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Mike Morgan
The all-time winningest coach in program history and one of the top coaches at any level in collegiate lacrosse, Mike Morgan enters his 17th season as head coach of the Merrimack College men's lacrosse program in 2024 after leading the team to back-to-back national championships to close out the Division II era. He is now guiding the Warriors in their fifth season of a full NCAA Division I institution and the first year with postseason eligibility.
During Merrimack's first full season of Division I play not shortened by COVID, the Warriors impressed. The team compiled a 5-5 overall mark including a dominant win over regional rival, UMass Lowell, then went on to beat NEC foes Wagner, LIU, Mount St. Mary's and Sacred Heart. Four players garnered all-conference honors, led by Sean Black, who was named a First Team All-Conference midfielder. After he made huge strides on the defensive side of the field, Nicholas Perez-Blanco was named a Second Team All-Conference defender and a pair of newcomers, Henry Vogt and Joseph Jorgenson, capped tremendous freshmen campaigns with All-Rookie team awards.
The postseason awards continued to flood in for Merrimack, as the team was named an NEC Team GPA Award winner after the Warriors compiled a 3.430 cumulative mark. A total of 27 players also had a cumulative GPA of 3.20 or better to be named to the 2020-21 Spring Academic Honor Roll for the league.
In the Warriors' first season as a Division I program in 2020, Merrimack hit a major milestone in a memorable way. In the team's fourth game of the season, Morgan and the Warriors traveled to Ann Arbor, Mich. and knocked off the Wolverines by a 14-12 margin to secure the first win in Division I history. Before the season started, Charlie Bertrand was named to the watch list for the Tewaaraton Award for the best player in college lacrosse for the second straight season. Before Merrimack's first ever NEC game against Wagner, the remainder of the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Winning no fewer than 11 games in any of his previous 13 seasons guiding the Warriors, Morgan enters 2021 with a career coaching record of 170-51, good for a winning percentage of .769. He ranks fourth among all active coaches in Division I, II and III in career win percentage and second among Division II coaches, as well as 10th among all NCAA coaches all-time (fourth among all Division II coaches all-time). He also ranks in the top-10 among all active Division II coaches in total coaching victories and in the top-25 among Division II coaches in all-time victories. He earned his first-ever USILA Division II National Coach of the Year award at the end of the 2017 season, as well, adding to his long list of accolades that have been accrued over the past decade.
As his personal coaching resume and his student-athletes' long list of individual accomplishments have been nothing short of incredible over Morgan's tenure, they all are tied to the success of his teams and their ability to pile up victories on the biggest of stage. Over the last five years, that fact has never been more apparent, highlighted by two of the most memorable campaigns by any Merrimack College athletic program during the springs of 2018 and 2019.
After leading the Warriors to the mountaintop for the men's lacrosse program's first national championship in 2018, Morgan and his coaching staff embarked on perhaps their biggest challenge during their encore season in 2019: attempt to repeat as national champions. But while the previous season -- particularly the postseason -- featured little drama as part of a dominant run to the national title, the 2019 campaign had a few more bumps along the way. While the squad certainly was primed for another run on paper, the Warriors were besieged by injuries early in the while a somewhat young leadership core kept the team focused and motivated. By an average team's standards, the Warriors' 12-2 record entering the postseason was still stellar and was good enough to earn the program its second-ever Northeast-10 Conference regular season title, but Merrimack has been anything but average over the past decade. A semifinal exit in the 2019 NE10 Championship pushed Merrimack to the No. 6 seed entering the NCAA Championship -- marking the program's fifth straight appearance in the national tournament, extending a school record.
