When Mike Cerino was named Limestone College's first lacrosse coach on July 1, 1989, he took on the difficult task of bringing the first collegiate lacrosse team to the state of South Carolina. To assemble a team from its beginnings in just a couple of months is hard enough, but to convince lacrosse players to come to the Deep South made the task almost impossible.
Against the odds, Cerino put together an excellent group of young players from Long Island and New Jersey to compete in NCAA Division III lacrosse. In their first game in the fall of 1989, Tom Cerino, brother of the head coach, scored the first goal in Limestone College history in a game versus the Charlotte Lacrosse Club. In just their second fall ball tournament ever, Limestone won the college division championship in the Atlanta Peach State Tournament. Even though Limestone didn't face the competition they face today, the early success was a strong indication of things to come.
In the spring of 1990, Limestone kicked off its inaugural season at VMI. In the first quarter, Pete Hauhuth became the first Limestone player to score a goal in a regular season game. After playing to a 2-2 score after one quarter, the inexperience of a young Saints squad coupled with the talent and experience of the VMI group became evident throughout the rest of the game and VMI won, 19-4.
The Saints would go on to lose its first four games of that first season. Then they traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to face Vanderbilt University. After being down 7-5 at the half, Limestone came back to win their first game ever, 13-12. Limestone went on to win five of its next seven games and ended its inaugural season at a very respectable 6-6.
Limestone decided to upgrade the schedule for the second season in 1991. Although they had a successful fall season, the Saints went through the growing pains of a young program and struggled through the spring schedule. With a 19-8 win over Greensboro as their only bright spot, Limestone suffered through a 1-9 campaign. Despite the fact that they played with heart and grit, Limestone was no match for the strong, established programs. However, the 1991 season did bring newfound respect for the young Saints.
That respect began to pay dividends in 1992. By this time, the players who started the program were juniors and now they had experience. Limestone still had to shake off the effects of the previous season and it took two early season losses to do it. In their third game, they beat Marymount 24-6 and went on to win three of their next four games. With their first winning season within their reach, Limestone took a downward turn against a strong end of the season schedule, winning only one game the rest of the way and finishing with a 5-7 record.
In 1993, NCAA Division II lacrosse was reinstated and since Limestone athletics competed in Division II, the lacrosse team no longer had to play in Division III. By showing the rest of the lacrosse world that they were an upstart program, Limestone began the 1993 season ranked seventh in the first pre-season Division II poll announced in 13 years.
The Saints shot out of the gates by winning the first three games of the season, including a 10-7 win at Lynchburg. It was Limestone's biggest win to date and especially gratifying because the Saints lost 24-5 at Lynchburg only two years earlier. Limestone went on to a 7-4 record and were ranked as high as fourth in the polls, ending the season ranked fifth. That same season, the first of Limestone's All Americans were named as Will Doyle, Ken Thornby, and Joe Monmonier were selected as honorable mention.
New challenges arose for Limestone in 1994. The Deep South Lacrosse Conference formed as a five-member lacrosse conference and Limestone, again, upgraded their schedule. For the first time, the likes of C.W. Post and Springfield were on the schedule and Limestone began facing the very top teams in the nation. After a 2-2 start to the season, Limestone faced top-ranked Springfield at home and in a tough battle, the Saints lost 7-4. The well-played game wound up vaulting Limestone into a four-game winning streak midway through the season. In the season finale, Limestone beat favored Greensboro College, 15-12, to capture a share of the first Deep South Conference Championship. The Saints finished ranked seventh in the polls with an 8-5 record. Will Doyle, Ken Thornby, and Joe Monmonier repeated as All Americans and attackman Brad McLean joined the ranks of All-American in 1994.
By the 1995 season, the Saints had started to establish themselves as a power in Division II. They started the season by winning four of the first five games including three against ranked opponents. Limestone players then firmly established themselves as a Division II force with a 12-10 win over C.W. Post. The Saints went on to a 7-4 record and a fifth place ranking in the polls. Brad McLean repeated as an All American while Tim Olinick, Jeremy Shek, and John Smith were first time honorees.
The 1996 season started as a rebuilding year for Limestone since they lost three of four All Americans to graduation. After a 4-3 start, the Saints suffered through two straight overtime losses and faced the possibility of their first losing season in four years. With their backs to the wall, Limestone won the next two games over Greensboro and Pfeiffer, finishing the season at 6-6 and ranked ninth in the final Division II poll. Attackman Tim Olinick and defenseman Keith Nyberg were named to the Division II All American team.
