The North Eastern Athletic Conference has named Morrisville State
College men’s lacrosse coach, Jason Longo, a Cazenovia High School and
LeMoyne graduate, the 2010 Coach of the Year.
Longo, in his first season as head coach of the program, along with
assistant coach Blake Gale, a Lafayette resident and LeMoyne 2009
graduate, led the Mustangs to an 11-3 overall record this season, a
program best; went undefeated in conference play at 6-0; and was
awarded the regular season conference championship trophy.
A year ago, the Mustangs finished the season with a 4-12 overall
record, and with a few fundamental changes, they have turned the
program into one that has put up a fight and posted seven upset
victories this season over teams that have dominated Morrisville State
in the past, including an 8-7 double overtime victory over SUNY
Brockport in early April.
Not only is Morrisville State College serving as the host for the 2010
NEAC Men’s Lacrosse Championships this weekend, they are entering the
tournament as the top seed, playing fourth seed SUNY Cobleskill in the
second semi-final Friday night at 7 p.m. on Drake Field on the
Morrisville State campus.
Both Longo and Gale are utilizing their post-season playing experience
with the Dolphins heading into the weekend’s action, focusing the
Mustangs on remaining poised and adjusting game strategy to force
opponents to “step up” if they want to knock Morrisville State out of
the tournament.
“We are very grateful and proud of our guys for all of the hard work
they have put forth throughout the season. At the beginning of the
year, we didn’t expect to have immediate success, but because of their
work ethic and dedication, they very much deserve to be where they are
today,” said Longo of the team.
A native of Cazenovia, Longo played two years of lacrosse for Onondaga
Community College at attack earning NJCAA All-American honors in each
season of play, while earning Player of the Year honors as a
sophomore. Completing his career at LeMoyne, he garnered
all-conference honors, was instrumental to the Dolphins claiming the
Northeast-10 Conference Championship and NCAA Division II Championship
titles, earning NE-10 Championship Tournament most valuable player
honors.
