Milack Signs with Argonauts
February 2 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse program inked their first recruit for the 2012 class with the signing of Kyle Milack.
Milack, a defender from Crespi High School in Encino, California will join the Argos for the 2012 season. He finished his junior season with 107 groundballs, 51 takeaways, seven assists and two goals.
"We are excited to have Kyle on the team next year.” Head Coach Steve Dini said. “He brings a wealth of experience and leadership and we are looking for him to step up and be a leader on our defense."
Kyle becomes the first NDNU signee ever from Crespi HS
"The Crespi athletics program is one of the best and their lacrosse team is making tremendous strides they should be a top contender in the near future for the Sothern Section." Dini said.
NDNU Lacrosse Names Captains for 2011
January 14 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse team and Coach Stephen Dini have named their captains for the upcoming 2011 season. Seniors Greg Bearson, Nick Peterson, Brandon Miller and Tom Safilian earned the delegation of captains for the Argos.
“I am really excited to have four talented and experienced captains that can lead out team.” Dini said. “Their leadership will be instrumental in bringing our young team together.”
Bearson (Sammamish, WA / Eastlake HS) is a two year starter for the Argos in the midfield. He led the team in scoring in each of the last two seasons, tallying 24 goals as a junior and 18 as a sophomore. Bearson also finished second in points with 31 and groundballs with 60 while being earning the Coach’s Award.
Peterson (Las Vegas, NV / Centennial HS) has been a member of the Argonauts for the past three seasons. He finished his junior campaign with eight goals and nine assists while appearing in all 13 games. As a freshman, Peterson finished fifth on the team in points with 18 (nine goals, nine assists).
Miller (Calgary, Alberta) has been a staple on defense for NDNU over the past three seasons. He has appeared in 31 career games and started 27 of them. Miller was named NDNU Freshman of the Year in 2008 and is the vocal leader of the defense.
Safilian (Niwut, CO / Fairview HS) has played in both the midfield and on defense in his three years at NDNU. He has appeared in every game over the past two seasons, scoring one goal and adding an assist.
The Argos open up their season on February 16 with a trip to Phoenix to play Grand Canyon. While in Phoenix, the Argos will also take on perennial powerhouse C.W. Post as well as Pace University.
NDNU Lacrosse Adds Four Coaches to Staff
November 11 – Notre Dame de Namur University and head coach Steve Dini has announced the addition of four members to his coaching staff for the 2011 season. Derek Pedrick, Rick Blick, Matt Fredericks and Dana Jackson will all join Dini on the sidelines this season.
Pedrick, the first assistant and offensive coordinator comes to NDNU from Siena, where he was an assistant coach last season. At Siena, Pedrick helped guide the Saints to a 12-5 overall record and a perfect 8-0 league record. Prior to Siena, Pedrick served as assistant coach at The College of Wooster (Ohio) from 2007-2009. During his time at Wooster, the team recorded its highest win total (11-3) in school history and its man-up unit ranked 12th in the nation. Pedrick was also an assistant coach at Trinity College (Conn.) where he helped lead Trinity to a 3rd place finish in the NESCAC with a 9-6 overall record and coached the 4th ranked face-off player in Division III.
Pedrick was a four-year letter winner at Springfield College from 2002-05, playing in 67 career games and recording 83 points (72 G, 11 A). He won three league championships (2003-05) and the ECAC Tournament (2002) while playing for the Pride. Pedrick served as student assistant coach for Springfield College in 2005.
“I am so excited to have Derek as first assistant and offensive coordinator. He brings a level of knowledge and professionalism that will help elevate our players to the level that they need to perform.” Dini said. “He has proven that he has a great passion for coaching and creating great teams. We were truly blessed to get such a strong coach to come west to help our program.”
Blick, the defensive coordinator and goalie coach most recently served as head coach at Branson High School in Marin, California. Blick brings a legacy of talent with him to the NDNU coaching staff. He is a three time All-American and has been inducted into three different lacrosse Hall of-Fames—Long Island, Hobart and Northern California. He was also the Head Coach at Boston College from 1980-1982 after being hired on as an assistant in 1979.
Blick was a four-year letter winner in lacrosse and captain of the 1977 and 1978 teams while at Hobart and William Smith College. Blick was a key member of Hobart’s NCAA Championship winning teams in 1976 and 1977. An All-American goalie from 1976, 1977 and 1978, he received the C.M. Kelly Jr. Award for the outstanding Division III goalie and the Judge Thomas Kane Memorial Award as Hobart’s Most Valuable Player three consecutive years. A three-year starter for the Statesmen, Blick compiled an impressive 41-5 record and was a member of the 1976 and undefeated 1977 National Championship teams. Blick played in the North-South All-Star game and on the U.S. National Team at the World Championships in Manchester, England in 1978.
