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Paxton, MA (March 4, 2008) – Anna Maria College announces plans to expand its athletic program to include five more competitive sports teams bringing the total number offered at AMC to 15.  Beginning the fall semester of 2008, AMC will offer tennis for men and women, as well as men’s and women’s lacrosse.  In the fall of 2009, the College will launch its first football team.  The following Head Coaches have been hired to build these new athletic teams:

Men’s Lacrosse: Patrick Gaffney
Mr. Gaffney has been involved with the world of lacrosse for over ten years. He has coached from the youth level to the collegiate ranks. This will be his first stint as a Head Coach at the college level. He was most recently an assistant coach at Endicott College where he earned a Bachelors of Science in Sports Management in 2007. While at Endicott College as a student, Mr. Gaffney was an outstanding collegiate lacrosse player. Highlights of his four year career include being a four-year starter, a four-time All-Conference Player, a two-time All-New England player, and a USILA Division III All-American Defensemen. He led Endicott to four NCAA Tournament appearances, and his team never lost a conference game during his four year career. Mr. Gaffney also serves as the Director of Player Development for Rising Stars Lacrosse Organization.

Women’s Lacrosse: Melissa Callender
Mrs. Callender is a pioneer in the world of women’s lacrosse. In 1997 she started a girl’s lacrosse team for Westborough High School where she remained the Head Coach until 2007. During her time there, the team won two League Championships and the District I Championship in 2006. Ms. Callender has a B.S. and M.Ed. in physical education from Springfield College, Springfield, MA and a B.A. in sociology from Hartwick College, Oneonta, NY.  Ms. Callender is currently working in the Westborough, MA school system as a physical education and wellness teacher.

Football: Marc Klaiman
Mr. Klaiman comes to Anna Maria with 20 years of football coaching experience.  Most recently Mr. Klaiman served as the Associate Head Football Coach/Defensive Coordinator for Merrimack College, North Andover, MA.   He also served as the Assistant Head Football Coach at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI from 2004 – 2006 and as Assistant Football Coach at Norwich University, Northfield, VT from 1992 – 2003. While at Bryant College, Mr. Klaiman helped lead the football team to the Division II Football Play-offs in 2006 and during his stint at Norwich, he helped lead the team to the 2003 ECAC North Atlantic Bowl. His collegiate coaching experience began on the sidelines at American International College in 1988, and then at the United States Coast Guard Academy during the 1991-1992 season. He is a graduate of Nichols College and received his M.B.A. from American International College, Springfield, MA.

Men’s and Women’s Tennis: Gary Ward
Mr. Ward returns to the world of collegiate tennis where he enjoyed success as the Men’s and Women’s Tennis Coach at Nichols College and Franklin Pierce College in the 1990’s. Most recently he was the Boy’s Tennis Coach at the prestigious Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, MA.   Mr. Ward is a graduate of Worcester State College, where he also received his M.Ed. He currently teaches math at North Brookfield High School.

“Expanding our athletic program with the introduction of tennis, lacrosse and football will create exciting opportunities for both current and prospective students,” comments Jack P. Calareso, Ph.D., President of Anna Maria College.  “The expansion is also in keeping with our vision to grow the college and create a more dynamic and vibrant college campus experience for our students.”  David Shea, Athletic Director for AMC adds, “The new athletic offerings will allow us to expand our recruiting from both a geographic and a demographic perspective as we continue to seek out both exceptional students and accomplished athletes.”  Anna Maria is a member of The Commonwealth Coast Conference.  Currently, AMC offers men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, as well as field hockey, golf, softball, baseball, cross-country and volley ball.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 6th, 2008 at 8:35 pm and is filed under Other Lacrosse News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.