How D2 Men's Lacrosse was Shaped

SPEAKER_03 0:10

Welcome, welcome, welcome to episode one of season six of In the Crease with Danny and Kevin, a coast-to-coast discussion of D2 Men's lacrosse. I'm still your co-host, Kevin Stenstrom, and with me as always is the never-aging Danny Moran. How's it going, Danny?

SPEAKER_02 0:32

Oh, the never-aging. I wish my back would tell me that.

SPEAKER_03 0:37

It's been killing me all week, man. Oh, I hear you. I hear you. It's funny, Danny. Like, I literally, when I was getting ready for this podcast, I started write down this is episode one of season five. And then I went to my files. I'm like, this is season six. Now, season one was short, right?

SPEAKER_02 0:55

It was like the COVID year championship.

SPEAKER_03 0:58

No, it was 2021.

SPEAKER_02 1:00

That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

And it was around the Comics Championship. So it was like five, six, seven episodes. And then we we end it right at the championship, and then we start the second season. So it was a little bit short, but season six, how the heck did we get here?

SPEAKER_02 1:14

I don't know, but it's been a it's been a fun ride for sure, man. It's been fun. So, Kevin, let me ask you, how's your summer going and how are things going in Northern Virginia this evening?

SPEAKER_03 1:25

So, summer, I'll tell you what, flying by, Danny, flying by. I can't believe we're in August. We've had a very you and I have had a very good respite. You know, I've been following your travels, uh, really your travels of music via Facebook, but you and I haven't even talked that much. I think as we got ready for this podcast, we talked the other day, like Sunday. That's the first time we've talked in probably a month. You probably needed a break from me.

SPEAKER_02 1:52

Uh well, you know what? Work's been busy and the band has been really busy. I've been really doing a lot of music this summer, which is great. Keeps me busy, keeps me out, keeps me going. It's a lot of fun. It's been a great summer. Really a lot of fun this year. Uh the golf game. Yeah. Still struggle, still struggling with the golf game, but uh at least I'm I'm I'm consistent, Danny, in my golf game.

SPEAKER_03 2:20

Consistently at like 90 or to 94 on the scorecard there. That's my consistency.

SPEAKER_02 2:27

I saw a funny little meme. It's amazing how much money I've spent to remain shitty at golf. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 2:36

Oh, there's many. My wife sent them to me all the time just to give me grief on uh on my golf game. But yeah, so let's move on, though. Let's move on actually to talk about this. This is kind of our warm-up as we get ready for this season. Doing one in the summer, may have one another one, I don't know, but then we get into we're gonna get into the meat of it in the fall, probably October time frame. But this episode, Danny, really started at the end of last season. The the idea of this episode. When we heard that limestone was closing, we did want to get some of the coaches, maybe some of the players on to talk about their experience at limestone, what limestone meant not only to them, but I think we wanted to talk about it from a D2 perspective. You and I talked Sunday, and as we talked about this, and this really this episode really is a tribute, but we wanted to broaden it a little bit to begin with and talk about the schools that have left D2 that really made their mark as well.

SPEAKER_02 3:45

You know, Kevin Division II is growing exponentially. Um we're at 81 teams now, I think. We have a new Division II uh coming in this year, or two teams? We have Park Point, right?

SPEAKER_03 3:59

Park Point or Pennsylvania. And then uh Northwest Nazarene out in Idaho.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

Northwest Nazarene. So it's growing. But in the last 10 to 15 years, Kev, we've also lost some pretty big programs in Division II. And before we go any further, I'd like to get a moment of silence for the Limestone Saints.

SPEAKER_03 5:20

I'll tell you, as a military guy, that's respect and reverence right there. That plane of taps. It has you and I are smiling during it, but as we're we're we're talking on Zoom right now, but that is always a sign of respect for those who have gone before us.

