St. John's University - New York Men's Lacrosse

Miller is now tied with Villanova's Michael Corrado as the longest tenured coaches in the BIG EAST Conference. The Red Storm enjoyed a season of firsts in 2014 while finishing with a 7-7 overall record and 3-3 BIG EAST mark. Miller's squad defeated Long Island rivals Hofstra and Stony Brook four days apart, marking the first time in school history that St. John's defeated both opponents in the same season. The Red Storm ended the season with an RPI of 27, second-highest in the conference. The 2014 campaign also marked the culmination of the most successful four-year span in the Red Storm lacrosse era, with Miller's 11-member senior class graduating with 28 wins to their names, the most since program reinstatement in 2005. Most notably, senior attackman Kieran McArdle ended a storied career with a record-breaking campaign which saw him named a Tewaaraton National Player of the Year nominee and USILA All-America second team pick for the second-consecutive year. Under the tutelage of Dan Paccione, the Red Storm's offensive coordinator, McArdle repeated as BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and conference "Triple Crown" winner as he led the league in points (5.71), goals (2.86) and assists (2.86) per game. McArdle scored a single-season program-record 40 goals in 2014 and ended the year as St. John's all-time leader in career points, goals and assists as well as the first player in program history to record 200 goals, 100 assists and 100 goals in a career. In August 2014, after being drafted fifth overall in the 2014 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft by the Florida Launch, McArdle was named MLL's 2014 Cascade Rookie of the Year. Also earning individual acclaim in 2014 were senior attackmen Kevin Cernuto and Ryan Fitzgerald as well as junior defenseman Mark DiFrangia, who were selected second team All-BIG EAST. Cernuto scored seven hat tricks in 2014 and finished the season with 110 career goals, second most in St. John's history, while Fitzgerald marked his final season by recording career highs in points (33) and goals (22). DiFrangia ranked second in the BIG EAST and 10th nationally in caused turnovers per game at 1.86. In all, five different Red Storm players were recognized by the BIG EAST with weekly awards in 2014 and seniors McArdle, Cernuto and Fitzgerald were selected to play in the annual DI/DII North-South All-Star game. Coach Miller has overseen a program in recent years that has excelled academically in addition to its athletic successes. In both 2013 and 2012, the BIG EAST Conference recognized the St. John's lacrosse team with a Team Academic Excellence Award, given yearly to the team that posts the highest collective grade-point average in its respective conference sport. During that two-year span, the team's cumulative 3.13 (2013) and 3.14 (2012) GPA ranked the highest of all seven BIG EAST member schools. The Red Storm also placed 28 student-athletes on the BIG EAST All-Academic Team for 2013-14, the most by any team at St. John's, after having 18 selections in 2012-13. In 2013, senior goalie and all-time program saves leader Jeff Lowman was one of 24 recipients of the 2012-13 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Awards, which are given to one student-athlete in each BIG EAST-sponsored sport based on academic credentials, athletic accolades or performances and volunteer service to the community. The Red Storm rose to as high as No. 14/10 in the national polls during a historic 2013 campaign and on March 30 shocked the college lacrosse world by claiming a 12-10 victory over No. 1 ranked Notre Dame at the Irish's own Arlotta Stadium. That win would be one of three against ranked opponents on the year, as St. John's would play the role of "giant killers" throughout the season by also downing No. 7/6 Hofstra on March 19 and claiming an early season victory over No. 17/20 Yale on Feb. 23. The win over the Fighting Irish overtook the 8-7 victory over then-No. 2 Notre Dame in the BIG EAST Championship semifinals on May 3, 2012 at Vilanova Stadium for the highest victory over a ranked team in St. John's history. Thriving under Miller and Paccione's guidance in 2013 were a quartet of all-BIG EAST selections, including unanimous first-team picks McArdle and Cernuto, and second-team selections Lowman and LSM Dillon Ayers. McArdle (6.54, 2nd NCAA) and Cernuto (3.69) finished as the league's top two goal scorers, with the former becoming the first St. John's player to be named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) second team All-American, at the time the highest individual honor ever bestowed on a lacrosse player in school history. McArdle also finished as the national assist leader (3.77) as part of an 85-point junior campaign. A long stick midfielder and the Red Storm's captain, Ayers totaled 50 groundballs in his final season to bring his career total to 220 in moving up to seventh on St. John's all-time list. Lowman finished the 2013 regular season with a 9-2 record, which was the highest winning percentage of any goalie with at least two starts in the BIG EAST. The 2012 season was also a memorable one for Miller and the Red Storm. St. John's finished 8-7 (3-3 BIG EAST) and advanced to the inaugural BIG EAST Championship against three-time conference champion Syracuse, defeating then-No. 2 and eventual national semifinalist