July 16, 2004

LIMESTONE'S JOHNSON GOES TO DIVISION I

GAFFNEY, SC: Limestone College announced today that head men's lacrosse coach T.W. Johnson has accepted a position as an assistant men's lacrosse coach at Hobart College, an NCAA Division I institution in Geneva, NY.

In three years at Limestone, Johnson's teams put up impressive numbers. Since he took over in 2002, the Saints have an overall record of 41-7 (.854) including 19-0 in Deep South Conference (DSC) play and 9-0 in DSC tournament play. Johnson led the Saints to three DSC championships, one national championship and three consecutive appearances in the national championship game.

His teams placed 22 student athletes on the All-DSC team including Nick Carlson, Matt Malloy, and Clint Pitts as DSC Players of the Year. He also coached three Academic All-America selections and 16 USILA NCAA Division II All-Americans including Nick Carlson and Clint Pitts as Division II Players of the Year.

"This was a tough decision that took a lot of time to make because it is tough to leave a place that gave you an opportunity" Johnson said. "I'll always be thankful for the opportunity that Dr. Griffin and Dennis Bloomer gave me in the summer of 2001. I've grown to love Limestone and the people around the College and it is going to be tough to leave them.

"This is also a great opportunity. I'm looking forward to the challenge of working as an assistant at the next level with a great head coach, Matt Kerwick."

Hobart won back-to-back national championships at the Division II level in 1976 and 1977. The Statesmen set the division II record of five consecutive appearances in the Division II national championship game between 1974 and 1978. Limestone tied that record last season with their fifth straight appearance in the title game. The Statesmen then won 13 national championships in 14 years at the Division III level between 1980 and 1993 before moving up to Division I in 1995.

"We are excited and happy for T.W." said Athletic Director Larry Epperly. "This is a great opportunity for him to advance his career. He experienced a lot of success at Limestone, and it shows the magnitude of our program that our coaches can advance to higher levels. We wish him all the best."

For more information contact Sports Information Director Josh Lacy at (864) 488-8219 or jlacy@limestone.edu.

May 18, 2004

LIMESTONE TO HOST SEMIFINAL

GAFFNEY, SC: Limestone College will be hosting a Division II Men's Lacrosse Semifinal game on Saturday, May 22. The game will feature top ranked Limestone (14-1) against third ranked Mercyhurst (11-1).

The game is a rematch of last year's semifinal in which the Saints prevailed 12-4 to advance to the national championship game. The Saints and Lakers met again in Annapolis, MD this March. In a very physical game, the Saints came out on top once again 13-10.

The semifinal will be played on Saints Field in Gaffney and is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. Price of admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students and children. All tickets will be sold at the gate.

With a win on Saturday, the Saints would make their fifth consecutive appearance in the national championship which will take place May 30, in Baltimore, MD. That game is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m. at M&T Bank Stadium and will be televised live by CSTV.

May 9, 2004

DIVISION II LAX PAIRINGS ANNOUNCED

GAFFNEY, SC: The pairings for the NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Semifinals were announced today on the College Sports Television's Selection Show.

As expected, the top ranked Limestone Saints will host a semifinal matchup with third ranked Mercyhurst on May 22, in Gaffney, SC. Both semifinals are rematches of last year, when Limestone topped the Lakers and NYIT defeated LaMoyne.

For Limestone this is their fifth consecutive trip to the national semifinals. With a win, the Saints would make their fifth consecutive national finals appearance and earn a shot at their third national title.

The Saints and Lakers met earlier this season in Annapolis, MD. In a very physical game, Limestone took a 13-10 victory.

The semifinal winners will meet in the final, which will be held at 3:00 p.m. at M&T Stadium in Baltimore, MD and will be televised live by CSTV.

May 6, 2004

JOHNSON TO SERVE ON NCAA DIVISION II MEN'S LACROSSE COMMITTEE

GAFFNEY, SC: Limestone College announced today that T.W. Johnson will serve on the NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Committee.

"I am excited about the opportunity to represent Limestone College and serve on the NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Committee," Johnson said.

Johnson will attend national meetings and have input on all issues related to Division II men's lacrosse. "The committee has assisted in improving college lacrosse and I hope to continue that tradition.

For more information contact Josh Lacy, Sports Information Director at (864) 488-8219.

April 20, 2004

LIMESTONE LAX TO HOST TOURNEY GAMES

GAFFNEY, SC: Limestone College men's and women's lacrosse teams will host conference tournament games this week. The men's team will host Lees-McRae College on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. in first round action of the DSC Tournament. Limestone's women will take on Pfeiffer in the inaugural CVAC Championship Game on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m.

Once again Limestone's men's lacrosse team has rolled through the regular season schedule in the Deep South Conference. Limestone was a perfect 7-0 in conference play and has not lost a regular season DSC game since 1997 when the team went 3-2. Limestone has won five consecutive DSC Titles and looks to take the first step towards number six with a win today.

During the regular season Limestone averaged 23.9 goals per game against Deep South opponents and took an average margin of victory of 18.7 goals. David Wooster led the Saints attack with 27 goals and 45 points. Charlie Gray allowed just 4.03 goals per game while racking up 27 saves. Nick DeLonga dominated DSC opponents on face-offs. DeLonga was successful on 119-of-146 attempts for an .815 average.

The winner of today's game will move on to play the winner of Wingate vs. Pfeiffer on Friday. That game is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Catawba College in Salisbury, NC.

On Wednesday, the Lady Saints will play Pfeiffer in the first ever CVAC Women's Lacrosse Championship Game. The Lady Saints also ran the table in the regular season against conference opponents, going a perfect 4-0. The Lady Saints (11-2 overall) averaged 16.25 goals per game and took an average margin of victory of 11 goals against CVAC opponents. Their only scare came against Pfeiffer. Meghan Dennehy scored 7 goals in that game and led her team to a 13-11 victory over the 7th ranked Falcons.