SPEAKER_02 5:44

Yeah, and I think it's it's apropos this evening, because that we're talking about a lot of uh, you know, again, a lot of schools have have closed down in the last 15 years and some really good programs, Kev. You know, programs like Dowling with with national championship under their belt, programs like Merrimack, yeah, Dan Sheen and the LeMont Dolphins. You know, the the list is pretty extensive here. Queens College, Mercyhurst moving up. How about St. Rose that closed its doors last year? What about Aldison Broadest that closed his doors in 23? And one of the granddaddies of them all, NYIT Kev. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 6:37

Yeah, you're hitting in a lot of ones. You look at when you look at that list, a lot of them you just talked about. And and CW Post became LIU, which L I U now is in D1, Merrimack and D1, those are probably the two that moved up to D1 before we started this podcast. But you talk about the other ones Lemoyne, St. Rose, Alderson Brata, CSU Pueblo, NYIT was right at the cusp. We started this podcast, Danny. We didn't know if NYIT was coming back or not. Right.

SPEAKER_02 7:15

They were closed for COVID.

SPEAKER_03 7:16

And then they shut well, and then we found out uh a year later that they decided they were not coming, their athletics were just shutting down.

SPEAKER_02 7:23

Yep, shutting all athletics down at NYIT after COVID.

SPEAKER_03 7:28

And and you talked about a little bit, but let's let's get it. This is what amazes me is some of these teams that moved on to D1. Like you look at the Linenwoods and the Queens, right? They were always in the mix in the top 20. Neither team you ever those two teams you never saw getting to the championship, but they always had the potential and they couldn't get there, right? And Linenwood, I think, is a total shame that they got to go D1, and then because of budgetary reasons, after two seasons, they were shut down. That program was one of those programs that was just so well run. They were a quality team, and the way they did things was the right way.

SPEAKER_02 8:22

Yeah, and they were on their way up, you know, they were trending upwards. They made the NCAAs, Lyndon Wood, you know. Uh the girls' teams were very good at Lindenwood. They were championships. Yeah, you know, so it's a shame. I mean, I imagine being a kid, hey, I'm going to Lindenwood. They recruited me, they gave me some money. Hey, we're gonna move up to D1. Hey, I always wanted to be a D1 player. And then Coach is like, gotta go somewhere else because uh no more, no more lacrosse here at Lindenwood. Man, those kids, you know, and you know what? I feel like Limestone, in a way, was left in the same kind of lurch, you know. I mean, a lot of kids, you have three, you know, first, second, and third year players, and limestone's a big team. A lot of guys on that team, Kev, 60 plus. Guys got to find a new home, you know, and and scramble and put their names in the portal and just, you know, go through that whole thing again, which is kind of sucks, you know, in a way when you think about it.

SPEAKER_03 9:18

Yeah, it's it's a shame, and we'll get into that later on with Limestone. I mean, and I I look at this as I went back and you named some of these schools, you look of the legacy that they provided to D2. Let's just talk about NYIT and LIU, which was CWL Post. We had a separate podcast episode three years ago on Jack Cayley and Tom Postel. Jack Cayley, NYIT gets four championships, national championships for NYIT through Jack Haley. Tom Postel. He gets one. John Jezz follows Tom Postel at post. He gets two more for him. John Jezz's record at post when he was there over ten years, 139 and 41. Oh boy. You're telling me not a dynasty? No, that's right. And you add in what Postel did? Yep. There was a time, Danny. You look at NYIT and then you look at Le Moyne. Le Moyne, six championships. National championships, played in a total of ten finals. They're now, they, and they were nine and six in twenty twenty-five in Division I. LIU, now led by Jordan Levine, former Mercy coach, right? They were nine and five in 2025 in D1. So these schools both trending up. Not going away. Not going away. At one time, Danny, between 2003 and 08, it was either NYIT or Lemoyne who won the national championship.

SPEAKER_02 11:07

Yeah, they kind of ruled, they ruled the roost, the Northeast in those days.

SPEAKER_03 11:12

Well, and by that point is when we had the regions. And we talked about this with Jim Fritz, the former coach of Pfeiffer and of Queens, and we brought him on about the history of D2. And he said it really started with Mike Sereno, and we'll get hopefully get into this later on with our guests. Really started with Mike Sereno pushing, the coach at Limestone pushing for regions. The first year that was done, Limestone wins the national championship.

SPEAKER_02 11:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

Kind of solidifying the rationale for doing it.