For the second straight season, Limestone had only one All American returning from the previous season. Frustrating was the way to describe the 1997 season, in which the Saints did start the season with four straight wins and six victories in the first seven games. However, Limestone went into a tailspin and lost four consecutive games in a pivotal part of the season. The Saints lost three of those contests by a total of five goals. After recording their first shutout in their history, a 27-0 win over Lees McRae, Limestone finished the season 7-6 and ranked tenth in the Division II polls. Keith Nyberg was, again, selected to the All-American team.
After two very average seasons by Limestone standards, the 1998 season was the most successful to date in Limestone's brief history. The 1998 squad set the team record for wins in a season with nine and best winning percentage with .692. The Saints were undefeated regular season champions in the Deep South Conference and finished the season with a 9-4 record against one of the toughest schedules in Division II. Eight of Limestone's 13 opponents were nationally ranked and one other, VMI, was a Division I foe. Senior Jason Caulder, along with juniors Gavin Higgins and Ryan Lanigan, as well as sophomore Iggy Levelev were named to the Division II All American team. Also, Chris Campbell became Limestone's first freshman to be named to the All-American team. The five All Americans marks the most in one season in Saints history.
With four of five All Americans returning, 1999 began with high expectations for Limestone. After a slow 3-3 start, the Saints reeled off seven consecutive victories to finish the season at 10-3, their most successful season to date. The Saints went on to win the Deep South Lacrosse Conference crown going undefeated in conference play. It marked the first time Limestone won 10 games in a season and their seven-game winning streak was tops in Division II going into the 2000 campaign. Ryan Lanigan and Chris Campbell repeated as All Americans and sophomore Rick Matthews was also named as All American.
To say that Limestone carried the momentum of the 1999 season into 2000 would be an understatement. To open the season, the Saints tacked five wins onto its seven-game winning streak that ended the previous year. In those five wins, Limestone won by an average of 18 goals per game. The domination and the 12-game winning streak ended abruptly with two disappointing losses that would refocus the Saints squad for the rest of the season. Coming off their last-minute13-12 loss at Washington College, Limestone began their march to the national championship game. The Saints reeled off four straight wins to capture the top seed in the Deep South Conference tournament. With its second consecutive conference championship, Limestone solidified itself as the frontrunner to get the South Region bid for the national championship game. After winning the last two games of the season by a combined score of 56-6, the Saints were matched up against C.W. Post for the 2000 Division II National Championship Game.
The 2000 season elevated the Limestone lacrosse program to new levels. The 2000 squad shattered team records and previous accomplishments. The 13-win season easily eclipsed the record for most wins in a season. Nick Carlson, Matt Collins, and Devan Spilker crushed the team record for points in a season while Collins and Carlson did the same for goals in a season. Chris Campbell and Rick Matthews became Limestone's first ever to receive First team All American honors while Carlson, Collins, Josh Rudder, and Travis Gillespie were also honored as All Americans. The six players marked the most Limestone All Americans in a single season. So when the Saints beat favored C.W. Post, 10-9, to win the school's first ever NCAA National Championship, they topped off an incredible season that vaulted Limestone lacrosse into the 2000 National Champions and one of the top teams in Division II lacrosse.
When the 2001 season opened, Limestone was ranked first in the USILA Division II National Poll. It marked Limestone's first top ranking ever. As they did the previous season, the Saints brought in a nine-game winning streak into the season and rolled in its first five games to bring the streak to 14. After another last-minute loss at Washington College that ended the streak, Limestone continued to dominate winning its next seven games. Along the way the Saints captured their third straight Deep South crown and completed a third consecutive undefeated conference year. Despite a late season loss to Division III opponent Washington & Lee, Limestone was paired up with conference rival Wingate for the South region playoff game. After easily beating the Bulldogs 20-2, the Saints were back into the national championship game, this time against Adelphi University. However, Limestone was turned back by the Panthers, 14-10, and failed to repeat as national champions. As in the 2000 season, six players were named to the All-American team. Nick Carlson and Chris Campbell were named to the first team while Greg Hiltz, Travis Gillespie, Josh Rudder, and Matt Malloy were named to the All-American team as well. Nick Carlson was chosen as the National Attackman of the Year for Division II and Chris Campbell became Limestone's first four-time All-American.
