Scott Smith Named Men's Hockey D-III Head Coach

BOULDER (6/29/11) – Scott Smith, a former defenseman and team captain of the Buffaloes, has been named the head coach of the University of Colorado division-III men’s hockey team, CU collegiate sport clubs director Kris Schoech announced on Wednesday.

“I believe Scott will provide discipline and commitment for our men’s hockey division-III student-athletes,” Schoech said. “Although Scott may not have a lengthy coaching background, as a former player he knows our program and I believe he will be successful as our head coach.”

Smith replaces Shawn Sullivan, who was promoted as the head coach for the school’s division-II club in March after spending three seasons at the division-III level.

Smith played three years of college hockey with the CU D-III team and was a team captain and alternate captain. He was a member of the 2004-05 undefeated squad that won the school’s first division-III championship.

As a captain of the Buffs, he led and organized practices when the head coach wasn’t able to attend due to work commitments at his other job.

“My coach gave me the opportunity to run the defense and be responsible for our collective play,” Smith said. “I believe that our ability to go undefeated speaks to my ability to lead a group of hockey players, make decisions related to personnel and take responsibility for their play.”

He began playing hockey at age seven just outside of Chicago and played competitively until he graduated from CU. Smith played one year with Barrington Redwings Midget AA and three years with Barrington High School’s varsity team, where he helped lead the school to the 2003 Chicago Metro Area High School Championship.

“During my playing career I was never the player with the most raw talent,” Smith said. “I considered myself one of the smartest players on the ice and prided myself on knowing our team's systems, anticipating the play and putting myself in the best place on the ice to make a play. I was truly the "thinking" player on the ice.”

Smith will look to bring that same mindset to the division-III program next season.

Tryouts for CU’s division-III team will take place on Sept. 2 at the CU Ice Arena after the conclusion of the division-II team tryouts. Players interested in playing for either the D-II or D-III squad next season must attend the team organizational meeting in conference rooms 1 and 2 in the CU Student Recreation Center on Aug. 23.

The division-III Buffs will open up their 2011-12 season on Sept. 23 against the Air Force Academy at Cadet Ice Arena on the academy’s campus near Colorado Springs.

CU Names John Galvin as New Men's Lacrosse Head Coach

BOULDER, Colo. (6/23/11) – John Galvin has been named the University of Colorado men’s lacrosse head coach for the 2011-12 season, CU collegiate sport clubs director Kris Schoech announced on Thursday.

"I have no reservations about John's coaching and administration abilities," Schoech said. "He is one of the best coaches I have had in the last 25 years and I know he will provide great leadership for the CU men's lacrosse team."

Galvin replaces Mike Ryder, who was relieved of his coaching duties earlier this month. Ryder finished with a 16-10 record in the year and a half he was the head coach of the Buffaloes.

Galvin returns to Boulder where he previously coached the Buffaloes for six years and led the team to the 2006 National Championship game. In 2009, his last year at CU, the team finished with a 15-7 mark, earned the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference regular season title with a 5-0 record and advanced to the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association National Semifinals. He left the program in August of that year in order to focus his attention on his business in Boulder.

“I am definitely excited for the opportunity again, and I think it will give me some challenges,” Galvin said. “For the last two years I have had a few different perspectives and I’m excited to take on the head coaching world again.

“I missed coaching and the opportunity presented itself this year. I thought it was the right time to come back to coaching.”

During his first stint at Colorado, Galvin was named the MCLA Coach of the Year in 2004 and the RMLC Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2009. He was named the University of Colorado Collegiate Sport Clubs Coach of the Year in 2005. He went 65-28 (.699) in his time at CU and had four seasons of 10 wins or more.

Galvin played his collegiate lacrosse at Ohio Wesleyan University where he lettered and was named to the All-Conference team each of his four years (1999-2002). He was a team captain for the Battling Bishops during his junior and senior seasons.

Galvin, who is one of the most respected coaches in the MCLA, began his coaching career in 2003 as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III powerhouse Cortland State and helped lead the Red Dragons to the national semifinals that season. He was then hired as CU’s head coach in the fall of 2003.