Notre Dame in the semifinals two days prior in a nationally televised game on ESPNU. At the time, the eight wins in 2012 was the highest total for the Red Storm since the program was reinstated in 2005. The Red Storm also finished the 2012 campaign ranked No. 20 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll marking the first time in program history that St. John's concluded the season ranked inside the top-20. In 2011, Miller led the Red Storm lacrosse team through a rigorous BIG EAST and non-conference schedule. St. John's took on six ranked programs during the year, which included eventual NCAA tournament quarterfinalists Syracuse and Notre Dame. The season was highlighted by a thrilling 9-8 victory over local BIG EAST rival Rutgers at the Konica Minolta Big City Classic held at the New Meadowlands Stadium. The 2010 season marked the Red Storm's first in the newly formed BIG EAST lacrosse conference. St. John's faced a challenging schedule that featured four NCAA tournament teams and the national runner-up in Notre Dame. The Red Storm defeated Rutgers for the team's first BIG EAST victory and senior Gavin Buckley was named one of 10 national finalists for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. Miller came to St. John's after spending three seasons as the top assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts lacrosse program. While on the sidelines for the Minutemen he worked with the defense and face-off units helping lead the team to its first ever NCAA national title game in 2006. During the NCAA semifinal contest the UMass defense held one of the nation's strongest offensive teams to just five goals. The Minutemen's road to the national championship game was arguably the toughest in the history of the tournament as defeated No. 2 Hofstra No. 3 Cornell and No. 4 Maryland before facing No. 1 Virginia in the final as an unseeded contender. Under the tutelage of Miller, two Minutemen earned All-America honors, including Jack Reid, who was a finalist for the Schmeisser Award as the nation's top defenseman. Reid was a first round pick in the Major League Lacrosse Draft in June 2006. He was also the first first team All-America defenseman in UMass history. Prior to his time at , Miller coached at the from 2000-03, where he helped lead the Black Knights to a 24-20 record in three seasons. During that stretch, Army won two Patriot League titles and earned a NCAA Tournament berth in 2003 for the first time since 1997. Miller learned under one of the best mentors in the collegiate game's history as he assisted National Lacrosse Hall of Famer, Jack Emmer, the NCAA's all-time win leader with 326 career victories. Before Army, Miller spent one season as an assistant coach at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where the Tigers advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2000 NCAA Division III tournament. From 1997-99, Miller served as a graduate assistant at Springfield College in Massachusetts while earning his masters degree in education with a concentration in athletic administration. In 1998, captured the ECAC Division III championship. Miller spent the first two years of his coaching career at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., from 1995-97. A native of , , Miller played defense on the lacrosse team and graduated in 1993 with a degree in sports management.

Paccione was named associate head coach of the Red Storm lacrosse program in the fall of 2014 after spending the previous eight seasons as the top assistant coach and offensive coordinator at St. John's. In addition to his responsibilities as offensive coordinator, Paccione previously oversaw St. John's man-up unit and acts as the program's recruiting director. Since his arrival in Queens in 2007, Paccione has mentored an attacking unit which has evolved into one of the most potent and explosive in the country. The Red Storms offense, under the tutelage of Paccione, was potent in 2015 and included two 30+ goal scorers and two attackmen named to the All-BIG EAST Team. Stefan Diachencko led the team in goals with 40 and added six assists, and Eric DeJohn notched 38 goals and 26 assists. DeJohns impressive 2015 campaign landed him a spot on the first-team All-BIG EAST squad. The entire attacking unit ranked near the top of a number of BIG EAST categories including third in man-up goals (16), points per game (15.50), and assists per game (5.64), and fourth in goals per game (9.86). In 2014, the Red Storm ranked among the statistical leaders in the BIG EAST Conference in a number of categories, including posting a league-best man-up scoring percentage (.414) and ranking top-3 in goals (11.43), assists (6.64) and points (18.07) per game. St. John's scored in double figures in 11 of 14 games during the season and demonstrated an ability to find the back of the net in high-pressure situations, winning overtime games over Long Island rival Hofstra and BIG EAST foe Villanova as well as outscoring Stony Brook, 5-0, in the fourth quarter to stage a late-game comeback in a duel for local bragging rights. Three of Paccione's attackmen were rewarded for stellar 2014 campaigns with national and all-conference awards and accolades. Most notably, senior Kieran McArdle capped a record-breaking career by being named a Tewaaraton National Player of the Year nominee and USILA All-America second team pick for the second-consecutive year. Under