Salem, Va. -- Head coach Bill Pilat announced today that Jim Mitchell will join the Marrons as the new men's lacrosse head assistant coach. The Pennsylvania native comes from Goucher College and will begin immediately. Mitchell replaces Carl Haas, who enjoyed a successful five-year stint at Roanoke, which included back-to-back national semifinal appearances in 2005-2006 and a quarterfinal appearance in 2007. Haas accepted an assistant coaching position at Saint Vincent (Penn.), which is a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference.

"We are excited to welcome Coach Mitchell to the Roanoke Lacrosse Family," said head men's lacrosse coach Bill Pilat. "He brings experience and enthusiasm to one of the most storied lacrosse programs in the country."

Prior to coming to Roanoke, Mitchell was the assistant at Goucher College in Baltimore, Md. for two seasons. He was responsible for student academic performance, recruiting, scouting, game planning, and individual player development. He will handle the same responsibilities for the Maroons lacrosse program along with other administrative coaching duties.

In his first season, Mitchell helped guide the Goucher team to a winning record and a semifinal appearance in the Capital Athletic Conference playoffs. Last season, he served as the defensive coordinator, and the team finished with an 11-win season, a Landmark Conference championship game appearance, and the fourth-ranked team defense in the nation.

A 2006 graduate of St. Mary's (Md.), Mitchell was a midfielder for the men's lacrosse team and was captain as a senior. He helped lead St. Mary's to the programs' highest national ranking in school history. While at Goucher, he received his Master's in Education this summer.

The Maroons finished 8-6 last season and missed the ODAC Tournament for the first time since 2001. They were without 2008 pre-season All-Americans Zach Thomas, Sam Love after the third game, and Chas Carlson for most of the season. The Maroons had three 20-goal games, were ranked #7 nationally in scoring, and led the ODAC in assists per game, groundballs per game, points per game, shots per game, man-up goals, face-off percentage, and shots on goal per game.

"Fall season begins in two weeks, and we are eager to work with a talented group of returners along with a highly talented incoming class," Pilat said.

2008-08-28