Mike Pressler '82 Leads U.S. Lax to Title
Congratulations to Washington and Lee alumnus Mike Pressler ’82, who coached Team USA to a 12-10 victory over Canada in the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship on Saturday in Manchester, England.
The victory avenged a loss to Canada in the 2006 world championships. It was the ninth time Team USA has won the title. The last time the Americans were triumphant was in 2002, and Mike was an assistant to former W&L head coach Jack Emmer on that squad. Tim Schurr of the Class of 1984 played for the 2002 champions.
The U.S. team trailed 10-9 with just under 10 minutes left before the Americans rallied for the win, which also avenged a 10-9 loss to Canada during pool play of the tournament. You can read details of the championship game in Lacrosse Magazine, where there is also a feature story that describes how Mike and former Duke star Ned Crotty, the offensive hero for Team USA, finally teamed up for a title.
Inducted into W&L’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001, Mike has coached Bryant University to a 35-13 record in three seasons at the Rhode Island institution. The Bulldogs, who were members of the NCAA’s Division II for Mike’s first two seasons, moved up to Division I last year. Mike’s overall head coaching record stands at 264-115 in 25 seasons at VMI, Ohio Wesleyan, Duke and now Bryant. He ranks among the nation’s top 10 active coaches in both career victories (No. 8) and overall winning percentage (No. 8). He stands at No. 21 among the winningest coaches of all time (by percentage) and is No. 12 all-time by win count.
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