SPEAKER_02 11:46

Oh, yeah, because there wasn't a whole lot of teams in the South at those in those days. All the teams were in the Northeast, really. And um in order to get into the playoffs, I think there was only four teams, if I'm not mistaken, back in those days. I think before that it was two. Like they picked two. That was it, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:05

And that now maybe when they went regions, they went four. They did a semifinal.

SPEAKER_02 12:08

So you had to at least schedule, and scheduling was difficult in those days. Yeah. There weren't schools nearby, especially the limestones down there. There wasn't a whole lot down there. So the schedule games was difficult. So you're scheduling D1, two, D3 games, NAI games, and anything you could do to get your team. Now, here comes limestone. Very good squad. Can't get a sniff. You know why? Because they have to play at least seven or eight top ten teams in order to get a sniff, even to get a look at to get into the NCAA.

SPEAKER_03 12:48

And you think about all those established schools in the Northeast. We talked about them, NYIT, Post, Dowling, Merrimack. Merrimack, Mercyhurst. Yep. Think of all of them. They played each other. And I and I'm not saying it from an elitist standpoint. It probably came down. That's what they're used to. They're in their conferences. They don't have the money to travel, the funds probably to travel down south for maybe more than one game. Right. It it just perpetuated itself as far as the Northeast always being the national championship until Limestone and Coach Sereno broke that mold.

SPEAKER_02 13:26

Yep. Got the NCAA to finally break it down into North and South regions. And then now Limestone could get a sniff and get into the NCAA. And just like you said, their first chance, they win the national championship and pretty much shut everybody up about lacrosse in the South. Now, I don't think Adelphi and those guys was really happy about that because now they have to schedule games. They might have to go down there. You know, like they might have to start scheduling games in the South to start doing it. It's crazy how it just kept whirling and twirling and and and snowballing into what it is now.

SPEAKER_03 14:13

I think you're exactly right. And I think moving to those regions really helped grow the game in D2.

SPEAKER_02 14:28

There's no doubt about that.

SPEAKER_03 14:30

Because then teams in the South. Look at it. One time Mercyhurst was in the South region. Mercyhurst.

SPEAKER_02 14:35

Yeah, makes no damn sense.

SPEAKER_03 14:36

But the But they had to break them up somehow to make it more even, right? Like you've got to do it. So and Mercyhurst, let me Mercyhurst, another team that's moved to D1, a program that we've watched. If you look back, Mercyhurst and Dowling, let's go back to Boyle and Ryan. They knew each other as assistants, they knew each other as head coaches there. They always played against each other. When Boyle went down to Wingate, they still played each other. Mercyhurst was always at the top. Yep. They played in three finals winning one. Dowling under Boyle went to two winning one. These are programs that really set the mark. And then you and you get Mercyhurst that's always consistent. You look at over all those years, just so consistent. Their battles against Seton Hill, we talked about that this year when we missed it. Like that is a battle you always tuned in for.

SPEAKER_02 15:31

Right. What you know, those regions now, like when you think about it, Kevin, the South has exploded in lacrosse in the last five, six, seven years.

SPEAKER_09 15:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

I mean, high school-wise, and just everything that's going on in the South. If you ask me, there's probably probably have been more growth in the game in the South in the last seven or eight years than I think anybody's ever could could dream that would happen. I mean, there was there was no high school across in the South 20 years ago.

SPEAKER_03 16:04

Yeah. And and the amazing thing is you add now, I'm gonna I'm gonna relay what limestone did and Coach Sereno pushing for regions to the growth of the game. I think automatic qualifiers are gonna make more teams, there'll be it'll be even more even matched. It's just gonna grow the game even more. Uh division two.

SPEAKER_02 16:34

When I listened back to our uh podcast with Jim Fritz with which um aired in 2022, Kev, uh or 2023, I think. 23. And we had Jim Fritz on. There wasn't um automatic log fires yet, and we were asking him, what do you think? And he's like, Yeah, I think it's gonna go there. And we're like, yeah, four or five years. And now it's like in in two years, we've had it. And I thought I thought it was a big success. I I loved it. You know, I like to see like Malloy getting in there and and and you know, Georgian court getting in there and getting a shot, you know what I mean? I loved it.