“Having Coach Blick on our staff gives not only the experience and expertise from one of the best players to ever play the game but one of the best position coaches as well.” Dini said. “Blick style of coaching is simple but effective. He is able to break the goalie position down to its core aspects and can relate that with our keepers on a one on one level. Having such a passionate and accomplished coach on the field every day makes the team better.”
Rounding out the coaching staff are Fredricks and Jackson. Fredricks will serve as the assistant defensive coach while Jackson comes on as a volunteer assistant.
Fredericks spent the last three seasons as an assistant at Saint Ignatius College Prep after ending his playing career at Georgetown.
Jackson, a four year member of the Hobart College team in 1980’s most recently coached at the Menlo School where he won consecutive high school state champions in 2000 and 2001.
“Fredericks is a fantastic teacher of the game, his knowledge and ability to coach our players is fantastic and we are so excited to have him part of our staff while he goes to graduate school at NDNU.” Dini said. “It’s also great to have Dana on the staff. His understanding of offense and his ability to motivate the players will be a real benefit to us this year.”
Clevlen Named USILA Scholar All-American
May 28 – Conrad Clevlen closed out his NDNU lacrosse career with a selection to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Scholar All-American Team. The senior midfielder was one seventy student-athletes honored throughout all of Division I, II, and III.
Clevlen’s (Austin, TX/McNeil HS) selection capped off a senior season that placed him among nation’s best in several categories. Clevlen finished second in Division II in total groundballs (131) and groundballs per game (10.08). He also ranked sixth in face-off winning percentage (66%) and seventh in face-offs won (151). In addition, Clevlen set a school records for career groundballs and career face-off wins as well as single season records for both categories.
Last month, Clevlen was named NDNU’s Male Scholar Athlete of the Year and becomes the first athlete in school history to be named a scholar All-American. In order to be selected as a USILA Scholar All-American, senior student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0.
2010 USILA Scholar All-Americans
Argos Hold Off Dominican for Fourth Straight Win
April 10 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse team pulled off a dramatic one goal victory over Dominican, prevailing 9-8 on Senior Day. The Argos used three goals in the final four minutes to take down the Penguins for the fifth straight time.
The first half did not feature much scoring as the Argos scored the lone goal of the opening period with just over three minutes gone by in the game. The second period saw both team net a goal as Drew Comeau scored for NDNU with 13:34 left in the half and Corey Botwinick responded 23 seconds later.
The offenses picked it up in the second half with NDNU scoring 12 seconds into the third period and then again less than a minute later. The Argos looked to be in control, swapping goals with the Penguins three minutes later and leading 5-2 halfway through the period. However, the visitors would not go away, scoring the final three goals of the third to knot the game at 5-5 heading into the fourth.
Derek Kimbrough put NDNU ahead with 12:54 remaining after taking a feed from Comeau, but the Penguins responded with a goal two minutes later. The game moved to under four minutes left when Ryan Jones gave the Argos a 7-6 lead with a shot from straight on. A minute later, Kevin Nguyen completed his hat trick with a much needed insurance goal.
The Penguins continued to hang around, capitalizing on a two-man advantage to pull with one with just over one minute remaining in the contest. Greg Bearson then put the Argos back ahead with 44 second left, scoring despite being a man down. Dominican made one last push, making the score 9-8 with 20 second left, but Conrad Clevlen won the next face-off to ice the game.
The Argos outshot the Penguins 32-29 for the game but NDNU held a major advantage in groundballs (41-22) and face-offs won (14-5).
Nguyen finished with a game high four points, scoring three goals and adding an assist. Bearson and Kimbrough scored two goals apiece with Comeau adding three assists. Clevlen led all players with 14 groundballs and won 14 faceoffs.
Jesse Wilkerson picked up the victory in net for NDNU with nine big saves. BOX SCORE
Argos Handle Grand Canyon, Win Third Straight
March 20 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse team picked up their third straight win, once again using a big second half to run away from their opponent. The Argos scored seven straight second half goals to bust the game open and take down Grand Canyon 17-5.
