Aug. 1, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Iroquois Nationals men's lacrosse team announced its coaching staff for the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championship on Thursday, which included Penn State assistant coach Chris Doctor. The fourth-year assistant coach at PSU will assist the Iroquois in the same role.
"I am very grateful to be included in the coaching staff for the 2014 World Championship," Doctor said. "The opportunity to represent the Iroquois Nationals and my heritage is a true honor."
Doctor has been instrumental to the rise of Penn State lacrosse during the staff's three-plus years on campus. The Nittany Lions have improved its win total every season turning a 2-11 squad prior to Penn State head coach Jeff Tambroni's arrival into a 12-5 mark last season. Prior to Doctor's time at PSU he assisted Lafayette for four seasons and was a four-year letterwinner at Rutgers, leading the team in assists his junior and senior years.
The Iroquois coaching staff is led by SUNY Cortland head coach Steve Beville, who served as Iroquois U-19 head man during the 2012 Youth World Championship in Finland. Beville led the Iroquois to a bronze medal and a historic win over the United States, the first victory over the Americans in international play.
Alongside Doctor and Beville will be Virginia associate head coach Marc Van Arsdale. All three Iroquois Nationals coaches are from upstate New York as Doctor hails from Skaneateles, Beville from Syracuse and Van Arsdale a Geneva native.
The Iroquois Nationals represent the Six Nations of the Iroquois League (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora). The Iroquois were admitted into international lacrosse in 1990 and began competing in the World Lacrosse Championship in 1998, finishing fourth three times before the 2010 tournament. The Nationals did not compete in the 2010 World Championship hosted by Great Britain due to visa issues.
The FIL World Championship will be held July 10-19, 2014 in Denver, Colo. The United States tryout pool was announced earlier this week and it included seven Penn State connections including Tambroni as a U.S. assistant and rising senior goalie Austin Kaut (Morton, Pa.). Joining Kaut are alums Chris Schiller ('99), Greg Gurenlian ('06), Pat Heim ('07), Drew Adams ('09), Matthew Mackrides ('12). Schiller features as a short-stick defensive midfielder, Heim and Mackrides are attacking midfielders, while Gurenlian is a face-off specialist and Adams a goalie.