Coming aboard the full-time Wesleyan staff
in 1996 and now an adjunct associate professor in the physical
education department, John Raba enters his 12th
season as head coach of men's lacrosse during 2008. John
has a 130-58 record at Wesleyan, including an 18-3 mark in
2007, the best season ever at the college, and a 16-4 record in 2006
as the team advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament semi-finals
both years. For
his accomplishment in both 2006 and 2001, when the team went 17-3, John was named NESCAC and NEILA
Division III Coach of the Year. He was named co-Coach of the Year by the
NEILA in 2005 after his squad posted a 13-6 overall mark, reached the
NESCAC finals and received its first-ever bid to the NCAA Division III
tournament, making it to the quarter-finals. Both his 2000 and
2001 squads reached the ECAC New England Division III
title game. After posting a 14-4 mark and reaching the NESCAC
Championship game in 2004, John also received NEILA Coach of the Year
laurels. His teams have won five outright Little Three crowns and shared three
others over the last eight years, all of them winning seasons. John serves on the USILA
All-American Committee and is a regional representative on the NCAA
men's lacrosse advisory selection committee. In addition to
coaching lacrosse, John has assisted with the football team
during the fall working on the defensive side of the ball each of his
12 seasons with eight seasons as defensive coordinator (1998-2005).
A 1993 graduate of the University of New Haven, John
was an All-American lacrosse player for the Chargers and
led Division II in scoring in 1992. Also outstanding on
the gridiron, John was a team captain, a two-time all-New
England pick as a fullback and earned team MVP honors as
well. John was honored by U.N.H. as its male athlete of
the year in both 1991-92 and 1992-93.
Before coming to Wesleyan in 1996, John picked up
lacrosse coaching experience as an assistant at New Haven
(1993), Quinnipiac (1994) and with the New Haven Silver
Bullets men's club team (1993-95). He also served as an
assistant football coach at Brown during the 1995 season. John is
a Long Island native and attended lacrosse powerhouse Farmingdale High
School, graduating in 1989.
Will Parker -
Assistant Coach
Will Parker will be in his
10th season as a
part-time staffer and has coached both boys and
girls high-school lacrosse in Connecticut prior
to his work at Wesleyan. He also was an assistant
coach at his alma mater, Quinnipiac College, in
1998. A 1996 grad, Will earned all-league honors
on defense for the Braves as a senior and was an
all-New England choice at New Haven in 1994
before transferring to Quinnipiac. A veteran
clinician as well, Will is a special education
computer instructor at Foundation High School in
Milford and is pursuing a master's degree at
Southern Conn. Will was an assistant coach during the NEISL East-West senior all-star game in June, 2005.
Rick
McCarthy - Assistant Coach
Serving as the head coach of the
men's lacrosse team at Western Connecticut State U. for the 2004 and
2005 seasons, Rick McCarthy will be in his fourth year with the
Cardinals having returned to Wesleyan as an assistant coach
in 2006 after serving in that capacity during the 2003 campaign.
In December, 2006, Rick was honored by the Intercollegiate Men's
Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) as the Division III assistant coach
of the year. Before 2003, Rick had been head coach of Eastern Connecticut State
University's highly successful men's lacrosse team from
its inception as a varsity team in 1996 through the 2002
season. In his seven seasons at ECSU, Rick posted a lofty 91-19
record and was a three-time conference coach of the year. He led the
Warriors to post season berths each of his last four
seasons, including two ECAC New England Division III
playoff berths in 1999 and 2000 and two straight NCAA
Division III tournament at-large qualifications as
champions of the Little East conference in 2001 and 2002.
Rick began his lacrosse coaching career at Babson College
in 1975. There he compiled a 34-13 mark in four years and
took the Beavers to an NCAA Division II tournament
appearance in 1979. He has been involved in coaching for
37 years since his graduation from Yale University in 1968, handling
mostly lacrosse and ice hockey, but also basketball and football at
various levels of activity throughout southern New England.
Rick also served as co-coach of the North squad at the 2002 STX/USILA
North-South Division III senior all-star game and had
coached in the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse
Association (NEILA) East-West senior all-star game in
1996. He is a past-president of the NEILA (2002-03) and has been a member of the Division III men's
lacrosse national poll committee, the weekly NEILA rating
board, the ECAC Division III men's lacrosse advisory
board and the USILA All-America advisory board.
Rick established the varsity team at WCSU in 2004,
going 3-8 his first year and improving to 11-5 in 2005, good enough for
a spot in the ECAC New England Division III tournament. Rick also
has international coaching experience, having twice coached
Connecticut-based teams during tournaments in Australia.
Retiring from service to the State of Connecticut in
2005, Rick continues as a consultant to the admissions offices at
both Eastern Connecticut and Mitchell College.
