United States Naval Academy Men's Lacrosse

Wellner is in his sixth season coaching at the Naval Academy and first serving as Associate Head Coach.  He is widely regarded as one of the top defensive coaches in the sport.       Last season, Wellner helped orchestrate a defensive unit that was one of the best in the country.  Ranked #2 nationally in scoring defense, the Mids held their opponents to 7.38 goals per game.  Its the ninth time Navy has finished among the top five since 2000 and its best finish since leading the country with its 5.47 average in 2006.  The 7.38 average was Navys lowest since 2008 when it gave up 6.50 goals per game.  Navy (16 gms), Monmouth (14 gms) and Detroit (12 gms) allowed the fewest goals in the country last spring with just 118.  The Mids gave up double-digit goals in six of its 16 games in 2016, while they have held 15 of their last 29 opponents to scoring droughts of 20 minutes or more.     Anchoring the defensive unit were 2016 Goalkeeper of the Year John Connors, Second-Team All-American and two-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year Chris Fennell and Third-Team All-American long pole Matt Rees.  Connors finished #2 nationally in goals-against average (7.25), the lowest GAA by a Navy player since 2007 when Colin Finnegan stood third nationally with a 6.46 GAA.  Its the highest a Navy player has finished in the rankings since Matt Russell led the nation with a 5.45 GAA in 2006. Connors also owned the nations ninth-best save percentage (56.8).  Its the highest finish by a Navy keeper since 2010 when RJ Wickham posted the fifth-best average (59.3).     Meanwhile, Rees (#16, 1.63), Fennell (#30, 1.44) and short-stick defensive middie DJ Plumer (#36, 1.38) finished among the top 40 nationally in caused turnovers per game.  Its the first time in school history Navy has achieved that feat.     Spearheading the faceoff game once again was Second-Team All-Patriot League selection Brady Dove, who won 57.9 percent (158-273) of his draws overall and 65.0 (93-143) in Patriot League play.  He finished the year ranked 17th nationally in faceoff winning percentage. The sixth game into the season, Dove became the programs all-time faceoff wins leader (468) and has distanced himself from previous record holder Chris Pieczonka (2002-05) by 105 wins.  He is the first player in school history and only the ninth in Patriot League history (25 yrs) to reach 400 faceoff wins.  Dove also broke Navys career ground balls record (248).     In 2015, Navys defense gave up 8.57 goals per game and was ranked 13th nationally.  It was the fewest goals the Mids have allowed since 2009 when they surrendered under 8.00, while its ranking was its best since finishing 2010 ranked 13th with its 8.67 average.  Additionally, Navys defense caused the eighth-most turnovers in the country, posting 8.07 takeaways per game.  Its the second time in the last three seasons Navy has finished the year among the top 10 in the country in caused turnovers.  The cog in the wheel of success for the Mids defense in 2015 was sophomore Chris Fennell, who was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and a Third-Team All-American.  He is just the second Navy player to earn the honor and the first since Jordan DiNola in 2008.     Meanwhile, First-Team All-Patriot League faceoff specialist Brady Dove took his game to a higher level.  Dove finished eighth nationally with his 62.6 winning percentage, the highest a Navy player has ranked since 2007 when William Wallace finished fourth with a 64.2 winning percentage.       In 2014, Dove anchored a faceoff squad that won 55.9 percent of its draws to rank 18th in the nation.  Individually, Dove won 56.4 percent of his draws and was ranked 20th in the country.  Meanwhile, anchored by 2014 Honorable Mention All-American long stick midfielder Pat Kiernan, Navy surrendered 9.36 goals per game game to rank 20th.     In 2013, the Midshipmen finished No. 2 in the country in caused turnovers, averaging 10.00 per contest led by starting defenseman Austin Miller who was seventh nationally with 2.31 takeaways, while Kiernan stood 12th with 2.00 caused turnovers.  Navy also improved in ground balls, jumping from 43rd in 2012 to 29th in 2013, which stemmed from the play of the defense.  Averaging 5.23 ground balls per game and ranked 32nd in the country, Kiernan was active both on offense as well as the wings of faceoffs.     In 2012, he guided Navys man-down unit to a No. 8 nationally ranking, as the Mids allowed just 10 extra-man goal all season (.750).  The previous two seasons the Mids had been ranked 29th and 36th.  Meanwhile, the defense as a whole improved and was ranked 14th nationally after surrendering 8.92 goals per game.  Senior RJ Wickham anchored the defensive efforts from the goal where he was ranked ninth nationally in saves per game (11.25) and 10th in save percentage (.570).     Wellner joined the Navy staff in the summer of 2011 after a three-year stint alongside Sowell at Stony Brook where he primarily worked with the defense and the Seawolves faceoff game.  In his three seasons at Stony Brook, the Seawolves produced a 32-14 record (.696), including an impressive 15-1 mark in America East action.  The Seawolves captured the America East regular-season title in 2010 behind a 13-4 record and punched their ticket to what was only the programs second NCAA Tournament appearance (2002) by way of defeating Albany, 11-7, in the America East Championship Game.  After dropping a 14-8 decision to UMBC in what was the first America East contest of 2009, Stony Brook has won 15-consecutive regular-season America East contests.     Wellner helped develop long stick midfielder Steven Waldeck into a three-time America East selection as well as 2009 Honorable Mention All-American. Waldeck finished his career with a school-record 112 ground balls and was ranked fifth nationally in ground balls per game, averaging 6.59.  