MEN’S LAX Familiar Faces Add to GU vs. Hobart Matchup Sidelines Will Feature Coaching Rematch By Tom Kenny Hoya Staff Writer

Liz McDonald/The Hoya Hoya junior defender Brant Gresham covers Brown’s Jonathon Thompson in last weekend’s Hoya victory. Gresham will likely start tomorrow against Hobart.

In May of 1989, men’s lacrosse Head Coach Dave Urick won his 10th consecutive Division III men’s lacrosse National Championship as head coach at Hobart. After winning the title, he traveled to Baltimore to accept the tournament’s Most Valuable Player on behalf of junior attack Matt Kerwick, who was unable to make the trip because of shoulder surgery. While there, he had the opportunity to meet for the first time with then Georgetown Athletic Director Frank Rienzo and discuss the future direction of the Georgetown lacrosse program, which had not had a single winning season after competing for 20 years on the Division I level.

After several more discussions with Rienzo, Urick decided to end his enormously successful tenure at Hobart and accept the task of building a successful lacrosse program on the Hilltop.

Most would say he’s done quite well so far. In Urick’s 13 seasons, the Hoyas have posted a winning record 13 times, qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the last of the last five seasons and reached the Final Four in 1999. Their 8-0 start in 2002 is the best in school history.

Urick will return to Hobart this Saturday with his No. 4 Hoya squad and there will be a familiar face at the other end of the sidelines.

After bouncing around the coaching ranks since graduating from Hobart, including spending the last three seasons as assistant coach at Georgetown, Kerwick is in his first year as head men’s lacrosse coach at his alma mater. Saturday will be the first time he has coached against his former coach and boss.

Kerwick’s respect and admiration for his old coach is obvious.

“It was a privilege to compete for him and with him,” Kerwick said. “I learned a great deal from him. If I become half the coach he is I’ll be happy.”

The respect goes both ways.

“Matt is a very good coach and was a very good player,” Urick said. “He did all the little things really well.”

Kerwick’s route back to his alma mater was a circuitous one. After capping off his collegiate career with a fourth national title in 1990 and earning First Team USILA All-American honors, he spent five years in the Major Indoor Lacrosse League. During that time, he also spent three seasons at head coach as Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia and another year as an assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania. Following a successful tenure as head coach at Alfred University where he was named Division III Coach of the Year in 1997, his old coach gave him the opportunity to come to Georgetown and work with one of the nation’s best programs.

“He had an immediate impact with the players,” Urick said. “They learned right off the bat that he’d be a great addition.”

In his first season with the Hoyas, they reached their only Final Four in school history. Overall, Georgetown compiled 36-9 record with three NCAA Tournament appearances and two ECAC Conference championships. As a former attack player, his primary duties were with the offense. In 2001, the Hoyas led the nation in extra-man offense. They were sixth in the nation in scoring margin and ninth in the nation in scoring offense.

Kerwick’s biggest impact probably came with the current seniors on this year’s squad, whom he coached for all three of his seasons with the Hoyas.

“He meant a lot to me,” senior co-captain Steve Dusseau said. “He was getting used to Georgetown just as [we] were. He brought a lot of intensity and a lot of one-on-one time.”

Urick said he knew Kerwick’s stay at Georgetown would be relatively short because a head coaching opportunity would come around soon.

“I’ve had a lot of very good assistant coaches who became good head coaches,” Urick said. “I’m anxious to give these guys a lot of responsibility.”

Indeed, many former Urick assistants are now head coaches throughout the collegiate lacrosse ranks, including Dartmouth Head Coach Rick Sowell, Gettysburg Head Coach Hank Janczyk and Skidmore Head Coach Terry Corcoran.

“Coach Urick gives you a great deal of leeway,” Kerwick said.

Kerwick’s Statesmen squad has had an up and down year in his first season. They enter Saturday’s game against the Hoyas at 5-4 overall and 4-1 in the Patriot League but two of their four losses came against top 10 opponents Maryland and Syracuse. They have been on the fringes of the top 20 all season and are currently unranked. Junior attack John Bogosian leads the Statesmen with 20 goals while junior midfielder Tim Booth has been strong in the face-off circle, winning nearly 60 percent of his draws.

“I’m pretty sure its going to be like looking in a mirror,” Urick said of the game. “The two team’s terminology and styles should be very similar.”

The game should be a memorable one for Kerwick who expressed nothing but fond memories of his time with the Hoyas.

“I have a lot of respect for the institution,” Kerwick said. “They have tremendous student athletes. There is a group of guys who work hard both individually and for the team.”

Georgetown will look to remain the last undefeated team in Division I lacrosse, as they face off at Hobart at 1 p.m. tomorrow.