SPEAKER_03 17:11

I loved it, and I think what we're talking about right now, these schools, even the CSU Pueblos, the St. Roses, Aldison Bratis, but you look at the teams that moved on to D1, like the Lindenwoods, Queens, Le Moyne, Mercyhurst, Merrimack, LIU, they sort of set the standard. And we talked about this before we started recording. Lemoyne, Danny, when we started the podcast, was the standard for Division II. Everyone wanted to be like Lemoyne. Merrimack, just before the podcast started, they went on a run. They were in the finals in 2017, lost. They won in 18, won in 19, COVID hit in 2020, then they move up to D1. I mean, it's just amazing when you look back at what these teams did, and to really, I think, show what D2 can bring to the table, the and the great lacrosse it is.

SPEAKER_02 18:10

And you know what? And you you mentioned Great Lacrosse. These were great lacrosse teams, Kev. And Division II lost them, which which really sucks, you know. Like these are good programs. Like I I hated when Mercy Hurst hooked up to Division I. I loved the fact that the Wingate would play Mercyhurst every year. It was a it was a great game, and it was a great camaraderie between those two coaches, and the respect between the two programs, and both great. Every game was a great game between those Mercy Hurst and those those Wingate games. And you know, and I miss watching Lemoyne and Dan Sheehan and that great offense of theirs and the way they play lacrosse. And you know, D D2 is gonna miss those guys, but we still had limestone. We still had limestone, you know, and I'll I'll be the first one to say it. You know, and yeah, yeah, yeah. They're the mark, they set the mark in the South. You know, if you ask me. It was limestone number one in the South. The way they played the game, the way they recruited, everything that they did, it was just remarkable. You love to hate them. If you were on the other side, that was a perfect quote.

SPEAKER_03 19:33

Because I remember your son being a senior, my son being a freshman, that was either that was the year before or a year or two before Limestone went from Conference Carolinas to the sack. And when we heard limestone was coming to the sack, we're like, ah, no, we don't want that. You know, because why? Because they were the standard. Yeah. And we're like, how are we going to compete against them? One more time. What did they do? What did they do? They raised the bar. I truly believe this in the sack. They raised the bar for teams like Lenore Ryan and Wingate and Queens at the time that was still in. Yeah. And even you look at teams like Anderson, they raised the bar for the Newberry. This is where we have to get to, right? Yeah. Katawba. Kataba.

SPEAKER_02 20:29

Yeah. I mean, again, I they were the team you love to hate. I only was able to light my victory cigar twice in all the times we played Limestone. Only two times. Only two times. I only pull out that victory cigar against the big teams. I don't pull them out against the little teams. And all those years I'd be waiting with a nice cigar for the limestone game, and I have to wait till next time because they didn't win. You know, my team didn't win. Limestone did. But um, I'm gonna miss limestone, and I think Division II is really gonna miss Limestone. And I just think for everything that it's done for Division II, the creative, get the created creation of the regions and the way that they were able to get the South to be prominent in Division II lacrosse, be a be a place kids wanted to go to. And coming from the north, I mean, limestone used to get a lot of Canadians, man. You know, you get you're talking about kids coming out of Canada, going into the deep south. You know, it's a pretty cool thing when you think about it.

SPEAKER_03 21:37

And and if if you look at that, if if you don't think limestone didn't help build the Sunshine State Conference, I I obviously think, you know, St. Leo being the original down there really helped spur that. But you don't think having a team like uh

SPEAKER_02 22:06

And we need to get like that if we want to be there, you know. So yeah. They they set the bar in the south, you know, and the Tampas after Coach Whipple, you know, they they seem to like turn it up a little bit, you know, and get their program to, you know, national prominence every year. And, you know, the South. And I again, I think it's all because of limestone. Everything, everything that's going on in the South is because of limestone.

SPEAKER_03 22:33

I don't disagree with you. I I can't point to anything else that wasn't that they weren't the catalyst to begin with.

SPEAKER_02 22:42

And and not to have them, you know, it's gonna be kind of weird to, you know, I uh my kids went to school in the south, so the northern schools weren't so interesting to me, you know, but I loved watching Le Moine. I love watching Adelphi. I love watching these great schools and these great programs play high and lacrosse. But my kids were in the south, so I wanted them to do well in the south, and we always had to run through limestone. Yeah, got guys like Kevin Reesman and you know, oh god, the the list just goes on. I I I don't even have a list in name.