He earned his undergraduate degree in political science while also picking up a minor in history at Ohio Wesleyan, and he attained his master degree in management from Regis University in Denver in 2008.

Last year, Colorado finished 10^th in the Adidas MCLA Poll with an 11-6 record and third in the RMLC with a 2-2 mark. The No. 7 seeded Buffs lost 10-9 to the No. 10 seeded Boston College Eagles in the first round of the MCLA National Championships in May at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo.

John Galvin Quotes

On why he came back to CU—“I missed coaching and the opportunity presented itself this year. I thought it was the right time to come back to coaching. I fully supported the prior coaching staff in coach Ryder and Short.”

On what the future holds for the program—“Honestly, I think it is getting back to building the foundations that were set in place and just keep moving forward and improving on those foundations.”

On what has he been up to the last two years—“I have a business in Boulder and I have been running that business. It’s a lacrosse business and I have been trying to build local support in Boulder for the game of lacrosse and build up the sport in the State of Colorado.”

Men's Lacrosse's Mike Ryder and Taylor Short Relieved of their Coaching Duties

BOULDER, Colo. (6/3/11) - University of Colorado Collegiate Sport Clubs has announced that head men's lacrosse coach Mike Ryder and associate head coach Taylor Short have been relieved of their coaching duties.

"The University of Colorado appreciates the efforts of Mike Ryder and Taylor Short after the resignation of Pete Stevenson in the spring of 2010," said collegiate sport clubs director Kris Schoech. "They took over a program during a very difficult time and they did a great job in bringing this team to the national tournament the past two years."

Schoech cited that the men's lacrosse staff was relieved because of administrative concerns, no disciplinary issues were involved.

"I appreciate Mike and Taylor's services and I wish them the best of luck in the future," Schoech said.

Ryder began at Colorado as an assistant coach in the fall of 2009, but he was hired as the head coach midway through the 2010 season. Ryder leaves Boulder with a 16-10 record after a year and a half on the job. He helped lead CU to the 12-10 victory against No. 1 Michigan in his second ever game as head coach on Apr. 9, 2010; a win that ended the Wolverines 49 game win streak.

With Ryder at the helm in 2010, Colorado won four of its final five regular season games and earned the final bid to the Men's Collegiate Lacrosse Association National Championships. Ryder and the Buffs proved that they belonged in the tournament as they defeated Oregon in the first round before losing to the eventual runner up Arizona State in the quarterfinals.

In 2011, the Buffs spent the majority of the season in the top 10 in the CollegeLax Prodigy Poll, but the team struggled to pull out the close victories against the top-tier clubs like they had a year earlier. CU lost four one-goal games, two of which coming against in-state rival Colorado State, and lost by one tally in the first round of the this year's national tournament to Boston College.

CU Collegiate Sport Clubs and the men's lacrosse student officers will immediately begin conducting interviews with possible head coaches for the 2011-12 season.

Men's Rugby Luke Lahman Named to All-Conference Team

BOULDER (6/2/11) - USA Rugby announced on Thursday that University of Colorado men’s rugby player Luke Lahman has been named to the 2011 All-Western Conference Team in the College Premier Division.

Lahman, a 5-foot-10, 195 pound junior from Niwot, Colo., is one of six players from schools in the State of Colorado that made the list. He joins Colorado State’s Stephen Karras and Air Force’s Ryan Russomanno, Anthony Ruize, LeRoi Edwards and Brennan Gallagher.

Overall, 92 players from the four College Premier Division Conferences earned All-Conference accolades.

Colorado finished the first year of the College Premier Division with a 2-5 record and missed the CPD Postseason. The Buffaloes wins came against Colorado State, 29-3, on Mar. 11 and Wyoming, 62-17, on Apr. 16.

California-Berkeley won the inaugural College Premier Division Championship after defeating Brigham Young University 21-14 on May 21.

Men’s rugby website: www.curugby.com