Men's Lacrosse
In just two seasons as coach of the Bryant University men's lacrosse program, Mike Pressler has guided the Bulldogs to a pair of Northeast-10 Conference titles and one NCAA playoff berth. Now, as his third season at the Smithfield, R.I. university, Pressler is prepared to guide the Bulldogs into Division I starting in 2008-09.
Following a school-record 14-win season in 2008, Pressler was
awarded a four-year contract extension that will keep him as coach
of the Bulldogs through 2015. In 2008, the Bulldogs went 14-4
overall and won their second conference title, defeating top-ranked
Le Moyne in Syracuse, NY in May. The win earned the Bulldogs
their first-ever NCAA championship berth.
Bryant has posted a 25-8 record in two seasons under Pressler, guiding the Bulldogs to an 11-4 record in his first season in 2007.
Previously the head coach at Duke University for 16 seasons,
Pressler was named coach at Bryant on August 5, 2006, becoming just
the second coach in the program's seven-year history.
In his first season at Bryant, Pressler guided the Bulldogs to
their first ever Northeast-10 Conference regular season title and a
top seed in the conference tournament playoffs. During the 2007
season, Bryant tied a school record with 10 consecutive wins
including an undefeated 9-0 mark in the Northeast-10. Among
those wins was an overtime victory against defending national
champion Le Moyne, snapping the Dolphin's 70-game win streak.
The Bulldogs, ranked as high as No. 4 nationally in 2007, have
gained the No. 1 regional ranking for the entire month of
April.
A native of Wilton, Connecticut, Pressler compiled a 153-82 overall
record at Duke, leading the Blue Devils to three Atlantic Coast
Conference championships, 10 NCAA tournament berths and an
appearance in the 2005 Division I men's lacrosse championship
game.
A three-time A.C.C. Coach of the Year and recipient of the USILA's
F. Morris Touchstone Award as the National Coach of the Year in
2005, Pressler's overall head coaching record stands at 229-102 in
22 seasons. He ranks among the nation's top 10 active coaches
in both career victories and overall winning percentage.
In 2005, Pressler earned the top coaching honor after directing the
Blue Devils to an NCAA single-season record 17 wins against three
defeats. The 2005 squad, behind the play of three First Team
All-America selections, established a new NCAA record for the best
win total turnaround (from 5 wins in 2004 to 17). Duke led
the nation in scoring offense by averaging over 13 goals per game,
and finished the year ranked second in the national poll.
During his tenure at Duke University, the men's lacrosse program
posted a 100 percent graduation rate.
In 2002, Pressler was an assistant coach on the U.S. Men's Lacrosse
team that captured the gold medal at the International Lacrosse
Federation World Championship.
Pressler arrived at Duke as one of the most successful NCAA
Division III lacrosse coaches in the country. In five seasons
at Ohio Wesleyan, Pressler led OWU to the NCAA finals three
straight times and the semifinals twice. He was named the
USILA's Division III Coach of the year in 1987 and the North Coast
Athletic Conference's Coach of the Year three times.
Pressler served as an assistant at Army under Jack Emmer in
1984-85. Before that, he guided VMI to a 7-4 record in his
only season as head coach.
A 1982 graduate of Washington and Lee University in Lexington,
Virginia, Pressler was a four-year starter for both the football
and lacrosse teams. A first team Division Kodak All-American
nose tackle in football and a four-year starter in
lacrosse.
A member of the school's Hall of Fame, Pressler served as team
captain for both sports as a senior.
He was inducted into the Wilton (Conn.) High School Hall of Fame in
1998 and the Washington & Lee Hall of Fame in 2001.
