May 12-16 on Twitter and at www.MCLA.us

Congratulations to the following Flyers for their CCLA conference awards: (1st Team) Alex Urban, Alex Walter, Kevin Bell, Brian Downey, Stephen Hurst (2nd Team) Patrick Weinandy (Honorable Mention) Dan Delagrange, Matt Dowd, Alex Reynolds.