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Michael Bocklet
Bocklet, a local standout and professional player himself, is entering his third season as the head men's lacrosse coach and his fourth year on campus.
The Purchase men's lacrosse team became an official NCAA Division III intercollegiate sport for 2016-17 season. This year marks their second in the Skyline Conference.
"I am incredibly proud of what we built from one game to the next. Our guys not only learned to play together, but pushed each other to raise the overall level of play both in practice and in games," Bocklet said.
Heading into last season, Bocklet's primary focus was building a strong foundation for the program through competitive play and strong team chemistry.
"It takes more than just practice to learn to play like a team," Bocklet explained. "A lot of that is done off the field as our players build strong relationships with each other and our staff."
This fall, the Panther head coach returns to campus fresh off back-to-back Major League Lacrosse Championship game appearances. Three years ago, Bocklet joined his two younger brothers, Matt and Chris, on the Denver Outlaws' roster after being added from the MLL player pool following his performance at the club's tryouts. He would go on to win an MLL title with the Outlaws during the 2016 campaign.
This offseason, he was traded from Denver to the New York Lizards.
In three seasons with the Outlaws, Bocklet tallied 98 goals, 42 assists and 140 points in 38 games. He averaged 47 points per season in that span. His two brothers, Matt and Chris, play for Denver and Atlanta, respectively.
Bocklet played college lacrosse at Fairfield University from 2003-07 and served as the Stags' captain his senior year. He finished his career ranked Top-10 for the program in points (147), goals (95) and assists (52) and was drafted in the 5th round (45th overall) in the 2008 MLL Supplemental Draft by the then Long Island Lizards, but did not appear in any MLL games until 2015. In spring 2016, Bocklet was inducted into the Fairfield Athletics' Hall of Fame.
Bocklet served as the assistant coach and offensive coordinator for SUNY Cortland in 2011 and 2012 before joining the Dartmouth lacrosse staff as an assistant coach in 2013. He joined the Panther staff before the start of the 2014-15 sports year.
Bocklet brought over five years of collegiate coaching experience with him to Purchase, serving as the assistant coach at Dartmouth and SUNY Cortland. He spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons at Cortland as the top assistant coach and offensive coordinator before joining the Dartmouth staff in 2013.
In his last season in his previous position, Dartmouth's schedule was ranked among some of the strongest in the nation. Seven of the 12 competitors the team faced finished top 20 in NCAA rankings. Despite the challenging season, the Big Green offense still averaged an impressive 8.3 goals per game and 37.5 shots per game; both improvements from the year before.
During his tenure at SUNY Cortland, Bocklet played a key role in the success of the men's lacrosse program. The team compiled a 37-4 record, advanced to the Div. III National Championship, and in 2012 achieved the first undefeated regular season in school history. Bocklet was responsible for the design and execution of strategic decisions for and within contest situations, while being responsible for an offense that averaged 11.7 goals per game, 40.1 shots per game and 38 percent man-up in 2012. All figures that made the offense the No. 1 offense in the league. In the same year, Bocklet helped develop the SUNYAC Player of the Year and Offensive 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Team All-Americans.
In 2010, prior to Cortland, Bocklet returned to his alma mater as the assistant coach for the boys' varsity lacrosse program at John Jay-Cross River High School. The 2003 graduate guided the team he once played for to an 18-2 record and Section I title.
Before coaching at the high school and college levels, Bocklet served as the local development officer in Manchester, England, where he was the head of recruiting and coaching for two highly competitive U-16 and U-19 club teams.
The Panther head coach earned his Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications from Fairfield University, where he was a four-year starter on the Stags' lacrosse team, earning All-MAAC selections and All-New England honors twice. The 2007 graduate and team captain was a Tewaaraton Watchlist candidate, competed in the prestigious USILA North-South game and left the Stags as fourth on the school's all-time career points list.
Bocklet continued his education while coaching at Cortland, earning a Masters in Childhood Education.
Aside from his coaching duties at Purchase and playing career in the MLL, Bocklet is the director and co-founder of the X10 Mountain Lacrosse Academy and Moonlight Lacrosse, LLC.
A South Salem native, he resides in Westchester his wife, Emily, and their two daughters, Lucy and Lina Kay.
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