The game started out well for the visitors as the Antelopes scored two of the games first two goals to take an early lead. Kevin Nguyen quickly responded for NDNU with a pair of goals before Conrad Clevlen and Nick Refice tallied scores to make it 5-2. Both teams would add one more goal before the half was through as the Argonauts led 6-3 at the break.
After both teams swapped goals in the opening minutes of the third, NDNU broke the game wide open with seven unanswered goals to take a 14-4 advantage. The Argos would also end the game on a three goal streak, scoring ten of the game’s final eleven goals.
The Argos held a 51-24 shot advantage and picked up 41 groundballs to just 18 from the Antelopes. Clevlen and Nick Shaw combined to win 18 of 24 face-offs with Clevlen winning 15 in 18 attempts.
Nguyen led all players with a career high five goals while Clevlen added a hat trick and ten groundballs. Greg Bearson scored a pair of goals and added three assists with Comeau tallying two of each.
Goalie Hunter Adams recorded his third straight win, making five saves in the first half before giving way to Jesse Wilkerson in the second half.
The Argos are back in action in a few weeks when they close out their home schedule with Dominican on April 10th. BOX SCORE
Argos Topple St. Andrews
March 13 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse team reeled off their second straight road win with an impressive 15-5 victory over St. Andrews. The Argos scored 12 second half goals to break the game open and improved to 4-3 on the season with their best defensive performance of the season.
NDNU started off fast, scoring the game’s first two goals and holding the Knights scoreless for the first 14 minutes. After St. Andrews tied the game at 2-2 in the second, Derek Kimbrough scored on a feed from Drew Comeau to put the Argos up 3-2 at the break.
The second half was all NDNU as the Argos scored seven of eight third period goals. Kevin Nguyen and Kimbrough combined to score the Argos first four goals of the period while Greg Bearson, Drew Comeau and Nick Peterson tallied the final three. The fourth was much of the same as NDNU outscored the Knights 5-2 to cruise to a 15-5 win.
Bearson, Nguyen and Kimbrough each scored four goals and combined for five assists. Peterson tacked on a pair of goals while Comeau finished with a game high three assists. Conrad Clevlen picked up a game high 13 groundballs and won 13 of 15 face-offs. Hunter Adams was stellar in the net for the Argos, allowing just five goals and making eight saves. BOX SCORE
Argos Stun Wingate with Big Second Half Comeback
March 12 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse team scored six of the game’s final seven goals to overtake Wingate 11-9. The Argos evened their record at 3-3 on the season with the come from behind victory.
The first period featured only two goals, one by each team with Greg Bearson putting the Argos on the board with 9:36 left. After Conrad Clevlen scored in the opening minute of the second, NDNU rattled off three of the next four goals to take a 5-2 lead with five minutes remaining in the half.
Wingate responded quickly, netting the final three goals of the half to tie the game at 5-5. The Bulldogs came out strong in the third period, scoring the first three goals and a taking an 8-5 advantage. However, the Argos would take over from there as Bearson and Derek Kimbrough each scored to pull NDNU within one at the end of the third period.
Kevin Nguyen tied the game at 8-8 in the opening minute of the fourth but the Bulldogs went ahead again four minutes later. That would be the final score for the home team as Nguyen, Kimbrough and Drew Comeau each tallied a goal in the final nine minutes to give the Argos the victory.
For the game, NDNU held a 27-26 advantage on shots and picked up five more groundballs (43-38). The Argos also held a 16-8 face-off advantage with Clevlen winning 16 of 21 tries.
Bearson scored a team high three goals while Nguyen, Kimbrough and Comeau added two apiece. Clevlen and Ryan Jones each tacked on a goal with Clevlen scooping up a game high 14 groundballs. Hunter Adams earned his first career win in net, making six saves. BOX SCORE
Argos Suffer Defeat to Saint Leo’s
March 9 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse team suffered their second straight loss, falling to Saint Leo’s 12-5. The Lions outshot NDNU 38-22 for the game as the Argos fell to 2-3 on the season.
Saint Leo’s jumped on the Argos early, scoring the game’s first three goals before Greg Bearson put the Argos on the board with just over five minutes remaining. However, the Lions quickly responded with three more goals before Bearson scored again making it 6-2 at the break.
Conrad Clevlen opened up the third period with a quick goal to pull the Argos within three but that would be as close as they would get. The Lions would go on another run, notching five straight goals and breaking the game wide open. Kevin Nguyen scored a pair of late goals for NDNU but the game ended with the Lions winning by seven.