But that No. 6 seed -- and the storyline that ensued -- was perhaps the best thing to happen to the Warriors the entire spring. Embracing the underdog role, Merrimack rode the "Six Train" to three different -- and very far -- destinations in the first three rounds of the NCAA Championship, orchestrating upset after upset over each of the top-three seeds in emphatic fashion. Appropriately enough, Merrimack got one last crack at two of its biggest rivals over the last decade -- Adelphi and Le Moyne -- in both the national quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. The Warriors would exact revenge -- on the road, no less, against both -- with a dramatic comeback and overtime win against the latter squad securing a return trip to the national title game in Philadelphia, where Merrimack would meet Limestone College to set the stage for a rematch of the 2017 NCAA Final. There, Merrimack would wrap up the magical run and its amazing Division II era with a 16-8 romping to earn its second consecutive national championship.
Considering where the pundits had Merrimack projected before the national tournament began, where they ultimately finished -- on top of the country yet again -- will make the 2019 campaign arguably the best work yet by Morgan and his coaching staff. The final numbers for the spring included a 17-3 record -- one shy of 2018's record 18 wins -- and a top-three scoring offense and top-20 scoring defense, as well as the third-ranked man-up offense unit. On the individual front, Morgan guided four Warriors to All-America honors and saw rising senior Bertrand put together one of the best individual campaigns in the history of the program after being named Lt. Col. J.I. Turnbull Award winner for the nation's most outstanding attackman and the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Outstanding Player award, both for the second year in a row. Bertrand was also named to the Tewaarataon Award Watch List -- the only non-Division I player in the country to do so.
The Warriors also led New England with 10 all-region selections for the second year in a row, with Bertrand claiming the region's top player accolade. Merrimack saw eight players earn all-league status with Bertrand again headlining the bunch by being named NE10 Player of the Year, as well. In terms of in-the-classroom success, Morgan saw Bertrand earn the NCAA's Elite 90 Award for having the top GPA at the NCAA Championship for the second straight season, as well as CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and the NE10 Sports Excellence Award. Three Warriors altogether earned NE10 Academic All-Conference honors, as well.
After leading the team to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championship Final in 2017, Morgan looked to take the final step and deliver the program's first national title in 2018. Equipped with a team that boasted talent, leadership and one of the most important intangibles -- experience in playing on the biggest stage -- the lofty expectations were certainly justified. While it might not have been surprising to see the team accomplish all of those goals, the dominant fashion in which it did so might have been.
The 2018 squad not only won -- they dominated. Morgan guided the team to a 15-1 record after the regular season, as the Warriors earned the No. 2 seed in the Northeast-10 Conference Championship en route to claiming their third league tournament title and first in eight years. Then, after earning its fourth straight NCAA Championship berth and the No. 1 seed in the North Region for the first time in school history, Merrimack obliterated its competition in the first two rounds of the tournament to punch a return ticket to the national title game at Gillette Stadium. There, the Warriors would put a bow on a storybook season with another dominating victory (23-6) against Saint Leo to give the program its first national championship.
When all was said and done, the 2018 season featured a school-record 18 victories, most of which came in dominating fashion with Merrimack owning a top-five scoring offense and scoring defense nationally. Morgan also helped produce a nation-high and school-record-tying six All-Americans, marking the fourth straight year that Merrimack boasted six such honorees. The team also boasted two major award winners at the nationwide level, with Bertrand being named the Lt. Col. J.I. Turnbull Award winner for the nation's most outstanding attackman as well as the co-winner of the Lt. Raymond J. Enners Outstanding Player award, representing the nation's most valuable player. Bertrand is just the second student-athlete under Morgan's tenure to earn that accolade.
The Warriors also led New England with 10 all-region selections, as Morgan saw James Bassett '18 earn New England Player of the Year honors while he repeated as the NEILA Coach of the Year. Merrimack had a conference-high 10 all-league selections and boasted the NE10 Rookie of the Year, as well. In terms of in-the-classroom success, Morgan saw Bertrand earn the NCAA's Elite 90 Award for having the top GPA at the NCAA Championship, as well as two NE10 Academic All-Conference honorees, as well.
