lizabethtown College’s Athletics Department recently hired Drew Delaney as the new head coach for the men’s lacrosse team.
Delaney, a Lancaster, Pa. native, is looking forward to being back in the area and settling down with his wife Linda. “I decided to come to Etown because it seemed to be a great fit, professionally and personally, for my family. I believe Blue Jays lacrosse has tremendous potential to compete at the national level, both in our final year in the MAC and for years to come as we transition into the Landmark,” Delaney said.
Prior to taking the position at Etown, Delaney was the head coach at Arcadia University.
The previous Etown coach, Terry Corcoran, resigned from his position as head coach to accept a position at Wabash College in Indiana. “I am very fortunate that this program already has a great group of student-athletes in place, and I hope to challenge them — on and off the field — to excel in ways they did not know they were able,” he said.
Delaney does not want to completely change the players’ strategy, but he is looking to make small changes to make the team the best it can possibly be. “I want our players to be ‘men of action’ — to do what is necessary to get the results they want — in the classroom and on the field. I expect that a greater level of accountability will help our student-athletes remain focused on their academic investment and balance their passion for playing lacrosse.”
The guys have already responded well to the new routine in the first week of practice. “It’s a unique situation where we can all buy into his new ideas and philosophies on the game, while growing together as a team,” senior David Shatzer said.
“Our style of play is going to be a little more wide-open than in years past. I want to push unsettled opportunities, which will allow our players to be more creative and dynamic,” Delaney said.
Nancy Latimore, director of athletics and physical education, said, “We are looking forward to another successful year in Blue Jay athletics. As I said, last year we were ranked 66th of 436 NCAA Division III athletic programs. In addition, we had student-athletes awarded both a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship (Jill Casey ‘13) and an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship (Jenna Niedermayer ‘13). Year in and year out, our student-athletes are extraordinarily successful, both in the athletic arena and in the classroom. They make us very proud!” Two years ago, Etown was 75th in the NCAA Division III athletics program, and last year Etown was ranked 66th out of the 436 athletics programs in the NACDA Director’s Cup rankings.
As for the upcoming season, Delaney is hoping for success. “There are so many things to look forward to this lacrosse season; I am not sure I could pick any one. In a broader sense, I think I am most excited to get to know the campus community. As focused as I am on lacrosse, we are all Blue Jays, and being a member of this community is something that I am truly excited about,” Delaney said.
The Blue Jays are scheduled to participate in the Edward Taylor Coombs Fall Ball Shootout at Hatboro-Horsham High School on Oct. 13. Senior David Shatzer said, “I’m really excited for the new opportunity, and I think the entire team is as well. [The shootout will] show us where we are as a team at this point and what we need to work on. Right now we’re only focusing on getting better day by day.”
There will be eight teams competing with the Blue Jays including Ursinus College, St. Mary’s College, McDaniel College, Montclair State University, Eastern Connecticut College, Albright College and Eastern University.
