2020 RIT Men's Lacrosse Academy
For those interested in getting the true college lacrosse experience, this is the camp for you!
The RIT Lacrosse Academy is designed to give high school RISING JUNIOR and SENIOR lacrosse players the opportunity to get some quality coaching from the RIT staff. The focus of the academy is to work on all aspects of the game at an intense, organized collegiate level and is designed for the serious athlete. All campers will receive individual instruction on game fundamentals and sessions will include stick work, positional work, transition play, and team competition.
Be sure to sign up quickly, as 60 is the maximum number of participants for this camp. Positions are limited based on team needs.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
- 3:00-4:30 PM - Admissions Talk, Campus Tour Check in at Clark Gym Lower Level (Park in D Lot).
- 4:30-5:00 PM - Change into your workout gear in Locker room
- 5:00-6:00 PM - Stretch, Stick Work, Transition Drills
- 6:00-7:30 PM- Scrimmages
WHAT TO BRING:
REQUIRED – Stick, helmet, gloves, arm guards, shoulder pads, mouth piece, cleats, sneakers, goalie chest protector
OPTIONAL – Water bottle, sun screen, jock
REFUND POLICY:
Full refunds will be given only to those who request them before July 1st. Any refunds requested after July 1st will require a Doctor's note. Please allow up to 3 weeks after the conclusion of camp for processing.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
For further information or questions regarding the Academy please contact:
Jake Coon
jacatl@rit.edu
585-475-2131
ACADEMY DIRECTORS:
RIT HEAD COACH – JAKE COON
RIT men’s lacrosse head coach Jake Coon has accomplished more in 10 seasons then what some coaches accomplish in an entire career. In those 10 seasons at RIT, Coon has led the Tigers to an astounding 188-23 record, 10 straight conference titles, 10 straight trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament, and the Tigers only two appearances in the National Championship game (2013 and 2017).
On March 9, 2016 Coon became the winningest coach in program history, earning his 128th victory at Rensselaer. He needed just 143 games to reach the hallowed milestone. Coon, the 2011 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) and 2013 Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) Division III Coach of the Year, has coached 72 All-Americans, 111 all-conference selections, and nine straight conference players of the year (Jordan MacIntosh - 2010, MJ Kiekebelt - 2011, Tyler Russell - 2012, Jack Krzyston – 2013, Kyle Aquin – 2014, Ryan Lee -2015 and 2017, Kyle Killen – 2018 and Shawn Nally - 2019). Matt Hossack was a two-time Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016, JD Hall earned the honor in 2017, Eli Salama in 2018, while Trevor Smyth claimed the honor in 2019. Last season, Walker Hare was named the Ensign C. Markland Kelly Jr. Outstanding Goalie, while Smyth was named Co-Long Pole Midfielder of the Year. Killen (2018) joined Lee (2015 and 2017) as winners of the prestigious Lt. Col. J.I. (Jack) Turnbull Award as Division III’s finest attackman. In 2018, Nally won the Fran McCall Award as Division III’s best midfielder, Salama earned the Long-Pole of the Year, and Nate Farrell won the Face-Off Award. Killen (2018) joined Hossack (2015) as recipients of the Iroquois Nationals Award for Division III’s most outstanding player. Hossack was a two-time USILA Long-Pole Midfielder Award in 2015 and 2016. Last season, Coon helped guide RIT to a 20-2 overall record, guiding the Tigers to their eighth straight Liberty League regular season and tournament titles. The Tigers had 10 players named to the Liberty League All-Conference Team, while Nally and Smyth were named Liberty League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. Coon led the Tigers to wins over John Carroll and Union College in the NCAA Tournament, before falling to Williams College in the quarterfinal. Coon led RIT to a program record 21-1 overall mark in 2018, including three, including 10 wins over a ranked opponent. The Tigers had 11 players earn All-Liberty League honors, while nine were USILA All-American selections. Killen was named the Iroquois Nationals and Lt. Col. J.L. (Jack) Turnbull Award winner, Eli Salama earned the Long-Pole of the Year Award, and Nate Farrell earned the Face-Off Award. In 2017, Coon helped guide RIT to a 20-3 overall record, guiding the Tigers to their sixth straight Liberty League regular season and tournament titles. The Tigers had 11 players named to the Liberty League All-Conference Team. Ryan Lee and JD Hall were named Liberty League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year. Coon led the Tigers to an 18-2 overall record in 2016, helping RIT win its fifth straight Liberty League Tournament title, RIT had 13 All-Liberty League selections, including Matt Hossack, the two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Coon, the 2015 Liberty League Coach of the Year, led the Tigers to an impressive 21-1 overall record that season, including a 21-game winning streak, and a school record 394 goals. RIT won its fourth straight Liberty League Tournament title. Ten Tigers earned All-Conference honors, including Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year (Lee), and Defensive Player of the Year (Hossack). The Tigers advanced to the National Semifinals for the third straight season. Hossack was named the Iroquois Nationals Award winner as Division III's Outstanding Player of the Year. Coon led RIT to a 20-1 overall record in 2014, posting wins over seven nationally ranked teams, advancing to the NCAA National Semifinal. He led the Tigers to their third straight Liberty League tournament championship, and were the No. 1 ranked team in Division III for 12 straight weeks. Coon led the Tigers to a 19-3 overall record in 2013, earning Liberty League Coach of the Year honors. The Tigers won their second straight Liberty League Tournament title, and in the NCAA Tournament, defeated No. 5 Cabrini, No. 4 Tufts and No. 1 SUNY Cortland en route to its first National Championship Game in Philadelphia, where the Tigers fell to Stevenson 16-14. In 2012, Coon led the Tigers to a 16-3 record and a Liberty League title in the Tigers first season in the conference and a third straight trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Coon guided RIT to a then school-record 19-1 record, including a 19-game winning streak in 2011, a second straight Empire 8 title and the program’s first trip to the NCAA National Semifinals since 1999. Since coming to RIT, Coon has amassed an impressive .888 winning percentage, and has led the Tigers to a 20-9 record in 29 NCAA Tournament games.