SPEAKER_03 23:19

I was trying to think of this today as one of the guests coming on is uh goalie from last year and help coach uh in 2024, help coach in 2025, Shane O'Leary, right? Great goalie. And I started thinking if you think of all the great goalies that they've had recently, is that like goalie you then you go down the list face off, middies, attack, yeah, LSN. Like is there a gap?

SPEAKER_02 23:50

Nope. Nope. They were strong in every position and deep at every position. They had kids that could come in and play, man. It was just like it was tough. I I I remember the uh the game, the senior night at at Limestone last year after they beat Wingate Bulldogs, and I was talking to one of the Wingate defensemen, and he told me Mr. Morant, I've never been in a game like that. The energy and the speed was just something he had never experienced in all his lacrosse days. I said, So how you feel about it? He goes, I'm exhausted. I want to go to bed.

SPEAKER_03 24:26

Well, and here's we just talked, we went through these a little bit. Go down to some of these schools, right? We talked about NYIT four championships, total six finals, LIU three championships, total seven finals. Merrimack two, total of three. Lemoyne, six championships played in a total of ten finals. We talked about Dallin and Mercyhurst. But guess who's near the top? The only team that's bet that had more is a Delphi with nine championships and fourteen total finals. Limestone in the South five championships were played in a total of 12 finals. Amazing. The consistency. Yeah. Yeah, and you know, w that just is a stat. You don't see in a it's the same thing with these other schools, right? You don't see how good they were even when they didn't make it to the final. Right? Because it takes a lot. There's luck involved in that, right? Yeah, of course. Remember what Jim Fritz said. He's like, I I coached at Pfeiffer. They were my nemesis. I hated them, but I respected them for what they built. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:39

Yeah. Special place limestone. Again, I'm gonna miss them. They were the school we love to hate. I love lighting them victory cigars when we beat Limestone, which wasn't very many times in over the years. But again, I I I can't say enough about the school. And especially their last season, I really liked that team all year. I felt that they should have been number one for a long time. They really only had that one loss to Tampa, that one goal in the beginning of the season. They played an exciting brand of ball. The energy was off the charts, the speed was as good as any lacrosse you can get. I mean, screw D won. I mean, that's now it was.

SPEAKER_03 26:26

We talked about this last season. There were several games where limestone was in the game, played in the game, that we both said there isn't any better lacrosse. Limestone Tampa, limestone Wingate, Limestone Lenore Rhine, you know, like name a few of them. Those games were epic.

SPEAKER_02 26:50

Absolutely, 100%. Hey, I watched PLL over the weekend. I saw that Chaos Atlas game. Great game, great, great, great lacrosse game. Exciting. Went into overtime. I was like, this reminds me of the limestone wingate game in the SAC. It was the same kind of energy and the same kind of like excitement, you know, and the speed of the game. The speed of it was insane. And gonna miss that. Gonna miss that in Division II. Gonna miss them in the sack, gonna miss them in the south. And I'm just gonna miss watching them play. But I'm not gonna miss losing to them.

SPEAKER_07 27:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:33

All right, Danny. Enough about us talking about the legacy of limestone. We went on a little bit too long. We gave them, I think, I'm uh we've built them up. They just, I don't think you they can ever be knocked off that pedestal. But we have some guests with us now to discuss the limestone legacy, a really good group of guys that know all about limestone. But before we bring them on, Danny, you shared a quote with me earlier today, and I thought this is a good way to kind of set the stage for our discussion.

SPEAKER_02 28:06

Well, Kev, you know that at Limestone, Mike Sereno was the original head coach, and he was an AD back in the day. And I was doing my research for this podcast, and I came upon an article in the Greenville newspaper. Now, how the hell does a New Yorker get an article in the Greenville newspaper? I don't know even though how I stumbled upon it, but it was a great article, and it quoted a bunch of different guys, and Mike Sereno was in there. And I'd like to read this quote that he said, and I think it kind of sums up Limestone University really well. And he said he took pride in knowing that his dream also ignited lacrosse interest in the South and made limestone a destination school for all students, not just athletes. Cry because it's over, but smile because it happens, Sereno said. Anything that ending is tough, but there is a sense of accomplishment. When you're climbing the mountain, you don't always look around to see how far you've come. But this kind of makes us look back and reflect a little bit about our accomplishments, the history, the friendships. We were the first team in South Carolina. There were no high school teams. Now the area is full of lacrosse. Look at all the lives we have touched. I don't think limestone lacrosse goes away, just like I don't think the footprint of this university goes away. It will live in people's hearts forever. Mike Sereno.