In July of 2001, Limestone College named T.W. Johnson as the third Head Coach in program history. While key players had graduated from 2001 squad, a strong nucleus returned for the 2002 season. The Saints headed into the 2002 season ranked second in the preseason USILA Division II National Poll. Once again, the Saints jumped out to a 4-0 record heading into the Washington College contest. During the four game win streak, senior Nick Carlson became the program's all-time leading scorer. However, for the third straight year the winning streak ended in Chestertown. The Saints returned to its winning ways by putting together a seven-game win streak that included winning the Deep South Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships. Senior Nick Carlson and junior Devan Spilker were tabbed as the Deep South Conference Tournament Co-MVPs. Although the Saints lost their last regular season game to Division III Washington & Lee, they earned the number one seed for the NCAA Tournament's Southwest Region and finished ranked third in the final USILA National Poll. For the second consecutive year, Limestone was matched up against a Deep South Conference rival in the NCAA Southwest Regional Championship. Due to the play of seniors Nick Carlson and Brad Bauer, the Saints were able to defeat St. Andrew's and advance to the NCAA Division II National Championship game. The Saints were matched up with New York Tech who had gone through the 2002 season undefeated. Nevertheless, for the second time in three years, the Saints ran away as National Champions by defeating New York Tech 11-9. Junior Devan Spilker was named the National Championship Game MVP. Five Saints were named USILA All-American at the conclusion of the season. Nick Carlson and Travis Gillespie were named to the first team, Devan Spilker and Matt Malloy were selected to the second team, while Nick DeLonga was tabbed honorable mention. In addition to being first team All-Americans, Nick Carlson and Travis Gillespie were named USILA Academic All-Americans also.
However, the post-season honors continued for Carlson as he was named Division II Attackman of the Year and Player of the Year.
For the second time in three years, Limestone opened the season with the number one ranking in Division II. Eight Saints were tabbed as Preseason Division II All-Americans by Face-Off Yearbook, which made for high expectations during the 2003 season. Unfortunately, the Saints were defeated in the opening game of the season by LeMoyne. In typical Limestone fashion, the Saints bounced back to win three in a row against West Chester, Catawba, and Lynchburg. The Lynchburg win was the first time Limestone had ever beaten a Top-15 Division III program. Limestone suffered another setback against Mercyhurst a week following the Lynchburg win. The Lakers defeated the Saints 13-12 in overtime. The Saints were at the crossroads of the 2003 campaign with a mediocre 3-2 record. Once again, Limestone regrouped and pieced together a 10-game win streak. During the win streak, Limestone captured its fifth straight Deep South Conference Championship, beat another Top-15 Division III power in Washington & Lee, and defeated Mercyhurst in the NCAA Southwest Regional Championship. By defeating Mercyhurst, the Saints earned their fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division II National Championship game. The championship game would be a rematch of the 2002 NCAA Division II National Championship game with New York Tech. However, the Saints could not repeat as National Champions and suffered a 9-4 loss to the Bears. At the conclusion of the season, numerous Saints received post-season honors. Nine Limestone performers were named to the Deep South Conference All-Conference team. Devan Spilker, Jason Randolph, Nick DeLonga, Nolan Heavenor, Nick Kobokof, Clint Pitts, and Matt Malloy were selected to the first team, while David Wooster and Bobby Woody were picked to the second team. Six Saints were named as USILA All-Americans. Devan Spilker was named first team, Matt Malloy and Clint Pitts were picked to the second team, and Nick DeLonga, Nolan Heavenor, and Jason Randolph were selected as honorable mention picks. Matt Ma lloy became the fourth Limestone player named to the Academic All-American team.
Limestone Lacrosse was back in national title contention in 2004. Inside Lacrosse picked the Saints as third in its preseason poll, ranking just behind New York Tech and LeMoyne. The 2004 season opened at a blistering pace. After taking a 27-4 win over Mars Hill in the season opener, the Saints took three consecutive wins over teams ranked in the top ten in a span of two weeks. Between March 6 and 20, Limestone topped Dowling, Bryant, and Mercyhurst in succession. From there the Saints rolled through the regular season, posting an 11-0 record (7-0 DSC) leading up to the Deep South Conference Tournament. The Saints continued their domination of the Deep South, taking their sixth consecutive conference title with a 14-6 win over Catawba College. Limestone had not lost a Deep South Game since the conference finals in 1998. The Saints had not dropped a regular season conference game since the 1997 season when they went 3-2 in the DSC. Including three tournament games in 2004, the Saints took an average margin of victory of 18.1 against Deep South opponents. To close out the regular season, Limestone put its unblemished 14-0 record on the line against the University of North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill, NC. The Saints matched the 7th ranked Tar Heels' 23 shots on goal and were outscored by just one goal in the second half, but the Tar Heels prevailed 17-8, holding Limestone's high powered offense to single digits for the only time in 2004. On Saturday, May 22, the Saints took their second win of the season against Mercyhurst. The 14-12 triumph pushed Limestone's record to 15-1 and put them into a record tying fifth consecutive NCAA Division II National Championship Game. Only Hobart (1974-1978) and Adelphi (1995-1999) had also accomplished that feat. When Limestone and LeMoyne finally faced-off, the match up of two teams tied for the top spot in the nation did not disappoint a record crowd of 19,202 fans. Both teams entered the game without a loss against Division II competition. LeMoyne entered with a perfect 15-0 record while Limestone's lone defeat came at the hands of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.
