Entering his ninth year as head coach of the Keene State men's lacrosse team, Mark Theriault, the reigning LEC Coach of the Year, has good reason to be looking forward to the 2008 season. With the return of last year's LEC championship and second-round NCAA team virtually intact, Theriault feels the Owls have both the talent and the drive to defend their Little East crown and once again make their presence felt in the NCAA tournament.
Joining a two-year-old varsity program in 1999, Theriault, who has posted a fine 84-40 (.677 pct.) record and 31-11 mark in the LEC, has seen his hard work pay off. He has not only built the Owls into one of the top programs in New England, but has also moved the team into the national spotlight, garnering a seventeenth-place finish in the USILA poll. Under Theriault, the team has claimed a pair of Little East tournament titles, appeared in five conference championship games, and produced 39 All-Little East Conference players and four Offensive Players of the Year, two Rookies of the Year, and the Defensive Player of the Year honoree the past three seasons. Last season, Sean Panora shared Offensive of the Year honors, and goalie Matt Johnson was selected as the LEC's Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, Johnson joined Eric Momnie '05 as Keene State's first two USILA All-Americas. Six players have participated in the senior East/West All-Star game while Mike Lesage and Panora participated in the last year's North/South Senior All-Star game. Theriault has been named the Little East Coach of the Year three times.
Prior to his tenure at Keene State, Coach Theriault was the head coach at Western New England College, where he went 14-3 and won the Pilgrim League championship in 1996.Throughout his coaching career, Theriault has been active in the sport. He was the chair of the men's lacrosse conference, was a voting member of the national Division III poll, and served on the Regional Advisory Committee for the NCAA. Currently, Theriault sits on the All-America selection committee.Coach Theriault is the owner/director of the Elite 180 Lacrosse Recruiting and Developmental Camps and is also the owner/editor-in-chief of the New England lacrosse website www.nelax.com. Theriault is a 1996 graduate of Springfield College, where he was a two-time All-American. During his junior year, when the Pride won a national championship, he was the Most Valuable Player of the championship game. At the end of his senior year, Theriault was voted Most Outstanding Midfielder in the nation. Theriault also participated in the North/South Senior All-Star game at Johns Hopkins University. He played lacrosse professionally for the Boston Blazers and in 1996 was voted the Unsung Hero of the team. He continues to play in a summer league in western Massachusetts. Coach Theriault resides in Northfield, Massachusetts, at the Northfield Mount Hermon School with his wife, Naomi, twin boys Jack and Connor, and two Siberian huskies.
Returning for his third season, Dr. Michael Levine works with Owl goalies and handles administrative duties for the team. A retired general surgeon who resides in South Hadley, Mass., Dr. Levine was goalie for the Wesleyan University lacrosse team in the 1950s.
David Johndrow begins his second season as assistant coach and defensive coordinator. Under Johndrow's tutelage, the Owls' defense has developed into one of the top units in the Little East.
A former All-Western Massachusetts defender at Northampton High School, Johndrow played one season at Springfield College before a shoulder injury ended his career. Turning his attention to coaching, he spent three seasons guiding Northampton High School, a perennial Western Mass. Tournament participant, and coaching Baystate Games squads before joining the KSC staff.