April 14, 2004

SAINTS SWEEP WEEKLY HONORS

GAFFNEY, SC: For the second straight week, the Limestone College men's lacrosse team swept the Deep South Conference's offensive and defensive Player of the Week honors.

Junior midfielder Nolan Heavenor (Victoria, BC) and freshman goalkeeper Charlie Gray (Edgewater, MD) have named the Deep South Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively. The pair helped the Saints to a pair of victories last week, including a 22-7 win over DSC rival Catawba, and a 15-3 victory over Wheeling Jesuit, ranked 10th at the time.

Heavenor, a two-time POTW award winner this season had five goals and two assists against Catawba, and followed that with four goals and one assist against Wheeling Jesuit.

Gray faced 26 shots against Catawba and made 10 saves, including six in the first quarter. Against Wheeling Jesuit, he again made six first-quarter saves to help the Saints to an early 2-0 lead. For the week, he allowed just six goals on 43 shots and had 19 saves.

Heavenor and Gray took the awards one week after Roger Vyse (Six Nations Reserve, Ontario) and Clint Pitts (Germantown, MD) swept the honors. Roger Vyse netted 7 goals in Limestone's DSC game against St. Andrews. Vyse was a dominant force scoring on 7-of-11 shots. He also picked up two ground balls.

Clint Pitts dominated the defensive end of the field with take-aways and solid defense. Pitts exhibited his senior leadership on the defensive end of the field. The Saints held St. Andrews to just 8 goals.

March 30, 2004

SAINTS RISE TO #2

GAFFNEY, SC: Limestone College men's lacrosse team (6-0) rose from 3rd to 2nd in the latest USILA Coaches Poll. The movement in the top-ten was sparked by #1 New York Institute of Technology's (NYIT) 12-11 overtime loss to #6 Mercyhurst on Sunday. Limestone received two of the ten first place votes in Monday's poll.

The Saints have three wins over top-ten teams this season including a 13-10 win over Mercyhurst (now ranked 3rd). Limestone is also a perfect 3-0 in the Deep South Conference with wins over Mars Hill, Lees-McRae and Wingate.

Currently the top-ten stands: LeMoyne, Limestone, Mercyhurst, NYIT, Adelphi, Bryant, Pace, Bentley, Dowling, Wheeling Jesuit.

The Saints return to action on Saturday, April 3, at St. Andrews College. That DSC game is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. in Laurinburg, NC.

March 30, 2004

HEAVENOR NAMED DSC P.O.W.

GAFFNEY, SC: Limestone College junior midfielder Nolan Heavenor has been named the Deep South Conference Offensive Players of the Week, the league announced today.

Heavenor, from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, was selected Offensive Player of the Week after leading the third-ranked Saints to a pair of Deep South Conference wins. He scored three goals in a 22-1 win over Lees-McRae, then had six goals and four assists in a 21-8 win over Wingate.

Heavenor joined David Wooster and Kyle Zentz as Saints to win the honor this season.

March 2, 2004

BRING BACK THE CUP

GAFFNEY, SC: The Limestone College men's lacrosse team will travel to Myrtle Beach, SC, on Saturday, where they will take on Dowling College. This game marks the renewal of the North - South Sportsmanship Cup, a series between the two schools that ran from 1996 - 2000.

Limestone (1-0) is currently ranked #3 in the USILA NCAA Division II Poll. They will look to defend the Sportsmanship Cup, which they won in 2000 by a score of 14-9. Dowling (1-0) brings a #7 ranking to the contest and will look to take the cup for the second time, having previously won in 1998.

Saints head coach T.W. Johnson expressed his excitement about the event "We're excited to make the trip to Myrtle Beach. Lacrosse is a rapidly growing sport on the coast. I think the fans will see a pretty good brand of lacrosse on Saturday."

For more information contact Josh Lacy, Sports Information Director at (864) 488-8219 or jlacy@limestone.edu. February 24, 2004

WOOSTER NAMED LAX P.O.W.

ROCK HILL, SC - Limestone College sophomore midfielder David Wooster has been named the Deep South Conference Player of the Week, the league announced today.

Wooster (Annapolis, MD / Annapolis HS) helped lead the Saints to a 27-4 victory over DSC member Mars Hill in their season opener. Wooster had six goals and three assists. He scored on six of 11 shot attempts for a 54.5 percent shooting percentage.

For more information contact Josh Lacy, Sports Information Director at (864) 488-8219 or jlacy@limestone.edu.

February 24, 2004

MEN'S LACROSSE CAPTAINS

GAFFNEY, SC - The Limestone College men's lacrosse team has announced its captains for the 2004 season. Senior defensemen Knick Kobakof and Clint Pitts, as well as senior midfielders Chris Barret and Nick DeLonga will lead the Saints this season.

Kobakof, a Tampa, FL native, is a two-time captain for the Saints. He earned All-Conference honors for his performance last season. Pitts, a Germantown, MD native, earned All-Conference and All-American honors in 2003.

Barrett, an Islip Terrace, NY native, has helped lead the Saints to three Deep South Conference titles and three appearances in the NCAA Division II national championship game. DeLonga is a two-time captain for Limestone. The Silver Springs, MD native earned All-Conference and All-American honors last spring.

Head coach T.W. Johnson was pleased with his team's selections for captains. "These are four quality individuals. The team selected these student athletes because of their work ethic and who they are as people. I am confident that they will provide the leadership necessary for a successful 2004 season."

For more information contact Josh Lacy, Sports Information Director at (864) 488-8219 or jlacy@limestone.edu.