Dartmouth Big Green men's lacrosse

Dartmouth Big Green
Founded1926
UniversityDartmouth College
Head coachSean Kirwan (2023-Present season)
StadiumScully-Fahey Field
(capacity: 1,600)
LocationHanover, New Hampshire
ConferenceIvy League
NicknameBig Green
ColorsDartmouth green and white[1]
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
(1) - 2003
Conference regular season championships
(3) - 1964, 1965, 2003

The Dartmouth Big Green men's lacrosse team represents Dartmouth College in NCAA Division I men's lacrosse. Dartmouth competes as a member of the Ivy League and plays its home games at Scully-Fahey Field in Hanover, New Hampshire. Dartmouth fielded its first lacrosse team in 1926.[2]

History

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Tom Dent Era

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Head Coach Tom Dent led the team for its first 35 seasons until his retirement in 1960. Recruited to Dartmouth to coach soccer, he took on the task of coaching the first lacrosse team although he had no experience in the latter sport. Through the 1940s the Indians were considered a lacrosse "power" as they rolled up nine New England championships in 11 years. Dent's overall lacrosse record for 35 years is 188 wins, 141 losses, and 4 ties.

A successful coach in terms of winning, Coach Dent was also concerned with the characters of his charges. The Dartmouth lacrosse team bestows an annual award in Tom Dent's memory, and it is "To be awarded to the Senior player who by vote of the entire team, has demonstrated the ideals of Tom Dent through his aggressive play, his proven ability as a team player, and his enjoyment of the game, and who by his sportsmanlike conduct is a credit to the memory of Tom Dent and to Dartmouth."

1961–2014

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The Big Green secured the Ivy League championship in 1964, 1965, and 2003. This was determined by the Ivy League conference records until the inception of a conference tournament in 2010.[3]

Dartmouth named Rick Sowell as its head coach in 1999, the first African-American Head Coach in Division I lacrosse. He would lead the Big Green for the next 5 seasons, overseeing an incredible turn-around in the program's fortunes.

In 2003, the Big Green posted one of the biggest upsets in lacrosse history when unranked Dartmouth played #2 Princeton at Princeton's Class of 1952 Field on April 26.[4] Dartmouth, having finished last in the Ivy League in 2002, played on the road versus the defending champs. Nevertheless, Dartmouth prevailed by stunning the Tigers 13-6.[5] Dartmouth went on to win the Ivy League title and qualify for the NCAA tournament.[6]

Dartmouth made its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in 2003, where it was eliminated in the first round by Syracuse, 13–11.[7] The game was highlighted by the end-to-end game-tying goal scored by the Dartmouth goalie, Andrew Goldstein.[8] Sowell left for St. John's University at the conclusion of the 2003 season.[9]

Bill Wilson replaced Sowell for the 2004 season.[10] "During his tenure with the Big Green, (Wilson) compiled a 40-44 overall record, while coaching nine first-team all-league players, one Ivy League Rookie of the Year, 18 first-team All-New England players and seven players selected in the Major League Lacrosse Draft. Signature wins for Dartmouth during Wilson's six-year stint include an upset of fourth-ranked Maryland in 2005, a pair of victories of top-10 ranked Notre Dame and a win over 10th-ranked league rival Princeton in 2008."[11]

A game between Dartmouth and Virginia in 2009

Andy Towers became the Big Green's ninth Head Coach in 2010. Towers had been an assistant Dartmouth coach for the preceding 5 seasons.[12] In 2013, Dartmouth Men's lacrosse posted another stunning upset against then #9 Princeton, beating them 10-9 at Scully-Fahey field on March 13.[13] As reported in College Crosse:

Entering that game, the Big Green were just 2-8, suffering through a six-game losing streak (against some admittedly strong competition). Yet, Dartmouth pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season, dropping Princeton -- ranked ninth in the media poll and eighth in the coaches poll going into the game -- in impressive fashion: Down 7-5 at the half, the Big Green used a three-goal run over the final 6:43 of the third quarter and the first 5:49 of the fourth quarter to draw even with the Tigers at eight; then, after falling behind 8-9 following a Jake Froccaro goal with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation, Dartmouth ripped off two goals in the latter stages of the final period to pull out the improbable victory (what would be its third and final victory of the season).[14]

The winning goal was scored by freshman Cam Lee.[15] Laxpower ranked the Dartmouth win over Princeton as the fourth-biggest upset of the 2013 season.[16]

Brendan Callahan era

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Brendan Callahan became the new head coach at Dartmouth in August 2014, replacing former head coach Andy Towers.[17][18] The Big Green were 5-8 (1-5 in the Ivy League) in his first season in 2015.