Paccione's tutelage, McArdle also repeated as BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and conference "Triple Crown" winner as he led the league in points (5.71), goals (2.86) and assists (2.86) per game. A two-time unanimous first team All-BIG EAST selection, McArdle scored a single-season program-record 40 goals in 2014 and ended the year as St. John's all-time leader in career points, goals and assists as well as the first player in program history to record 200 goals, 100 assists and 100 goals in a career. In August 2014, after being drafted fifth overall in the 2014 Major League Lacrosse Collegiate Draft by the Florida Launch, McArdle was named MLL's 2014 Cascade Rookie of the Year. Also earning individual acclaim in 2014 were fellow senior attackmen Kevin Cernuto and Ryan Fitzgerald, who were named All-BIG EAST second team. Cernuto scored seven hat tricks in 2014 and finished the season with 110 career goals, second most in St. John's history, while Fitzgerald marked his final season by recording career highs in points (33) and goals (22). At the end of the season, McArdle, Cernuto and Fitzgerald were selected to play in the annual DI/DII North-South All-Star game. Paccione led one of the nation's top attacking units during a record-breaking 2013 season, as the Red Storm averaged 12.46 goals per game, fifth best in the country and tops in the BIG EAST. St. John's also featured a man-up unit that converted at a 41.2 percent clip for the season, which ranked 11th in the NCAA. Three St. John's players scored over 20 goals during the year, two scoring over 30, as the Red Storm (9-4, 3-3 BIG EAST) posted the most wins since program reinstatement in 2005 and the second-most ever for a lacrosse team at St. John's. Individually, McArdle tallied 36 goals and 49 assists to become the school record-holder in assists and points in a season in 2013, and finished the regular season as the NCAA assist-per-game leader (3.77) and second in the NCAA for points per game (6.54). McArdle was also named a unanimous first team all-conference pick along with Cernuto, who, with 3.69 points per game, gave St. John's the league's top two scorers. Paccione led a dynamic offensive attack during the 2012 season as the team averaged 9.07 goals per game and featured a man-up unit that converted at 44.8 percent clip for the season, which ranked eighth in the NCAA. Four St. John's players scored over 20 goals during the year, the highest amount to ever reach the 20-goal plateau in one season. McArdle was recognized as an Honorable Mention USILA All-America selection after totaling 28 goals and 32 assists as a sophomore as well as a first team All-BIG EAST selection after leading the conference in both points and assists. Paccione has helped five different players earn All-BIG EAST recognition during the team's four seasons in the conference. McArdle was a first team pick as a senior, junior and sophomore, including two unanimous nods, while Cernuto was a second team pick in 2014 along with Fitzgerald and first team selection in 2013. Terence Leach received second team honors in 2012 and Harry Kutner was a second team honoree in 2010. In eight seasons with the Red Storm, Paccione has also worked closely with the face-off specialists, helping St. John's to a top-25 national ranking in face-offs his first two seasons. As the offensive coordinator, he coaches the man-up attack unit as well as opening up the offensive attack. Paccione helped instill a more "run and gun" style offense, helping the Red Storm build an ominous presence downfield. Prior to St. John's, Paccione spent a season at Stony Brook University, where he worked primarily with both the face-off unit and wing players. He also tutored the man-up personnel, which finished in the top 10 in the country for shooting percentage. From 2004-05, Paccione worked as an assistant to Yale head coach Andy Shay, where his primary responsibilities included face-off and wing play personnel. During his two-season tenure with the Bulldogs, the face-off unit finished with one of the nation's best winning percentages at the X (.663). Paccione played lacrosse for the University of Massachusetts and graduated in 2002 with a bachelor of science degree in sports management. He led the Minutemen to two ECAC Championships in 2001 and 2002, and the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2002. In 2002, Paccione also earned first team All-ECAC honors and the UMass offensive Most Valuable Player award when he recorded 34 goals and 13 assists for 47 points, and won 86-of-156 face-offs for a .548 winning percentage. After graduating from UMass, Paccione played for the New York Saints of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). He was also selected by the Long Island Lizards as the 11th overall pick in the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) draft. He played for the Lizards from 2002-03 and helped the team win the MLL Championship in 2003. In 2004, Paccione played for the Philadelphia Barrage, another squad that won the MLL Championship. The following season, Paccione suited up for the Lizards again, and the team advanced to the MLL Championship game. In 2006, Paccione played for the Chicago Machine. Paccione and his wife, Katie, a physical education teacher in Farmingdale, N.Y., reside in Wantagh, N.Y. The couple was married in August 2007 have three children, Devin (6), Madison (4) and Luke (1).