Team History
Haverford men's lacrosse was a comparatively late bloomer but wasted no time in springing into full flower. Then-athletic director and football coach Dana Swan, who had coached lacrosse at Washington & Lee, inspired a club team at Haverford in 1971, most of whose members had never handled a stick before.
The team "went varsity" the next year and almost reached the .500 level in its first season. Several football players became the mainstays of the early teams, particularly Doug Nichols '73 as the gridiron game breathed its last at Haverford. Another early player was Steve Emerson '74, now the 13th President of the College, who recently won the Rolex Achievement Award for excellence in lacrosse and professional life.
In 1974, a rivalry with Swarthmore began. Haverford leads the series after winning 10 of the last 12 meetings. By the late 1970's, the team was fully competitive with rivals in the old Middle Atlantic Conference. Two Lower Merion (Pa.) High School lacrosse stars became Haverford classmates, Ray Lemisch and All-American Richie Schwab, both '79. Schwab and Jeff Jollon '97 have been Haverford's representatives to the North-South All-Star Game.
Swan coached until 1986. His successors have been Stewart Moan, David Hooks, Greg Zecca and Mike Murphy. Under Zecca, Haverford defeated Centennial Conference rivals almost yearly, and in 1998 recorded its first victory over perennially-excellent Franklin & Marshall. The winning goal in that overtime classic was scored by Brian Bean '98, who was selected as Haverford's first Centennial Conference Player of the Year. Bean, from Loyola in Baltimore, led the conference in scoring (48-34-82) as the Fords posted their highest Centennial finish ever in 1998. He ranks third among Haverford career scorers (146-118-264) behind '98 teammate and 2001 STX/USILA honorable mention All-America Chris Anderson. Anderson, a three-time 1st team All-Centennial pick and 2001 North-South game selection, surpassed Bean to become the Fords' career goal scoring leader (195) and the Centennial's all-time point producer (195g-80a-275 pts). Anderson broke his own Haverford-record of 57 goals from 1999 with 65 goals in a career-best 65-19-84 senior season. Simon Hamilton '91, Will Gould '91 and Jamus Driscoll '95 also remain among Haverford's all-time scoring leaders. Haverford has always been blessed with fine goalkeepers as well, including Uri Wurtzel '89, Scott Schimpff '95, Verizon Academic All-America Ian Pitha-Rowe '99, and former Division III Player of the Week John Michals '04.
Michals' classmates, Mike Fischette '04 and Eric Seideman '04, left their mark on the Haverford record books. Fischette and Seideman rank among the college's all-time leaders in a number of offensive categories and were major contributors in Haverford's 9-5 win against 10th-ranked Franklin & Marshall in 2004. Seideman was named First Team All-Centennial Conference as a senior, while Fischette earned academic all-district honors and honorable mention all-conference recognition in his senior year.
In 2006, head coach Mike Murphy led
Haverford to a team to a national ranking and a post-season appearance
for the first time ever. Murphy's men's lacrosse team had five
All-Centennial Conference selections in 2006, with all but one
returning to the lacrosse playing field for the Black Squirrels
in 2007.
Haverford set a school record for wins (11) in 2008 and earned its third straight conference playoff berth, but more importantly, the Fords received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in schools history. From 2007-08 six players earned All-American honors. K.C. Peterson, Steve Selsor and Max Tcheyan were honored in 2007 while Joel Censer, Mike Distler and Dean Granoff garnered the honors in 2008.
Away from its home on Swan Field, Haverford has taken spring trips to Florida, Colorado, California and North Carolina in past years. As lacrosse has widened beyond its traditional hotbeds in Maryland and Long Island, Haverford's roster has diversified and most parts of the country are represented. The Fords also maintain a 16-day non-traditional fall season with a large regional tournament as its climax.