The season was highlighted by the double overtime victory over Ivy League rival Harvard, 12-11, on March 21, 2015.[19] Freshman Jack Korzelius scored the winning overtime goal in that game. Captain Philip Hession (First Team All-Ivy, USILA Scholar All-American) had a dominant game at the face-off X winning 20 of 24 draws and scooping 15 groundballs.[20][21][22] Laxpower ranked the Dartmouth win over Harvard as the 2nd biggest upset in the 2015 season.[23] Two Big Green players finished in the Division I top 10 statistically for 2015: Adam Fishman, attack, finished third in shooting percentage (.481), and Hession, a midfielder, finished sixth in groundballs per game (7.77) as well as ninth in face-off percentage (0.625).[24][25][26]

In 2016, 2017, and 2018, the Big Green had a combined 5–35 record, going winless in all 18 Ivy League contests. The hiring of new offensive coordinator Joe Conner in the summer of 2018 represents a new chapter in the Brendan Callahan era.[27]

During the 2023 season the Big Green had their first non-losing season since 2006, finishing the season with 6 wins and 6 losses. On March 25, the Big Green won their first game against an Ivy League opponent since 2015 with a 10-9 overtime win against Harvard. Following the 2023 season Dartmouth parted ways with Brendan Callahan.[28]

Sean Kirwan Era

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Dartmouth hired Virginia's then offensive coordinator Sean Kirwan to become the next head coach of the Big Green in June 2023.[29]

Season results

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The following is a list of Dartmouth's results by season as an NCAA Division I program:

Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Dudley Hendrick (Ivy League) (1970–1983)
1971 Dudley Hendrick 4–10 0–6 7th
1972 Dudley Hendrick 5–10 0–6 7th
1973 Dudley Hendrick 7–10 1–5 T–6th
1974 Dudley Hendrick 4–9 1–5 6th
1975 Dudley Hendrick 4–8 0–6 7th
1976 Dudley Hendrick 7–5 2–4 T–5th
1977 Dudley Hendrick 7–8 3–3 4th
1978 Dudley Hendrick 4–8 2–4 5th
1979 Dudley Hendrick 9–3 4–2 T–2nd
1980 Dudley Hendrick 4–7 2–4 T–5th
1981 Dudley Hendrick 6–5 3–3 4th
1982 Dudley Hendrick 9–3 4–2 T–2nd
1983 Dudley Hendrick 6–6 3–3 T–4th
Dudley Hendrick: 77–99 (.438) 26–58 (.310)
Scott Allison (Ivy League) (1984–1986)
1984 Scott Allison 6–7 2–4 5th
1985 Scott Allison 3–9 1–5 6th
1986 Scott Allison 3–13 1–5 T–6th
Scott Allison: 12–29 (.293) 4–14 (.222)
B.J. O'Hara (Ivy League) (1987–1989)
1987 B.J. O'Hara 4–8 0–6 7th
1988 B.J. O'Hara 5–9 1–5 6th
1989 B.J. O'Hara 5–10 0–6 7th
B.J. O'Hara: 14–27 (.341) 1–17 (.056)
Tim Nelson (Ivy League) (1990–1998)
1990 Tim Nelson 2–11 0–6 7th
1991 Tim Nelson 1–14 0–6 7th
1992 Tim Nelson 5–8 0–6 7th
1993 Tim Nelson 3–9 0–6 7th
1994 Tim Nelson 10–4 3–3 4th
1995 Tim Nelson 9–4 2–4 T–5th
1996 Tim Nelson 6–6 2–4 5th
1997 Tim Nelson 5–7 2–4 5th
1998 Tim Nelson 6–7 1–5 T–6th
Tim Nelson: 47–70 (.402) 10–44 (.185)
Rick Sowell (Ivy League) (1999–2003)
1999 Rick Sowell 5–8 2–4 T–4th
2000 Rick Sowell 5–9 0–6 7th
2001 Rick Sowell 6–8 1–5 7th
2002 Rick Sowell 6–7 0–6 7th
2003 Rick Sowell 11–3 5–1 T–1st NCAA Division I First Round
Rick Sowell: 33–35 (.485) 8–22 (.267)
Bill Wilson (Ivy League) (2004–2009)
2004 Bill Wilson 8–5 3–3 T–3rd
2005 Bill Wilson 8–4 4–2 T–2nd
2006 Bill Wilson 8–7 3–3 T–4th
2007 Bill Wilson 5–10 1–5 T–6th
2008 Bill Wilson 7–7 3–3 T–4th
2009 Bill Wilson 4–11 1–5 T–6th
Bill Wilson: 40–44 (.476) 15–21 (.417)
Andy Towers (Ivy League) (2010–2014)
2010 Andy Towers 5–8 2–4 T–5th
2011 Andy Towers 5–9 1–5 7th
2012 Andy Towers 5–9 1–5 T–6th
2013 Andy Towers 3–11 1–5 7th
2014 Andy Towers 2–10 0–6 7th
Andy Towers: 20–47 (.299) 5–25 (.167)
Brendan Callahan (Ivy League) (2015–2023)
2015 Brendan Callahan 5–8 1–5 7th
2016 Brendan Callahan 1–13 0–6 7th
2017 Brendan Callahan 2–11 0–6 7th
2018 Brendan Callahan 2–11 0–6 7th
2019 Brendan Callahan 2–11 0–6 7th
2020 Brendan Callahan 3–1 0–0 † †
2021 Brendan Callahan 1–1 0–0 †† ††
2022 Brendan Callahan 4–9 0–6 7th
2023 Brendan Callahan 6–6 1–5 7th
Brendan Callahan: 26–71 (.268) 2–40 (.048)
Sean Kirwan (Ivy League) (2024–present)
2024 Sean Kirwan 3–10 0–6 7th
Sean Kirwan: 3–10 (.231) 0–6 (.000)
Total: 504–631–4 (.444)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