Bearson and Nguyen finished with two goals apiece with Clevlen adding the final score. Hunter Adams made a career high 13 saves in three periods of play. BOX SCORE
Argos Rout Dominican
February 20 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse team rebounded with an impressive 21-11 victory over Dominican. The Argonauts offense was unstoppable in the second half, scoring 13 goals including six straight to break the game wide open.
The two teams swapped the first four goals of the game before the Argos used a four goal run to take a 6-2 advantage halfway through the second period. After Penguins goal, Derek Kimbrough notched a pair of scores and the Argos went into the break ahead 8-4.
The third period was a different story as six different Argos scored as NDNU broke the game open and took a 14-4 lead into the fourth quarter. Both offenses exploded in the fourth, each tallying seven goals and making the final score 21-11.
The Argos held a 49-29 shot advantage for the game and picked up 48 groundballs while the Penguins recorded 32. NDNU also held a 3-1 advantage in extra-man opportunities.
Drew Comeau recorded four goals and two assists while Kimbrough registered a game high seven points with three goals and four assists. Rory Galvin also notched a hat trick while Conrad Clevlen, Jamie Yergler, Greg Bearson, Nick Peterson and David Palacios all tacked on two goals.
Jesse Wilkerson earned the victory in net with three saves in three periods of play. BOX SCORE
Argos Fall in Home Opener
February 12 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse team struggled in their home opener, falling to Colorado College 15-7. The Argos led briefly but a five goal first period run pushed the Tigers ahead for good.
NDNU rebounded from allowing the first goal to score two consecutive goals and take a 2-1 lead with 8:33 left in the first. However, the Tigers answered with back-to-back extra-man goals before adding three more to close out the first with a 6-2 advantage.
The Argos scored the first two goals of the second to pull within two but once again Colorado College answered, netting the period’s final three goals and going to the break up 9-4.
NDNU scored quickly to start the second half but that would be as close as they would come as the Tigers scored the next three to put the game out of reach.
For the game, CC outshot the Argos 37-24, including a 25-8 advantage in the first half. In addition to the shot advantage, they also led in groundballs (30-23), face-offs (15-10) and extra-man goals (4-2).
Greg Bearson led the Argonauts with three goals and one assist while taking a team high nine shots. Conrad Clevlen, Derek Kimbrough, Nick Peterson and Jamie Yergler each added a goal while Drew Comeau finished with a pair of assists. Clevlen had a game high ten face-off wins and eight groundballs.
Taylor Moses netted a game high four goals, all coming in the second half to lead the Tigers in scoring. Hunter Sprole and James Mauk each tacked on three goals and two assists.
Jessie Wilkerson made ten saves for NDNU while Jackson Nye stopped five shots for Colorado College.
The Argos are back in action next Saturday when they travel to San Rafael to take on Dominican University. BOX SCORE
Argos Storm Past Grand Canyon in Season Opener
February 6 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse team opened their season with an impressive 16-4 victory on the road against Grand Canyon. The Argos erupted for 12 second half goals on the way to their fifth straight win over the Antelopes.
NDNU started off strong, scoring the game first two goals as Drew Comeau and Conrad Clevlen scored within one minutes of each other. After a GCU goal, Kevin Nguyen tallied his first career goal with 1:43 left in the first to send the game to the second quarter with a 3-1 score.
Comeau scored the only second quarter goal as NDNU went into halftime leading 4-1 while holding a 21-7 shot advantage.
The third quarter started off perfectly for NDNU with four goals in the first five minutes before a pair of Antelope goals made the score 8-4. The Argos would score twice more in the third before netting six straight fourth quarter goals to end the game at 16-4.
For the game, NDNU held advantages in shots at 50-19, groundballs at 48-31, clears at 34-18 and faceoffs at 18-5.
Clevlen led all players with three goals, 14 groundballs and won 14 of 15 faceoffs. Comeau, Ryan Hulsey, Ryan Jones and Derek Kimbrough added two goals apiece while Nguyen, Greg Bearson and Jamison Yergler each netted one.
Jessie Wilkerson made eight saves for NDNU while recording the win.
The Argos are back in action on Friday when they play their home opener against Colorado College at 2:00 pm. BOX SCORE
Argos Name 2010 Captains
December 14 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse team and Coach Stephen Dini have named their captains for the upcoming 2010 season. Seniors Conrad Clevlen and Ryan Clark and junior Drew Comeau earned the delegation of captains for the Argos.
