Archive for 2021
AJ Haugen, Long Island Express
National Lacrosse Hall of Fame 2018
Long Island Lacrosse Hall of Fame – Class of 2013
LI HS Player of the Year 1996
2x High School All American
Bethpage HS State Champions 1996
All World Midfield, U-19 Team USA 1996
3x NCAA 1st Team AA – Johns Hopkins
Member of Johns Hopkins All Time Team
5x MLL All Star L.I. Lizards
2x MLL Champion
Member of Team USA 2006
Spencer Ford
Ford spent a combined 18 years with Major League Lacrosse (MLL), eight years as a player followed by 10 years at the Front Office. Most recently, Ford was General Manager and Head Coach of the Philadelphia Barrage, but also served in general manager, assistance coach and player personnel capacities at the Atlanta Blaze and Chesapeake Bayhawks over his tenure.
As a player, Ford played as attackman for four MLL franchises: Los Angeles, Long Island, Rochester and Washington (later Chesapeake). Over his professional career, Ford’s accolades include being named to the 2007 All Pro Team, 2007 Western Conference All-Star, 2008 Eastern Conference All-Star and lead the league in assists, 2009 MLL All-Star three years running and was again leading the league in assists before a career-ending ACL/Meniscus tear in his final season.
Jimmy Heaney (Charlotte)
Queens College
Chris Spaulding, Montvedra Academy
Chris Spaulding is an experienced educator who has positively affected the lives of students both in and out of the classroom. He was a recipient of the Golden Apple “Outstanding Teaching” Award in New York State, and also achieved a 90 percent pass rate in AP U.S. history for five consecutive years.
To complement his success in the classroom, Spaulding has an enviable record as a varsity lacrosse coach. Before returning to his home in New York for the past two years, Spaulding served as a history teacher and varsity lacrosse coach at Lake Highland Preparatory School in Orlando, where he was named U.S. Lacrosse Coach of the Year and Florida Dairy Farmer’s Coach of the Year four times, and led his lacrosse team to four state championships. He will join forces with Brooks Sweet, Hall of Fame inductee, to continue to advance the lacrosse program at Montverde Academy.
Charlie Cummins, Jesuit HS
JUSTIN VANTASSEL, Maclay School
Head Coach and Program Director, Justin VanTassel is currently the head coach at the Maclay School. He is originally from Michigan, where he played high school lacrosse at Bishop Foley Catholic High School just outside of Detroit. At Bishop Foley, he was a 4 year Varsity starter and was selected All-State three times. In his senior season, he earned Academic All-American honors.
After high school, Coach VanTassel attended Defiance College in Defiance, OH, where he was the quarterback of the football team. In 2001, he helped lead the team to their first HCAC Conference Championship and an NCAA Playoff berth. While at Defiance, he earned a B.S. Degree in Social Studies Education. Since then, he has obtained his Master’s Degree from American University in European History. After College, he moved back to Michigan to begin his teaching and coaching career. He worked at Troy Athens High School coaching both wrestling and lacrosse. While coaching, he also played lacrosse for Motor City Lacrosse Club and Great Lakes Lacrosse Club.
While at Maclay he has a posted record of 24-6 and has helped many players reach their goals of playing lacrosse at the next level. He is very excited about the future of the sport in Tallahassee and is committed to growing the game through the 850 Lacrosse Club.
Jon Montes, Oak Hall
Jonathan Montes is the current head coach at Oak Hall in Gainesville, FL. Prior to Florida, he coached at The Calverton School in Maryland where he quickly turned a struggling lacrosse program into regular contenders at the MILL (MD Independent Lacrosse League) Championships each year. The Cougars ultimately won the Championships five times under Montes’ reign.
In addition to his coaching history in Maryland, Jonathan co-founded a well known elite recruiting club called SMS (Southern Maryland Select) which included players from 45 different high schools and from 8 different states. He then went on to Florida where he’s started several more club teams in an effort to continue to expand and develop talented players around the state.
Montes was an All-American player in High School before he went on to The Ohio State University. He resides in Gainesville, FL with his wife Heather and their 3 children.
Mark Ayad, Lake Howell
Head Coach at Lake Howell High School.
Director of the Wookies Lacrosse Club.
Winner of 3 Coach of the Year Awards.
Inside Lacrosse Epoch Committed Academy Coach.
Coach for Lacrosse Club of Orlando.
Mike Chanenchuk, LI Express
- World Champion Coach of the 2017 World Series of Youth Lacrosse Team
- Coach St Anthony’s High School
- United States Naval Academy
- 3X USILA All- American
- 2X Coach Under Armour Underclassmen All-American Team
Dan McKinney, Mad Lax Oregon
College Attended: Georgetown University
Other Coaching Experience:
- Grant High School – Head Coach (2018 Head Coach of the Year, Columbia Conf)
- Niskayuna High School – Asst. Coach
- Albany Power
Position of Expertise: All
Inspirational Quote Generator: “I love the winning, I can take the losing, but most of all I love to play.” Boris Becker