Before winning it all, Merrimack had to get to the national title game, and that was exactly what Morgan's coaching staff helped accomplish as part of a remarkable 2017 season. In addition to tying the program record for victories in a single season for the second year in a row (15), Merrimack secured a third straight berth in the NCAA Tournament. And after advancing to the national semifinals in each of the previous two seasons, Morgan helped lead the Warriors over that last hurdle with a pair of convincing victories over Northeast-10 Conference rivals Le Moyne and Adelphi to clinch the team's first-ever trip the NCAA Championship Final. While Merrimack did fall short in that first appearance in the title game, that experience would prove to be invaluable in the long run.
Morgan had coached a school-record six All-Americans in four straight seasons (2015-18) and 28 All-Americans overall since 2015, as well as a number of major award winners from the national, regional and conference level. Tim Towler, a 2017 graduate, was named the USILA Co-Midfielder of the Year, NEILA Player of the Year and NE10 Player of the Year in 2017, while James Bassett '18 earned NEILA and NE10 Defensive Player of the Year honors. Bertrand was tabbed the NE10 Rookie of the Year in 2017, as well, before his dominant follow-up seasons, while Merrimack, as a team, was among the most-represented schools among the all-conference, all-region and All-America compilations. Morgan, himself, has earned postseason recognition in the form of his being named USILA Division II Coach of the Year and NEILA New England Coach of the Year at least once for both categories.
Morgan's squad originally set the school record for wins with 15 in the 2016 campaign while posting a 10-1 record in conference play en route to a second-place finish in the Northeast-10 Conference standings. More importantly, for the second year in a row and third time in program history, the Warriors qualified for the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the national semifinals. Merrimack marched through the regular season with a 13-1 record highlighted by victories over five teams that were either nationally ranked or receiving votes in the national poll, and in the 2016 postseason, the Warriors won both games played at Martone-Mejail Field, including a triple-overtime thriller in the league semifinals over Adelphi and a back-and-forth affair against LIU Post in the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals. It marked the first time in school history that Merrimack hosted a playoff game in North Andover and the first-ever NCAA Tournament victory at home.
Morgan's guidance once again produced a school-record six All-Americans at the conclusion of the 2016 season, as well as nine all-region and all-conference honorees. Scott Corcoran, a 2016 alum, was named the USILA National Longstick Midfielder of the Year, as well, to highlight the list of individual accolades.
The 2015 season was also one of the most successful in school history, as the Warriors finished the year 13-3, including a 10-1 mark inside league play that helped the team to a second-place finish in the NE-10 standings. Merrimack earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in school history, and the Warriors would make more history in the national quarterfinals after stunning second-ranked Adelphi, 10-9, for the first NCAA Tournament win in school history.
Merrimack would eventually fall in overtime to Le Moyne in the NCAA Semifinals in one of the more hotly contested games in recent memory. Despite falling just short of a berth in the national championship, the Warriors still recorded the third-most wins in school history (13) and saw six student-athletes named All-Americans, tying for most in a single season since 2000.
Morgan saw 10 of his student-athletes garner NEILA All-New England recognition in 2015, highlighted by Corcoran being named New England Player of the Year. Nine Warriors earned all-conference accolades, as well.
The previous spring, Morgan and his staff managed to reload instead of rebuild and put together another fine season in 2014, as the Warriors strung together a 12-5 overall record that featured marquee victories over two ranked opponents.
Equipped with a young but talented lineup, Morgan's Warriors got better as the season progressed and played their best lacrosse down the stretch, as Merrimack knocked off top-ranked Le Moyne in the NE10 Semifinals - on the road, nonetheless - to earn what was then its fifth appearance in the NE10 Championship Final in a six-year span. There, the Warriors would battle top-seeded Adelphi in one of the most exciting games in recent memory before bowing out in overtime.
Morgan's Warriors garnered plenty of individual success in 2014 highlighted by four USILA All-America selections, five NEILA All-New England honorees and five NE-10 All-Conference selections. Among that group, Merrimack boasted the NEILA Player of the Year (Jimmy Holland - '14) and NE-10 Rookie of the Year (Tucker Schwarz - '17).
