In the summer of 2007, former Salisbury University recruiting coordinator Justin Axel was named as the first fulltime head men’s lacrosse coach in the 14-year history of the Eastern Connecticut State University men’s intercollegiate lacrosse program .
Axel’s first season at Eastern in 2008 involved establishing his philosophy and instilling the work ethic that is required to attain national prominence. Despite inheriting a team which had lost two of its top three scorers and its No. 1 faceoff man from 2007 – including national scoring champion Dave Carpenter – Axel led the Warriors to their sixth regular-season Little East Conference championship in eight years.
In 2008, Eastern won ten of 12 matches after an 0-4 start, amassing double-figure wins for the 11th time in the program’s 13-year history. Axel’s first collegiate victory as a head coach came in a 14-12 victory over SUNY Plattsburgh March 18 of last year at Huntington, NY.
Using that first season as a springboard, Axel directed the Warriors last season to a year which rivaled the finest ones in program history, the Warriors tying the program record for wins (15), posting their seventh undefeated conference regular season in nine years, and claiming their sixth LEC playoff title in nine seasons. Competing in their sixth NCAA tournament in nine years, the Warriors applied the finishing touches to a memorable season with their first NCAA tournament victory ever in a 10-8 overtime road win at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. In a second-round 8-4 loss at nationally-ranked Wesleyan University three days later, Eastern played the Cardinal to a 4-4 stalemate through three quarters.
For an outstanding 2009 season, Eastern was rewarded with two All-America selections, a New England Player-of-the-Year and the LEC Offensive and Defensive Player-of-the-Year awards. The Warriors also featured the individual national leader in both ground balls and faceoff percentage.
Since losing the first four matches of his inaugural season, Axel has led the Warriors to a 22-4 record against New England opponents. and to winning streaks of seven (2008) and nine (2009).
“Eastern has a strong sense of pride and tradition, and with the great facilities and strong academic reputation, I believe that we can establish the program as one of the top echelon Division III programs in the country,” says Axel, a native of Columbia, Md.
Prior to 2008, Axel spent the previous six seasons as a parttime assistant coach at Salisbury, where he served on the staff of head coach Jim Berkman with the nation’s premier Division III lacrosse program. With Axel on the staff, the Sea Gulls compiled an overall record of 115-7 (94.3 per cent) and won four national championships (three straight) and placed second once.
In 2007 – Axel’s last season with the Gulls -- Salisbury was ranked No. 1 in Division III from start to finish and completed a 23-0 season by downing Cortland State College in a re-match of the 2006 national championship game.
In addition to coordinating Salisbury’s strength and conditioning program, Axel filled the role as Berkman’s chief recruiter. Last year, he attracted eight high school All-Americas to the Salisbury campus.
Axel holds a B.S. Degree in Exercise Science (2003) from Salisbury and an M.A. in Teaching (2005) from Salisbury and is a certified strength and conditioning coach.
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