Chris Delfausse to Head New Men's Lacrosse Program
Berry has tapped Chris Delfausse to serve as head coach when men’s lacrosse makes its campus debut as an intercollegiate sport in 2010-11. A head coach for women’s lacrosse – to be added that same year – has yet to be selected.
The addition of lacrosse is part of Berry’s ongoing effort to increase opportunities for student participation in intercollegiate athletics. This fall, women’s softball and men’s and women’s swimming will join Berry’s varsity lineup.
“The addition of men’s and women’s lacrosse greatly increases the number of opportunities available for students to participate in intercollegiate athletics at Berry,” said Athletic Director Todd Brooks. “By hiring Chris as our men’s lacrosse coach, we bring in someone with a track record of building a winning lacrosse program from the ground up.”
Delfausse enjoyed immediate success as head coach at Adrian College in Michigan, leading the Bulldogs to an 8-6 record in 2008, their inaugural season of varsity competition. In the process, his team averaged 13.5 goals per-game to rank 11th nationally in NCAA Div. III. Delfausse’s crew showed no signs of a sophomore slump in 2009, once again averaging 13.5 goals per-game en route to a second consecutive 8-6 finish.
“I have been through the process of creating a first-time lacrosse program at a school,” Delfausse said. “At Adrian, we were able to have success early, and that is a trend I hope to continue here at Berry.”
During his tenure at Adrian, Delfausse played a key role in the creation of the Midwest Lacrosse Conference, which will become an official NCAA Div. III lacrosse conference starting with the 2010 season. He also served as director of the Nike lacrosse camp held on the Adrian campus. Earlier in his career, Delfausse was a successful club coach at Wake Forest University. As a player, he was a midfielder on the Connecticut College varsity lacrosse team for four years.
Delfausse is a graduate of Connecticut College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in environmental science. He also holds a master's degree from Wake Forest in counseling. He will arrive in Rome in July along with his wife, Laura, to begin recruiting efforts for the new team.
“I am excited to be joining Berry,” he said. “I think this is a great opportunity, not just for me, but for lacrosse in the South in general. I think it’s good to be in an area that is up-and-coming in the sport.”
A game that began with American Indians and is the national sport of Canada, lacrosse is synonymous with areas like Syracuse, N.Y., and parts of Virginia and Maryland. However, the sport is continuing to spread to the South, and there is a burgeoning lacrosse community in Georgia and the surrounding states of Alabama and Tennessee.
“I want to try to follow the model that I used at Adrian,” Delfausse said. “First off, we want to build a team that is filled with local talent. We will then reach into the surrounding areas before we branch out into some of the states that are traditional lacrosse powerhouses."
Those interested in joining the Berry team should contact coach Delfausse by e-mail at cdelfausse@berry.edu.
BACK TO LISTINGS
|
