June 16, 2004

Navy lacrosse head coach Richie Meade and First-Team All-American Matt Russell (Madison, Conn.) were honored at the 2004 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-America Banquet at the Clarion Riverside Hotel in Rochester.

Meade received the Morris Touchstone Memorial Award, presented to the national coach of the year, and the Frenchy Julien Service Award, for outstanding and continued service to the sport, while Russell added the C. Marklund Kelly Award, the nation's top goalkeeper, to his list of achievements this season.

Sophomore keeper Matt Russell (Madison, Conn.) was Navy's lone First-Team All-America selection this season and first since the 2000 campaign in which goalkeeper Mickey Jarboe garnered first-team kudos. Russell made a name for himself early in the season after being inserted into the starting lineup March 5 at North Carolina, Navy's third game of the season, and leading the Mids to 14-2 record thereafter. Russell was forced out of the National Championship game with eight minutes remaining after suffering a broken collarbone.

He finished the 2004 campaign ranked No. 2 in the nation in goals-against average, giving up 103 goals in 924 minutes for a 6.69 GAA, while warding off 57.6 percent of the shots fired his direction. Russell is just the fifth Naval Academy goalkeeper to receive the Kelly Award and second under the direction of Meade. Jarboe was the last to earn the Kelly Award and was presented the award in 1999 and again in 2000.

"It's a great privilege just to step in and play Division I lacrosse, so to be able to have the success that I experienced this season is a great feeling," said Russell, who learned he had won the award Tuesday from good friend Alex Moore, a Division III Honorable Mention All-America midfielder from St. Lawrence.

"I credit Coach Finnegan with the success that Navy's goalkeepers have had over the years. He gives instruction and tells us to take in what works and throw out what doesn't. He's created and taught a lot of great goalies.

I'm fortunate to have been able to have him coach me for the last two years."

After a disappointing 6-7 season in 2003, Meade directed the 2004 Midshipmen to one of their most successful seasons in the storied history of Navy lacrosse.

Navy won a school-record 15 games en route to its first National Championship Game appearance since 1975. Along the way, the Mids defeated top-ranked Maryland in College Park, Navy's first documented win over a No. 1-ranked team. Navy also defeated North Carolina (9-8, OT), Army (18-10), Georgetown (7-5), Cornell (6-5) and Princeton (8-7), all of whom were ranked in the top 10 and all five games were played on the road.

After matching a school-record nine-consecutive wins just before the end of the regular season, Navy suffered a one-goal loss in overtime against longtime rival, Johns Hopkins.

The Midshipmen went on to gain the nation's support as they fought their way through the NCAA Tournament. First defeating Penn handily, 11-5, at home and then surviving a battle against seventh-seeded Cornell on the Big Red's home turf. Navy made it to the coveted Final Four and beat eighth-ranked Princeton, 8-7, before succumbing to Syracuse by a goal in the finale with better than 40,000 fans looking on.

"Coach Tillman and Coach Goers aside, I'm not sure anyone puts as much of his life into the game as Coach Meade," said Russell. "Lacrosse means so much to him. As each game is played, it's not just another game.

"What he brings is intensity. He's relentless. He refuses to lose. That's probably what I respect most about Coach Meade. He's the epitome of a tremendous coach who puts it all on the line every day he goes out there."

Meade is the fourth Naval Academy coach to earn the Touchstone Award. Previous Navy winners include the legendary Willis Bilderback (1960), Dick Szlasa (1975) and Bryan Matthews (1986).

2004 USILA National Award Winners
Lt. Donald McLaughlin Jr. Award (Nation's top midfielder) - Kyle Harrison, Johns Hopkins

Lt. Col. Jack Turnbull Memorial Award (Nation's top attackman) - Mike Powell, Syracuse

William C. Schmeisser Memorial Cup (Nation's top defenseman) - Lee Zink, Maryland)

Ens. C. Marklund Kelly Jr. Award (Nation's top goalkeeper) - Matt Russell, Navy

Lt. Raymond J. Enners Award (National player of the year) - Mike Powell, Syracuse

Morris Touchstone Memorial Award (National coach of the year) - Richie Meade, Navy