Colorado College Men's Lacrosse

Mike Horowitz was named the 10th head coach in the history of the men’s lacrosse program in October of 2021. Horowitz joined the Tigers after a highly-successful six-year run as an assistant coach at Division I Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, where he helped guide the Hawks to four Northeast Conference regular-season championships. Horowitz, who joined the SJU staff as a volunteer assistant coach in 2014, most recently served as St. Joseph’s defensive coordinator as well as its recruiting coordinator. He was mentored and worked under four-time NEC Coach of the Year, Taylor Wray, who is the winningest coach in Saint Joseph’s history. During his time with the Hawks, Horowitz also was the program’s goaltender coach, face-off unit coordinator, and ride/clear coordinator. At the same time, he coordinated the program’s social media, career development, mentorship and diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. During his six seasons with the Hawks, Horowitz developed goalkeeper T.J. Jones, the 2016 Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and face-off specialist Zach Cole, the 2019 Rookie of the Year. Horowitz also coached four all-conference goalkeepers, four all-conference close defensemen, four all-conference long-stick midfielders, and three all-conference face-off specialists. Jones, a 2017 Inside Lacrosse Honorable Mention Preseason All-American, capped his career as the program's recordholder in career victories (31), single-season victories (12), career goals-against average (8.38), and single-season goals against average (7.47). He also ranked third in career saves (502) and sixth in career save percentage (.551). Under the tutelage of Horowitz, goaltender Mike Adler earned honorable mention all-America honors from Inside Lacrosse in 2020. Adler finished his career ranked fourth in career save percentage (56.9%), fifth in goals against average (9.37), and fifth in career saves (426). In 2016, Saint Joseph's ranked fifth nationally in scoring defense (7.88), eighth in face-off winning percentage (60.8%), and 12th in man-down defense (69.4). That year, Jones set program records in single-season victories (12) and single-season goals against average (7.47), while SJU's goalkeeper group combined for the lowest single-season GAA in program history (7.83). Prior to his tenure at St. Joseph’s, Horowitz spent two seasons at Pfeiffer University, where he coordinated a defense that ranked sixth in Division II in caused turnovers and helped the Falcons climb to No. 14 in the Division II poll. Horowitz’s collegiate resume also includes a two-year stop at Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he served as goalie coach as well as the team’s ride/clear and recruiting coordinator. Since 2014, Horowitz has served as an assistant coach with the Israeli National Team. He was the defensive coordinator for the senior national team at the 2018 FIL Men's Lacrosse World Championship and held the same position with the U-19 Israeli National Team. Horowitz was a three-year starting goaltender at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., where he earned all-Centennial Conference honors during his junior and senior seasons. Horowitz still ranks fifth all-time in career saves (405) and sixth in single-season saves (164). Horowitz also played both field and box for the Israeli National Teams.

Popelar served as an assistant coach at Kent Denver School, coaching the close defense and middies while helping coordinate the overall team defense.  He helped lead the Sun Devils to the Colorado state championship in 2008, the state finals in 2011 and the semifinals in 2010, as well as quarterfinal appearances in 2009 and 2012.     In 2007, Popelar was an assistant coach with state champion Fort Collins Unified High School.  He also served as head coach at Air Academy High School from 2001-05, reaching the state quarterfinals in 2001 and 2003. He was named Colorado Springs Gazette Coach of the Year in 2002.    Popelars collegiate experience includes two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at the United States Air Force Academy (2000, 2006) and five seasons in the same role at Butler University (1994-1998). He spent the 1989-1993 seasons coaching at his alma mater, Worthington High School (Ohio).    All told, Popelar has more than 25 years of experience coaching at the collegiate and high school levels.    He played at The Ohio State University, where he earned a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering (1988), as well as a masters and doctorate in engineering mechanics (1990, 93).   Popelar works at Aeroflex Incorporated in Colorado Springs, where he leads the research and development of packaging engineering.   He and his wife, Julie, and has a son, Jared, and a daughter, Allison.      

Joe Lopopolo was hired as an assistant coach for the Colorado College men's lacrosse program on July 21, 2023. Lopopolo served as the offensive coordinator for the men's lacrosse team at FDU-Florham and was the building manager for the school’s Ferguson Recreation Center the past two seasons. He also was head coach of the NJ Riot North Lacrosse Club. During his tenure at FDU-Florham, Lopopolo helped the Devils earn a spot in the 2023 MAC Freedom conference tournament for the first time since 2017 and coached two all-MAC Freedom players. FDU-Florham ranked fifth in the MAC averaging 10.5 goals per game and had two 50-point scorers. In addition, 20 players earned all-academic honors.   Prior to that, he spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Aurora University (Illinois). As the offensive coordinator for the Spartans, Lopopolo helped Aurora reach its eighth NACC conference championship in program history. During his time at Aurora, he coached nine all-conference selections, one NACC Rookie of the Year, two USILA Scholar All-Americans, 16 NACC all-academic student-athletes, the leading scorer in the NACC, and as a team the Spartans ranked No. 1 in scoring in the NACC during the 2021 season.     Before Aurora, Lopopolo served as an assistant coach at Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y., for two seasons. He coached the offensive unit and goalkeepers for the Valiants. In 2018, he helped the team secure a spot in the MAC Freedom tournament for the first time in over a decade. A total of eight all-MAC Freedom student-athletes played for him during his time in Purchase. In addition, Lopopolo also coached boys and girls lacrosse at the high school and middle school levels while working for the 3D-tri-state lacrosse club.     Following a record-setting career at New Rochelle High School, where he graduated as the all-time leader in points, Lopopolo continued his lacrosse career at Herkimer County Community College, where he was named captain and an all-Mountain Valley Conference midfielder. Lopopolo then transferred to Division II Mercy College, where he excelled at the two-way midfield position.     A native of New Rochelle, N.Y., Lopopolo graduated from Mercy College in 2015 with a degree in exercise physiology and received his MBA from Aurora University in May of 2021.