Sean Quirk Named 2015 NEILA Man of the Year

Sean Quirk Named 2015 NEILA Man of the Year

Release courtesy of Craig Kaufman, NEILA Publicist

NEWTON, Mass. – The New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) is proud to recognize Sean Quirk of Endicott College as their 2015 Man of the Year.

Coach Quirk recently announced that he will step down as the head coach of the Endicott men's lacrosse team after an 18-year run in which he has taken the Gulls to national prominence.

Even more impressive than his .719 career winning percentage (.918 in conference), his eight Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championships and his nine NCAA Division III tournament appearances is Quirk's ability to connect with his student-athletes, his fellow coaches and his peers in the Endicott College community, where he also serves as Associate Director of Athletics, and will continue to do so despite his coaching tenure coming to an end.

The 2014-15 season, in which Quirk led Endicott to a 16-4 record, a perfect 8-0 mark in the CCC, and the Second Round of the NCAA tournament for the fifth time, marks his 18th straight season with 10+ wins.

"When you think about the prominent figures in New England college lacrosse over the past 25 years or so, there is no question that Sean Quirk is among them," said Rick Senatore, Vice President of NEILA. "His widespread contributions to college lacrosse over the last quarter century reach well beyond his accomplishments at Endicott College. NEILA is proud to honor him with this major award." 

Quirk was a four-time CCC Coach of the Year, and was named the NEILA Coach of the Year in 2014 and the Field Turf/IMLCA Division III Coach of the Year in 2008. He has guided his players to 8 USILA Scholar All-America, 143 All-CCC, 57 All-Region and 21 USILA All-American honors.

Five NEILA All-New England selections and a program-record six All-American honors came after this season for Quirk's Endicott team.

Coach Quirk will be honored at the 2015 NEILA East-West Senior All-Star game, which will be played on May 29th at 7:00 PM at Stagg Field in Springfield.

THE NEILA Man of the Year Award is an annual honor selected by the administration of NEILA and presented to an individual for incredible contributions to New England Lacrosse.