A 2006 graduate of Wesleyan who is
enrolled in Wesleyan's MALS program, Shem Johnston-Bloom was an
immediate starter on the football defensive line for the Cardinals as a
freshman in 2002 and handled that role for all 32 games during his
four seasons. A two-time second-team all-NESCAC pick (2004 and
2005), and a two-year team captain, Shem is in his second season
as a college assistant coach having handled the defensive line for
the football team in 2006 and 2007 and assisting in lacrosse. During his playing days at Wesleyan,
Shem amassed 177 total tackles which included 15 sacks. He also
forced two fumbles and batted down a pass. As a senior, Shem joined
the lacrosse team for the first time as a midfielder, specializing
in faceoffs.
Lukas Cash -
Assistant Coach
A 2001 graduate of Wesleyan and a four-year
starting goaltender who served as a team captain, Lukas Cash
will be assisting with the Cardinal goalies for a seventh
time this season. A second-team all-NESCAC choice
in 2001 as well as a New England East-West Senior All-Star Game
choice, Lukas founded and directs Lukas Nation Lacrosse (NationLacrosse.com),
a progressive boys and girls online coaching company.
In 2002, Lukas founded a New England girls' development club team,
Team Revolution (RevolutionLacrosse.com). Composed of
five teams with 100 players, Team REV is known as one of the top
club programs in the country with its progressive and college-like
style.
Coming aboard the full-time Wesleyan staff
in 1996 and now an adjunct associate professor in the physical
education department, John Raba enters his 12th
season as head coach of men's lacrosse during 2008. John
has a 130-58 record at Wesleyan, including an 18-3 mark in
2007, the best season ever at the college, and a 16-4 record in 2006
as the team advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament semi-finals
both years. For
his accomplishment in both 2006 and 2001, when the team went 17-3, John was named NESCAC and NEILA
Division III Coach of the Year. He was named co-Coach of the Year by the
NEILA in 2005 after his squad posted a 13-6 overall mark, reached the
NESCAC finals and received its first-ever bid to the NCAA Division III
tournament, making it to the quarter-finals. Both his 2000 and
2001 squads reached the ECAC New England Division III
title game. After posting a 14-4 mark and reaching the NESCAC
Championship game in 2004, John also received NEILA Coach of the Year
laurels. His teams have won five outright Little Three crowns and shared three
others over the last eight years, all of them winning seasons. John serves on the USILA
All-American Committee and is a regional representative on the NCAA
men's lacrosse advisory selection committee. In addition to
coaching lacrosse, John has assisted with the football team
during the fall working on the defensive side of the ball each of his
12 seasons with eight seasons as defensive coordinator (1998-2005).
Will Parker will be in his
10th season as a
part-time staffer and has coached both boys and
girls high-school lacrosse in Connecticut prior
to his work at Wesleyan. He also was an assistant
coach at his alma mater, Quinnipiac College, in
1998. A 1996 grad, Will earned all-league honors
on defense for the Braves as a senior and was an
all-New England choice at New Haven in 1994
before transferring to Quinnipiac. A veteran
clinician as well, Will is a special education
computer instructor at Foundation High School in
Milford and is pursuing a master's degree at
Southern Conn. Will was an assistant coach during the NEISL East-West senior all-star game in June, 2005.
Serving as the head coach of the
men's lacrosse team at Western Connecticut State U. for the 2004 and
2005 seasons, Rick McCarthy will be in his fourth year with the
Cardinals having returned to Wesleyan as an assistant coach
in 2006 after serving in that capacity during the 2003 campaign.
In December, 2006, Rick was honored by the Intercollegiate Men's
Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) as the Division III assistant coach
of the year. Before 2003, Rick had been head coach of Eastern Connecticut State
University's highly successful men's lacrosse team from
its inception as a varsity team in 1996 through the 2002
season. In his seven seasons at ECSU, Rick posted a lofty 91-19
record and was a three-time conference coach of the year. He led the
Warriors to post season berths each of his last four
seasons, including two ECAC New England Division III
playoff berths in 1999 and 2000 and two straight NCAA
Division III tournament at-large qualifications as
champions of the Little East conference in 2001 and 2002. 
A 2001 graduate of Wesleyan and a four-year
starting goaltender who served as a team captain, Lukas Cash
will be assisting with the Cardinal goalies for a seventh
time this season. A second-team all-NESCAC choice
in 2001 as well as a New England East-West Senior All-Star Game
choice, Lukas founded and directs Lukas Nation Lacrosse (NationLacrosse.com),
a progressive boys and girls online coaching company.
In 2002, Lukas founded a New England girls' development club team,
Team Revolution (RevolutionLacrosse.com). Composed of
five teams with 100 players, Team REV is known as one of the top
club programs in the country with its progressive and college-like
style.