Kerwick, Jacksonville Get Down to Business

by Nelson Coffin | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online

While some coaches dwell on the way the previous season ended, Jacksonville’s Matt Kerwick won’t. After all, his Dolphins don’t play their inaugural game until hosting North Carolina on Feb. 6.

Yet Kerwick still put his players through the fall paces in preparation for the 2010 debut of the first D-I men’s program in Florida.

So far, the team has been limited to a strength and conditioning program and what Kerwick calls “spirited North-South scrimmages” on a roster that boasts 10 players each from Maryland and New York.

The former Hobart coach and alumnus has made recruiting headway despite being the new kid on a block of traditional programs.

“My plan was to get 30-35 guys,” Kerwick said. “But it’s been better than I had anticipated.”

To see how things were shaping up, the Dolphins lined up against some MLL players, including former UMBC standouts Terry Kimener (Chicago) and Peet Pollion (Washington).

Kerwick added that he feels comfortable with his attack and midfields, but that the defense is “a work in progress.”

A couple of Canadians, freshman midfielder Cam Mann and classmate Ryan Serville, an attackman, have caught Kerwick’s eye. And Hobart transfer Jeremy Tissenbaum, a sophomore with collegiate experience, can stabilize the young Dolphins in their initial campaign.