Additionally, he was the nations leading scorer among all long poles in 2009.     He was instrumental in improving the Seawolves faceoff game, as Adam Rand evolved into one the countrys premier draw specialists. In 2010, Rand won 61.6 percent (266-432) of the faceoffs he took 266-432, the third-best percentage in country, while his 432 attempts went down in the record books as an NCAArecord.  He won 29 draws against Siena on Feb. 20, 2010, which are the second-most wins by an individual in NCAAhistory, before taking 28 faceoff wins at Binghamton on April 17, 2010, the NCAAs third most victories.       Prior to his arrival at Stony Brook in 2009, Wellner spent the 2008 campaign as the mens assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Washington & Lee, helping lead the Generals to a 9-6 record. He also served as the defensive coordinator for three seasons at the Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey where he helped guide the Ducks to a pair of NCAA Tournament berths. Wellners defensive units produced a pair of All-America defensemen and ranked among the Div. III top 10 in scoring defense.     A 2000 graduate of Mary Washington College with a bachelor of science in business management, Wellner also served as an assistant coach at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (2004) and Chaminade High School (2003).  Additionally, he was the Director of the New York Lacrosse Academy and served as the Director of Operations for the National Lacrosse League from 2001-2003.     A four-year letterwinner at Mary Washington, he served as captain of the lacrosse team his senior year and earned the schools Outstanding Senior Award in 2000.     Wellner, and his wife, Kate, have a son, Griffin, and daughter, Ashley.

Goers is in his 16th season serving as a member of the Navy mens lacrosse program, including his sixth as Director of Physical Education Operations.     Goers came to the Academy in 2002 as an assistant coach, but in 2006 transitioned into the Mids Director of Lacrosse Operations.  In that role, he oversaw Navys travel, facilities scheduling, camps and clinics, as well as other administrative duties including budget, compliance items and film.        As an assistant coach from 2002-05, Goers molded the Mids into one of the most successful faceoff squads in the country.  In 2004, Chris Pieczonka was ranked No. 2 nationally in faceoffs, winning 67.6 percent (173 of 256) of his draws and led Navy as a team to a tie for No. 2 in the national rankings, winning 65.5 percent (268 of 409).  By virtue of his ability to face off, Pieczonka was ranked 10th nationally in ground balls, scooping up 5.81 per contest.     Another player Goers is credited in refining is two-time All-American Steve Looney.  The middle of three lacrosse playing brothers, Steve was the workhorse of Navy lacrosse during his four-year career. A multi-faceted player, he saw time as a face-off specialist, a wing player on face-offs, a defensive midfielder and an offensive midfielder.  Looney, the 2004 Patriot League Tournament MVP, surfaced with the ball in 2004 and 05 in nearly every ground ball opportunity.     Goers came to the Naval Academy after a three-year stint at Ohio State where he oversaw the Buckeyes offense and face-off strategy.     A 1995 graduate of Towson, Goers is one of the most dominant faceoff specialists the sport has known.  He garnered Third-Team All-America recognition in 1994 after setting the NCAA record for single-season faceoff winning percentage (166-214, 77.6).  Twenty-two years later, that mark remains atop the NCAA leader board while he is one of just two men in NCAA history to win 75 percent or more of their faceoffs in a season (Delawares Steve Shaw in 1985 and 86).  Goers still holds the Towson record for career faceoff winning percentage (375-535, 70.1), a mark that stands #2 in the NCAA record book behind Delawares Steve Shaw , 70.7).  Shaw and Goers are the only player in NCAA history to close out their careers having won at least 70 percent of their career faceoff attempts (min. 500 attempts).Additionally, Goers held Towson records in faceoffs won in a game (21 vs. Villanova in 94), ground balls in a season (127 in 94) and ground balls in a career (274, 1993-95) until 2004 when Justin Berry edged out Goers in those categories.  He remains the Tigers all-time leader in ground balls per game (10.58).     Goers will be enshrined in the Towson University Athletic Hall of Fame in October of 2016.     Upon graduation, he began his coaching career in 1996 as an assistant coach at his alma mater where he helped lead the Tigers to the quarterfinals of the 96 NCAA Tournament.     In 1998, he returned home and assisted his former high school coach Earl Brewer at Langely High School in his home state Virginia, and helped to direct the prep team to the state regional finals.     Just a year later, he joined the Ohio State program that was beginning to flourish.  In 2000, Goers helped develop face-off specialist Anthony Kelly to a .540 percentage the nations 27th-best mark.     The Fairfax, Va., native has competed for the Columbus Landsharks of the NLL and was an all-club team member for Team Toyota.     Mark and his wife, the former Jessica Anna Christina duHoffmann, were married in 2001, and reside in Kent Island with their son, William, and daughter, Juliette.  Goers is an instructor within the Academys Physical Education Department.     Goers comes from an athletic family.  His mother, a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan, holds multiple indoor track records, his father played basketball at Wittenberg and his brother, Matt, played lacrosse at Ohio State and was the team captain his senior campaign.