SPEAKER_03 29:36

I absolutely love that. I think you're exactly right. It captures the essence of what limestone brought to lacrosse. Let's not even talk about D2, but to Lacrosse. And to help us with that today, we actually have the coaching staff from last year to help us and let them speak about their school and their program. So we have Coach Brennan Storyer, Kevin Reestman, Kendall Collins, Bill Malone, and Shana Leary. Welcome, guys. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_08 30:05

Great. How are you guys doing? I appreciate the time.

SPEAKER_02 30:09

Fellas, limestone's in the house, Kev. Yeah. One more time. One more time.

SPEAKER_03 30:14

Let's let's talk about all the what we said before that we used to always we love to hate them because of how good they are.

SPEAKER_08 30:21

Yep.

SPEAKER_03 30:22

So, Coach Story, let me start with you. Before I get your thoughts on you playing there, coaching there as an assistant and a head coach, tell me a little bit, tell us a little bit about the guys we have assembled here for this podcast.

SPEAKER_08 30:36

Yeah, I mean, it's uh typical limestone group, you know, guys from different areas, different, uh, different backgrounds, um, different personalities, and come together and join forces to uh, you know, try to accomplish something great. And that's that's kind of what Limestone has relied on, you know, as a lacrosse program its entire existence, right? Like it, you know, it was made up of in the early days, Long Island guys and Maryland guys. Um, you know, still still a big contingent of that, but um just guys from different backgrounds and uh you know who who have have lived a different life before limestone, um, but generally uh live successful ones after their time is done in uh in Gaffney.

SPEAKER_03 31:19

That's awesome. And and we will get to each one of them, but I have to ask you, coach, you seem to do it all. You did it all at Limestone, right? All American player, assistant coach, I think assistant national assistant coach of the year, two years running, um, head coach. Talk to us about that journey and what limestone meant to you.

SPEAKER_08 31:41

Yeah, I mean, it meant everything to me. Um, if if if they didn't give me a chance to come back, you know, I certainly wouldn't be where I am today. Um I'd be working probably at a sawmill in upstate New York. Um wouldn't have my wife, my children, and uh I'd I'd certainly live a different life. So uh, you know, everything that I learned there, um, the the type of man to be, how to treat people is uh, you know, just everything that I take, right? The wins, um, the trophies, they're you know, the it's incredible. I can't, you know, I I can't even talk about you know what what those wins have meant. But um, I think the person that I became um in different stages is is is really you know what I look back on and I'm very thankful for.

SPEAKER_03 32:31

That's awesome. That's awesome. I have to move on to you, Coach Malone. You were on the limestone staff when they won their first natty. Tell us what that program was like back then. Also touch upon, we talked about a little bit when we Danny and I talked about this earlier, really with Coach Sereno pushing for going to regions. Tell us what it was like back then and how limestone, because you've been there the whole time, in one form or another, how they've sustained such such success.