“I am very happy with our selections of captains for this season.” Dini said. “The senior leadership of Ryan and Conrad will offer a great deal of game knowledge and maturity to our young team while Drew will bring a lot of experience to our attack.”
Clevlen (Austin, TX / McNeil HS) is a three year starter for the Argos in the midfield and has taken the majority of the NDNU face-offs over the past three seasons. For his career, Clevlen has won 58% of his face-offs (225 of 385) and has 179 groundballs, 35 goals and five assists. He had led the Argos in groundballs in each of the past two seasons and tied for the team lead in goals last year with 18.
Clark (Austin, TX / Anderson HS) was a staple on defense for the Argonauts for the past three seasons. He has started 19 career games, including all nine last season and has appeared in ten others. Clark has also registered 41 career groundballs.
Comeau (Red Deer, Alberta) has appeared in six games for NDNU over the past two seasons before having each cut short with injuries. In his six games, Comeau has averaged three goals per for a total of 18 and has added three assists. Last season, Comeau was named Nike/Inside Lacrosse Player of the Week for his six goals, one assist effort against Dominican University.
The Argos open up the 2010 season on February 6 when they travel to Phoenix to face Grand Canyon.
NDNU Releases Schedule for 2010
November 23 – The Notre Dame de Namur lacrosse team and Head Coach Stephen Dini have announced their schedule for the upcoming 2010 season.
The Argos’ schedule features 14 games, including eleven Division II contests. In addition to home and homes with Grand Canyon and Dominican, NDNU will also make a pair of trips across the country to play in seven D2 games. Also on the schedule is California rival Whittier College and home games against Colorado College and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
The first trip will begin on March 6th with NDNU heading to North Carolina and Florida to take on Queens University, Saint Leo, Wingate and St. Andrews. The Argonauts have faced all four schools in the past with much success. NDNU is 3-0 all-time against St. Andrews, including a 16-7 victory in 2008. The Argonauts have also toppled Queens College and Saint Leo in their only meetings and split a pair of contests with Wingate.
After returning home for three games, the Argonauts close out the season with a road game against Whittier and a three game road trip to the Pittsburg area. On April 17th, NDNU will travel down to Whittier to face the Poets for the fifth straight season. The Argonauts lead the all-time matchup 5-1 with three games being decided by one goal. Five days later, NDNU will face Wheeling Jesuit in West Virginia before heading to Erie, Pennsylvania to face powerhouse Mercyhurst. Finally, the Argos will close out their season with a game against Seton Hill. NDNU has made this trip twice before and are 2-0 against both Wheeling Jesuit and Seton Hill while they have fallen short both times at Mercyhurst.
The Argonauts home schedule starts on February 12th against Colorado College, a Division III school located in Colorado Springs. The meeting will be the first between the two schools. At the end of March, NDNU returns home to face Grand Canyon for their second meeting of the season. The Argos are 4-0 all-time against the Antelopes with a pair of wins coming last year. After a home contest against Cal Poly SLO, NDNU will host their final home game of the season against Dominican University. The Argos will look to remain unbeaten all-time against the Penguins as they currently lead the head-to-head battle 5-0.
“I am very excited about the schedule we have put together for this season.” Coach Dini said. “We have our biggest varsity schedule ever with 11 games against Division II competition and two more against D3 programs. I think this will be a big stepping stone for the future of our program.”
NDNU Hires Dini to Take Over Lacrosse Program
September 10 – The Norte Dame de Namur athletic department and Athletic Director Joshua Doody have announced the hiring of Stephen Dini as the school’s new Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach. Dini, a native Californian will be NDNU’s third lacrosse coach since the program started in 2004.
Dini comes to NDNU after five seasons at the helm of the University of California, Berkeley lacrosse team. He enjoyed a very successful stint at Cal, compiling a 48-43 record and leading the Bears to two playoff appearances.
Prior to Cal, Dini coached at Chico State for three seasons and was a high school coach for seven. In addition, Dini has been very active in the development and growth of lacrosse in California for the past 15 years. He has served on the board of both the Western Colligate Lacrosse League and the Northern California Junior Lacrosse Association.
Dini is also the founder of USA West Lacrosse and Nor-Cal Lacrosse for the past ten years he has traveled to every major international lacrosse tournament.
“I’m extremely proud and excited to be the part of the NDNU Lacrosse program.” Dini said. “The program has come a long way in a very short period of time and I look forward to the challenges of building on that momentum and maintaining a top NCAA program”.