†NCAA canceled 2020 collegiate activities due to the COVID-19 virus.
†† Ivy League cancelled 2021 collegiate season due to the COVID-19 virus.

References

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  1. ^ "Color Palette" (PDF). Dartmouth Athletics Visual Identity Guidelines. March 13, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  2. ^ "Men's Lacrosse Record Year by Year". Dartmouth College. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  3. ^ "The Ivy League Men's Lacrosse Record Book 2015-2016" (PDF). The Ivy League. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  4. ^ "Goalie Stars As Dartmouth Tops Princeton In Men's Lacrosse". GoPrincetonTigers.com. April 26, 2003. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  5. ^ "Dartmouth Box". GoPrincetonTigers.com. April 26, 2003. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  6. ^ Preston, Mike (May 10, 2003). "Against the odds, Sowell revives Dartmouth lacrosse". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  7. ^ "Syracuse University Athletics - NCAA Men's Lacrosse First Round Quotes (SU vs. Dartmouth)". Cuse.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  8. ^ "Dartmouth LAX goalie scores a goal". YouTube. 2006-06-02. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  9. ^ Avitabile, Jessica. "Lax coach departs for St. John's". The Dartmouth. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  10. ^ "Wilson leaves for Green". Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  11. ^ "Bill Wilson Named Air Force Assistant Lacrosse Coach - Air Force Academy Athletics Official Athletic Site Air Force Academy Athletics Official Athletic Site - Men's Lacrosse". Goairforcefalcons.com. 2009-07-27. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  12. ^ Dartmouth  6-12-2009 (2009-12-06). "Andrew Towers Named Head Coach for Men's Lacrosse - DartmouthSports.com—Official Web Site of Dartmouth Varsity Athletics". Dartmouthsports.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Princeton vs Dartmouth (4/13/13)". Dartmouthsports.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  14. ^ "Eulogizing the 2013 College Lacrosse Season: (40) Dartmouth". College Crosse. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  15. ^ 9 Cameron Lee. "Cameron Lee Bio - DartmouthSports.com—Official Web Site of Dartmouth Varsity Athletics". Dartmouthsports.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ "Upsets". Laxpower.com. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  17. ^ "Brendan Callahan Named Men's Lacrosse Head Coach". DartmouthSports.com.
  18. ^ "Brendan Callahan Bio". DartmouthSports.com.
  19. ^ "No. 15/16 Harvard Men's Lacrosse Comes Up Short in Double Overtime at Dartmouth, 12-11". Lacrosse Playground. March 23, 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  20. ^ Christman, Sean (January 25, 2016). "Ivy League – 2016 D1 Conference Preview". Lacrosse All-Stars. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  21. ^ "Phil Hession Named USILA Scholar All-American" (Press release). Dartmouth College.
  22. ^ "Harvard vs Dartmouth College (Mar 21, 2015)". Dartmouth College. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  23. ^ "Upsets". laxpower.com.
  24. ^ "NCAA Men's Lacrosse Division I Shot Percentage Through Games 05/25/2015". NCAA. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  25. ^ "NCAA Men's Lacrosse Division I Ground Balls Per Game Through Games 05/25/2015". NCAA. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  26. ^ "NCAA Men's Lacrosse Division I Face-Off Winning Pct Through Games 05/25/2015". NCAA. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  27. ^ Bender, Rick (June 29, 2018). "Joe Conner Hired as Men's Lacrosse Associate Head Coach". Dartmouthsports.com.
  28. ^ Foy, Terry; Xanders, Ty (June 2, 2023). "Dartmouth Parts Ways with Callahan After Nine Seasons". Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  29. ^ Xanders, Ty (June 9, 2023). "Breaking: Dartmouth to Hire Virginia's Sean Kirwan as Head Coach". Inside Lacrosse. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
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