Leading the Warriors to an 11-3 campaign in the spring of 2013, Morgan helped the program claim its first-ever Northeast-10 Conference regular season crown, as Merrimack shared the honor with Adelphi after going 10-1 in league play. The highlight of the season came in the form of a dramatic, upset victory at home against No. 1-ranked Le Moyne, snapping the Dolphins' 59-game regular season unbeaten streak and represented Le Moyne's first regular season loss to a conference opponent since 2007.
Despite just missing an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament, Morgan saw several individuals haul in postseason accolades; Corey Lunney ('13) was named the USILA Division II National Player of the Year, with classmate Connor Reagan ('13) earning the nation's Top Goalkeeper honor. In total, four Warriors earned USILA All-America honors, as well.
Merrimack posted another 13-3 season in 2012, as the team roared out to a 7-0 start and eventually earned an appearance in the NE-10 Championship Final before narrowly falling to Le Moyne and was one of the final teams left out of the NCAA Tournament field.
Morgan’s first four seasons were as successful as any Division II men’s lacrosse coach ever, as he became the first head coach to win 50 games in four seasons when Merrimack defeated Le Moyne on May 6, 2011. Along the way, he also guided the Warriors to their first-ever NCAA Final Four appearance (2009) and a Northeast-10 Championship (2010).
In 2011, Merrimack finished 11-6 but advanced to the NE-10 Championship for the third straight season, defeating Bentley and Le Moyne in the playoffs as the No. 5 seed. The Warriors became the first team to defeat Le Moyne in consecutive meetings in Syracuse since 2002 after upsetting the top overall seed in the Northeast-10 Semifinals.
In 2010, the Warriors recorded a 13-3 record (the first of three such seasons under Morgan's tenure), defeating top-ranked and then-unbeaten Le Moyne in the Northeast-10 Championship in overtime, becoming just the second team in 42 games to defeat the Dolphins in Syracuse. The 2010 Warriors featured first-team All-American and Northeast-10 Goaltender of the Year, Cory Spinale, and the Northeast-10 Rookie of the Year, Corey Lunney.
In each of his first two coaching seasons, Morgan guided the Warriors to back-to-back school records for wins, including an NCAA Final Four appearance in 2009. Merrimack finished 14-3 that spring, with all three losses coming against Le Moyne, while finishing second in the conference and with a final No. 4 national ranking.
Morgan coached Greg Rogowski to his fourth All-American honor and to a Northeast-10 and NEILA Player of the Year selection that spring while expanding his recruiting efforts to a national level to locations such as Texas and Minnesota.
In 2008, he led Merrimack to a 12-4 record and a third-place conference finish in his first year guiding the Warriors. That five-win improvement was the best in the country that season after Merrimack finished 6-8 in 2007.
Setting what was then a school record for wins in a season, Morgan was named the Northeast-10 Coach of the Year and the NEILA Coach of the Year. Corey Spinale was tabbed the NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Year and an All-American honorable mention, while Greg Rogowski earned his third All-American honor.
Morgan previously served as an assistant coach at Merrimack, working primarily with the defense.
Prior to his arrival at Merrimack, Morgan served as the head lacrosse coach at St. Dominic High School for four seasons. He led the team to 38 wins in four years, the most in school history over a four-year stretch, and his teams were 24-1 against schools of comparable size. Additionally, his team GPA was ranked in the top two of the school’s athletic teams over all four years.
In 2005, Morgan was selected to evaluate and coach the Long Island Empire State Lacrosse Team. He also guided St. Dominic to its first-ever Class AA Championship Game. He still holds the all-time record at St. Dominic, where he was both captain and Team MVP in 1994, 1995 and 1996. Morgan was a CHSAA All-League selection in 1995 and 1996.
A 2000 graduate of Merrimack College, Morgan was named an All-American in 2000 when he earned First Team All-Northeast 10 and All-New England honors. That year, he was also named New England Player of the Year. He was a key member of the 2000 squad that captured Merrimack’s first Northeast-10 Championship and two ECAC Championships (1999, 2000).
Morgan resides in North Andover, Massachusetts, with his wife Allison, and their daughter Brooke.
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