SPEAKER_05 33:05

Uh I think it's just you know, kind of the legacy that Coach Sereno set, um, you know, about working hard and you know, bringing a group of guys together. You know, we had kids from all over. Um, you know, then I got there in July of '98. I watched them lose in the uh in the Deep South Conference semifinals, and they were the best team in the con the uh in the conference, and the best team didn't win that day. And I was at Pfeiffer at the time. I was coaching, I was coaching there in '98. And you know, it's one of the things that you know Coach Sereno said that the best team didn't win that day. And I said, you know what, you're right. And you know, when I got there in '99, you know, our goal was to, you know, was to win the conference and build up, you know, the uh, you know, win the conference first, and then you know, we knew regionalization was coming, and we just needed to be the best in the region. Um, you know, we won the 99 uh conference uh championship. Those guys actually kind of set the tone, you know, from from then on out, you know, the earlier guys too, um, who came and helped build the program. But that 99 team kind of you know helped get us get us going in the uh in the conference. And it was um we just needed a couple more pieces. And you know, we got those pieces in uh in in 2000, and John Riley, Josh Rudder, and Ryan Ross, um, you know, a couple division one transfers, and you know, they melded with the other guys like Ricky Matthews and Jake Lawson and some of the guys that we had there. And honestly, um it, you know, the NCAs are a lot different now, where you had you know the quarterfinals and you know, those, you know, those those games. We had three weeks to prepare for a national championship. So, and you know, the some of the kids, you know, I you know, I always tell stories to like you know to Kevin and Kendall and Brendan and Shane. And you know, we beat those guys for probably about three weeks before those, before the uh before the national championship came. Because, you know, we we we would, you know, we'd had two a days for two weeks, you know, we'd do stick work and conditioning in the morning, and then we'd do practice in the afternoon. We'd do more conditioning, you know. And um, you know, those guys bonded together, and you know, we had a great group, we had a great staff, you know, Mike Sereno, Chris Fettesy, Mike Sessa, um, just a great staff. I mean, we just all had our own different things, and we all just kind of came together, and you know, honestly, that day was uh pretty magical. So I bet.

SPEAKER_03 35:20

I bet we we talk about that too. We talked about it earlier, like just going in a first time on the it was the first time for the regions, right?

SPEAKER_05 35:28

When you won that the first year, it was a Long Island championship to prove to prove, yeah, to prove NYIT.

SPEAKER_03 35:35

Yeah, to prove that the regions were the right way to go. Like talk about the best way to make a statement right there.

SPEAKER_05 35:43

Yeah, 10-9 uh with a freshman goalie. Uh so you know, it was it was uh we we knew, you know, what we what we did is the you know, they usually had the dinner the night before, and we got we got there way early. So I said to Coach Torino, I said, hey, you know, uh the the banquet facility is right next to the field we're playing on. So I said, hey coach, the gate's open. Let's take these guys out on the field. And when they saw their name on the scoreboard, and it's like, hey, guess what? You know, we belong. So from the first uh first whistle, I mean, we were we punched him in the mouth and you know, kept punching and then had to make a defensive stand late. And you know, it was uh you know, it was pretty uh pretty cool. Wow, that is wild.

SPEAKER_02 36:20

He remembers it like it yet was yesterday.

SPEAKER_03 36:22

Yeah, and the names just rolling off the tongue, right? I can barely remember your name, Danny.

SPEAKER_02 36:27

He's right back there, he's right there on the field right there.

SPEAKER_05 36:30

Yeah, 21 years. I mean, you know, the relationships with these guys, the alumni, the current team, you know, that's probably the biggest thing I missed. These guys on the staff and you know, the players and the relationships, and you know, just limestone in general, and what you know, all these guys, you know, Shane and Kendall and Brendan, even you know, all these guys as players, you know, what they contributed to you know keep and sustain, you know, what uh what the program, you know, what the program was.

SPEAKER_03 36:53

Yeah, and and the the players that are now coaches that were coaches, amazing stats and records themselves, but from Shane to Kevin to Kendall and Kevin Reisman. I first saw you play in the 2016 final in person.

SPEAKER_01 37:11

Terrible game.

SPEAKER_03 37:13

Not a good game for Limestone, not a good performance. It was not it was funny though, because my son, who ended up playing at Wingate, uh he was maybe in high school, he was maybe a freshman in high school then. And we we went to the whole was the first time we went to the every game. We we we got tickets, stayed up in Philadelphia the whole time. So we went to the D2 game, and I actually I didn't want Limestone to win because I looked back at the records and limestone was winning so many times, like let Le Moyne win. Didn't realize that Lemoy had won a lot of times too. So like, but I I actually probably remember you more as a Boston Canon because I I grew up in Massachusetts, so I I have a uh little little soft spot from my heart in my heart for Boston Canons. But your accomplishments, you know, four-time All-American, two-time USILA national player of the year, 735 face-off winning percentage. That is just crazy. The dog out there. It's a dog. How did limestone shape you as a player and also as a coach?