RIT ASSISTANT COACH – SHAWN WILKINS
Shawn Wilkins, a member of the 2019 RIT Sports Hall of Fame class, begins his 11th season as an assistant coach for the RIT men's lacrosse program in 2019-20, serving as RIT’s offensive coordinator. Wilkins is also highly involved with recruiting and the day-to-day operations of one of the most successful programs in the nation. He is an integral part of a program that has made 10 straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, including berths in the 2013 and 2017 championship games. In 2013 he was honored by the USILA as the Assistant Coach of the Year. In his first 10 seasons, Wilkins has helped RIT to an impressive 188-23 record and 10 straight conference titles.
Under Wilkins' tutelage, the Tigers offense has become one of the most prolific scoring teams in all of Division III. Last season, the Tigers tallied 365 goals, finishing in the top-15 nationally averaging 16.59 goals per game. The man-up unit was eighth in Division III, converting 47.6 percent of its chances in 2019. In his 10 seasons, Wilkins has led a potent attack that scored 3,371 goals, averaging 15.97 goals per game over that span. RIT has had seven straight 300-goal seasons under Wilkins. Wilkins has mentored seven conference offensive players of the year in Jordan MacIntosh (2010), Tyler Russell (2012), Jack Krzyston (2013), Kyle Aquin (2014), Ryan Lee (2015, 2017), Kyle Killen (2018) and Shawn Nally (2019). Nally, a USILA First Team All-American in 2019, earned the Fran McCall Award as the Division III Midfielder of the Year and the Rochester Press Radio Club Ruch Funke Jr. Award Winner for outstanding Male College Athlete in 2018. Killen (2018) joined Lee (2015 and 2017) as winners of the USILA Lt. J.I. (Jack) Turnbull Award as the Division III’s finest attackman. Lee is the RIT all-time leader in goals (237) and points (373). Killen was the recipient of the 2018 Iroquois Nationals Award recognizing Division III’s best player. Wilkins was a two-sport (lacrosse and ice hockey) standout himself at RIT, playing midfield for the Tigers from 1998-2001, helping the Tigers to the semifinals in the 1999 NCAA Division III Tournament and a quarterfinals appearance in 2000. Wilkins was an All-Super Six selection in 1998 and 1999 and an All-Empire 8 selection in 2001. Wilkins is one of 21 players in RIT Lacrosse history to score 100 career goals (104), and is 24th all time in scoring with 147 points. On the ice, Wilkins played both forward and defense, and was a key member of three NCAA Tournament teams, including the 2001 squad that advanced to the National Championship game. Wilkins graduated from the university in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in hospitality and service management with a minor in criminal justice.
After graduation, Wilkins played professionally for the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse and the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League. He also played for the Italian National team in 2006 and was a member of the Canadian Jr. National team in 1996. He is on the coaching staff of the Under-19 Team Canada squad that will compete at the 2020 World Championship.
RIT ASSISTANT COACH – DONNY MOSS
Donny Moss begins his fourth season as an assistant coach on the staff at RIT for the 2019-20 season. Prior to RIT, Moss spent two seasons as the assistant coach at Elmira College, earning his master’s degree in general education in 2016.
Moss, a 2009 graduate of Adelphi University, was an assistant coach at Churchville-Chili for three seasons, before assuming the head coaching position in 2014. He led the Saints to a third place finish in the Monroe County Division 3 in 2014. He was named the Monroe County Division 3 Coach of the Year that season.
In addition to coaching, Moss played six years of professional lacrosse in Major League Lacrosse (MLL). In 2015, he played for the Rochester Rattlers and helped guide his hometown team to a first-place regular season finish and a trip to the 2015 MLL Championship game. Before playing with Rochester, Moss spent three years with the Hamilton Nationals and another two years with the Long Island Lizards. Moss was the 39th player taken in 2009 MLL Collegiate Draft by Long Island.
Prior to his professional career, Moss played two years at Adelphi University. Prior to that, Moss played at Herkimer County Community College, earning First Team All-American and the Region III Defensive Player of the Year honors.
