More than 160 members of the Fairfield University men's lacrosse community gathered as a part of the annual Friends of Men's Lacrosse Dinner this past Saturday, Oct. 24. Several prominent figures in the program's history were recognized alongside the recently graduated Class of 2015.
The event, held on campus as a part of the University's Alumni and Family Weekend, began with an invocation from Rev. Charles H. Allen, S.J. and comments from Paul Caulfield '96, the current president of the Friends of Fairfield Men's Lacrosse.
Kicking off the award presentations, which were hosted by News12 Connecticut Sports Director Damian Andrew, was the Heart of a Stag Award. The special recognition, presented for support and loyalty to Fairfield University, was awarded to Hugh Coyle '88.
A four-year starter for the club lacrosse team from 1984-88, Coyle was a standout midfielder for the Stags. He was the first junior to serve as team captain in 1987, a year that saw Fairfield post the program's only undefeated season en route to a New England Club Championship. Coyle capped his athletic career with a team-high 21 assists and ranked second on the squad with 37 total points. He was recognized for his performance as the University's Club Athlete of the Year.
Fairfield also recognized the two NCAA Tournament teams in the program's history – the 2002 and 2005 squads.
The 2002 team won five of its final seven regular-season games, claiming the automatic bid from the Great Western Lacrosse League with a 4-1 league record. The Stags went 5-0 in one-goal games, including victories at Notre Dame and Denver. In addition to reaching the first-ever NCAA Tournament in program history, the 2002 Fairfield team cracked the USILA national rankings for the first time – rising as high as No. 19.
The 2002 team was represented by team captains Joe Beaudet, Shaun Graham, Brian Holland and Marc Torrey.
The 2005 Fairfield Stags recorded wins over Air Force, Penn State, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Denver en route to an 11-5 overall record and a 4-1 Great Western Lacrosse League mark. The Stags put together a seven-game winning streak during the regular season, climbing as high as No. 15 in the USILA national rankings – the best in program history to that point.
Sean Flynn and Tom Werney – the captains of the 2005 team – each spoke as representatives of Fairfield's most recent NCAA Tournament participant.
Speaking on behalf of the 2016 Stags was co-captain TJ Neubauer. Neubauer will serve as a captain for the second straight season alongside fellow seniors Conor Barr and Charlie Schnider and junior Jake Knostman.
Head Coach Andy Copelan then took to the podium to recognize the 10 recently-graduated members of the Class of the 2015. That class was a part of 41 victories and posted a .661 winning percentage – both program records for a four-year class during the varsity era. They capped their careers with back-to-back regular season championships and guided the Stags to a national ranking in all four of their years with the program.
The 10 honorees, all of whom were in attendance on their first Alumni Weekend as Fairfield graduates, were Bryan Barry, Max Buchanan, Louie DiGiacomo, Drew Federico, Nick Guida, Tom Lukacovic, Colin McLinden, Kip McMahon, Cameron Parker and Tristan Sperry.
Three special awards were then presented to a trio of prominent alumni. Each alumnus received a Fairfield Lacrosse painting commissioned by Paul '82 and Linda Huston and created by renowned American artist Stephen Holland. The painting also hangs in the President's Suite at Rafferty Stadium.
Bill Condon '81 and Dr. Steve Hinchey '73 were both recognized for their upcoming induction into the Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Condon has coached at the high school level in Connecticut since his graduation from Fairfield in 1981, most notably at his alma mater, Conard High School in West Hartford. He has amassed over 300 victories and has earned numerous honors including Connecticut High School Coach of the Year in 2000, Class M Coach of the Year in 20008 and the Joe Oliva Contribution to the Sport Award in 2015.
Dr. Hinchey has been a lacrosse official since 1974, officiating games including the CONNY All-Star Game, high school state championship games, ECAC and MCLA postseason games, NCAA quarterfinal games and the World Games. He is also a contribution to Lacrosse Magazine.
Also recognized was Roger Yergeau '73, a member of the first men's lacrosse team at Fairfield.
The final address of the evening was delivered by University Trustee Brian Hull '80 P'13, a four-year member of the lacrosse team and longtime supporter of Fairfield and the men's lacrosse program.
Earlier in the day, Fairfield lacrosse hosted more than 60 alumni in its annual alumni game.
The 2016 edition of the Stags returns 28 student-athletes from the 2015 squad that won the CAA regular season title and merited a USILA national ranking for the fourth consecutive campaign. Fairfield will also incorporate 14 newcomers into the fold this spring.
