Albion College Men's Lacrosse

DeCola came to Albion College in 2009 to begin the varsity lacrosse program. Under his leadership, the Britons have won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships and achieved berths in the NCAA Division III Championship in consecutive seasons. DeCola also mentored a 2015 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-America honorable mention pick, the first All-America representative from the MIAA. The 2015 squad finished as one of the last 16 teams standing in the NCAA Division III Championship and it came up just a goal short of upsetting third-ranked Ohio Wesleyan in the second round. The Britons hosted an NCAA Championship first round matchup in 2016. Albion has won 49 contests over the last four seasons,  including an undefeated record in conference play in both 2015 and 2016.  Albion has celebrated 21 all-MIAA picks, including the league's defensive most valuable players in 2015 and 2016 and the offensive MVP in 2015. Also in 2015, the Britons were among the NCAA Division III leaders in clearing percentage, scoring offense, face-off winning percentage and ground balls.  In addition to building a successful program on the field, the Britons have built a reputation for sportsmanship that has garnered national attention. In 2015, the National Intercollegiate Lacrosse Officials Association awarded Albion with the James "Ace" Adams Sportsmanship Award, honoring the team whose coaches, players and fans exhibit the best sportsmanship in the region (District 6).   The Britons also excel academically with Joe Silvestri achieving Scholar All-America status from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. Before the move to Albion, DeCola served for five years as the top assistant and defensive coordinator at Guilford College, in Greensboro, N.C. A member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, his Guilford defense competed yearly against top 20 nationally ranked opponents. In his tenure he mentored a pre-season All-American and numerous All Conference (ODAC) players. Prior to this, he was the head coach at Greensboro Day School, where his team was honored with the 2001 North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Associations Tony Cullen Sportsmanship Award. After completing his master's degree from the University of Utah, DeCola was named head coach of East High School in Salt Lake City. Inheriting a team with a record of 1-11, he transformed the Leopards program, finishing the season 8-5 with the first trip to the state playoffs in school history. Originally from the Boston area, DeCola graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth in 1995 with a B.F.A. in sculpture. While there, he was a four-year starter in the goal, led the Corsairs as a senior captain, and held a nationally ranked save percentage. DeCola grew up on the north shore of Boston, in Beverly, Mass., and graduated from Beverly High School in 1991. DeCola and his wife, Angela, are the proud parents of two children, Camille and Gianna.

DiRado completed his bachelor of arts degree in digital design at Merrimack in May, 2015, where he was a Deans List student in addition to participating in a program for kids with life threatening illnesses and the mens lacrosse team. He gained coaching experience with Total Sports in Wixom, Mich., from 2011-2015. He worked summer camps that targeted skill improvement, specific position work, game situations and team instruction. Originally from Northville, Mich., DiRados father, Joe, 86, was a physics major, his sister, Melissa, 12, was a member of the Briton swimming and womens lacrosse teams, and his brothers, Nathan, 17, is a defensive lineman on the Briton football team, and David, 19, is a attacker for the Briton mens lacrosse team. Albion College | 611 E. Porter St. | Albion, MI 49224 | View: | Desktop