From the opening face-off the game seemed destined to go down to the wire. The two teams battled back-and-forth throughout the contest. Neither team enjoyed a lead greater than two, while the game saw eight ties and five lead changes. Senior Jason Randolph put the Saints on top with 1:11 remaining in regulation, but a controversial unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the ensuing celebration nullified the ensuing face-off and gave the Dolphins possession with a man advantage. Limestone survived the one-minute penalty, but a late turnover gave LeMoyne the ball once again. The Dolphins called timeout with nine seconds remaining. Brandon Spillet took the ball when play resumed and scored, diving in front of the net, to send the game to overtime. One sudden death overtime was not enough to finish off a great game. With 3:16 remaining in the second OT period, Spillet found the net for the seventh time (one shy of a Championship Game record) to end the game and give the Dolphins their first National Championship in any sport. Limestone head coach T.W. Johnson spoke after the heartbreaking loss, "This was probably the best lacrosse game I have ever been a part of. There were no losers on that field. Just two teams who scratched and clawed through two overtimes. I'm very proud of my guys." Seven Saints received All-DSC honors for their performance in 2004. Clint Pitts was named DSC Player of the Year. Joining him on the first team were David Wooster, Nolan Heavenor, Nick DeLonga, Bobby Woody, and Nick Kobakof, while Chris Barrett earned second team honors. Four Saints earned STX-USILA All-American honors. Wooster, Pitts, and DeLonga earned 1st-Team honors while Heavenor received 2nd-Team Honors. Woody received Honorable Mention honors as well. Nick DeLonga was named Specialist of the Year and Clint Pitts was named Division II Player of the Year.
The Limestone Saints continued their success in 2005, posting a perfect 7-0 conference record and winning a seventh straight Deep South Conference title. The Saints finished the 2005 season with their record-breaking sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Finals and a 15-2 record.
Led by All-American Roger Vyse, Limestone broke the NCAA Division II records for goals and points in a season with 339 goals and 521 points. Vyse broke Doug Fry’s (UMBC, ’71) 34-year-old Division II record of 70 goals in the season, scoring 71 goals. The Saints also extended the Division II record for consecutive conference wins to 61 and their ninth consecutive winning season ranks the squad No. 3 in Division II history. In addition to team accomplishments, the Saints had five players earn All-American honors and seven were named All-Conference. Head Coach Chris Hasbrouck was named 2005 USILA National Coach of the Year in his first season as Limestone’s head coach.
The Saints faced many challenges throughout the 2006 season, but maintained their reputation as a men's lacrosse powerhouse as the squad clinched its eighth straight Deep South Conference title and received an NCAA tournament berth. Limestone had a strong start to the season, but experienced some trouble as they went on their longest losing streak of the season and saw their record-breaking 64-game conference win streak snaped with a 13-5 loss to Queens. After a loss to Wingate, the Saints responded with six straight wins and went on to win the conference tournament. The season picked up a bit when the team made its seventh straight NCAA touranment appearance, but Limestone's season ended with a heartbreaking 22-3 loss to No. 1-ranked LeMoyne in the semifinals.
With Mike Cerino back at the helm of the program in 2007, the Saints experienced much success as they posted a 14-2 record. Limestone won the first regular season and conference men's lacrosse tournament titles for the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the eighth straight time. Limestone's only regular season loss was to No. 7 Adelphi. No. 2 Le Moyne defeated Limestone 8-5 in the NCAA semifinals. Matt Pinder, Justin Haworth, and Marty Ward were named All-Americans, as Ward was also named CVAC Co-Player of the Year. Six more players earned All-Conference honors.
To many, Limestone's rise to the national championship game in six of the last eight seasons may have been a surprise. However, the fact is that Limestone lacrosse has been a strong program for many years. The Saints have been nationally ranked in each of the last 15 seasons.Fifty-three players have been named to the All-American teams since 1993 and the Saints hold a 154-75 mark against Division II opponents during that span. Therefore, as the program moves into its 20th season, Limestone will look to continue the rich winning tradition it has built in its brief history.