SPEAKER_01 38:19

Uh, it was just my experiences as a player. Um, the experiences off the field as well, the guys that I was surrounded by. Um when Coach Starter talked about, you know, guys coming from all different backgrounds. Um, yeah, a good amount of guys are from Long Island, upstate New York, Maryland, and Canada, but we did have a lot of guys um from all different backgrounds. Um, so you kind of get to share life experiences with each other. Um, and it really shapes you and mold you into the man you are when you leave limestone. Um, and then bringing that in as a coach, I really just during the recruiting process just told guys that you know I want to give them the experience that I had, not just the winning the national championships, yeah, because that's great and all, but the experiences I had with my teammates, with my best friends. Um, you leave high school, go to college with a group of friends from high school, but when you come to limestone, the guys that you're you know sharing the locker room with, living with every day, um just around all the time, those are gonna be your lifelong friends. I mean, you see it throughout the year when there's weddings of guys, you know, it it's mostly limestone people showing up, and then there's a couple of their high school friends. Uh um, but you know, again, like the experiences I had just as a player and just as a regular student is something I wanted to bring um to the guys that I was recruiting, the guys that we had on the team. And again, yeah, like winning the national championship, winning a bunch of games, that's all good and fun. But at the end of the day, you know, when I get to talk to uh my friends that I played with, you know, we talk that and say that we still do it all over again, even if you took away the national championships from us, uh, just the experiences we had, the friendships we made, you know, that alone we wouldn't trade for anything.

SPEAKER_03 40:10

Well said. I know I it's becoming very clear that that has been a message in limestone throughout the program. It's the chemistry of the team that makes the wins, not the goal of getting wins, right? That's what I'm I'm hearing from all of you. And when we had you, Coach Collins, on the podcast the first time, now we have you on as a coach, but when we had you on, Danny and I watched you play, and we had you're one of those guys we're like, we got to get him on the podcast. You seem to embody what it meant to be a limestone player. So tell us in your words what it means to be a limestone saint.

SPEAKER_00 40:56

Yeah, I mean, to be a limestone saint, um, you know, it's a it's a brotherhood, it's a deeply rooted foundation. Um, and the one thing you consistently talked about throughout 35 years of the program is the together, being together, that bond that you have forever, your whole life. Um, you know, Kevin kind of touched on it, guys that'll be in your wedding, um, guys that you can call on a daily if you need anything at all. Um, you know, to have that backing, regardless of lacrosse. Um, you know, that's something that you can't replicate. Um, you know, we're still we were all just in Lake Placid, a good group of us, um, all representing Limestone still to this day, and we're gonna continue to for years.

SPEAKER_02 41:37

The lake show.

SPEAKER_00 41:39

Yeah, yeah. We we didn't do too well, but you know, we're still out there and creating some of the things.

SPEAKER_03 41:44

We gotta let some other teams win now and then.

SPEAKER_00 41:47

You guys probably won the party. I can guarantee that. Um but you know, it's uh to also see the legacy that's been there. Um, you know, you want to contribute to that and uphold that and honor the tradition any way you can. Um, you know, some people see it as kind of a weight on their shoulders, but there's a lot of pride in that. Um, you know, and to take it on at that jersey every day and put it on and know what you're representing, um, you know, that was a very, very important thing to us. Um, you know, we want to continue to tell that story and that legacy, even though the school's no longer there.

SPEAKER_03 42:24

I I and I I love that I think it will continue. I I I think, like we talked about earlier, I think limestone has really done so much not only for D2 lacrosse, but for lacrosse in general. When you talk that that quote by Mike Sereno about what they did to build lacrosse in the community down in the south, Danny and I talked about this. I don't think there would be a Sunshine State conference or there'd be a sack if there wasn't for Limestone starting it off. Coach O'Leary, Shane O'Leary, who we watched play. Danny and I were talking about this. Like, do you say that Limestone is like goalie you with players like you playing? Like, it just seems like every year they had another one. Then I think there wasn't ever a gap in any position at Limestone. That's why we hated you guys so much.

SPEAKER_06 43:14

Yeah, right. Um, just definitely obviously shout out Coach Malone. You know, give him give him his flowers on that a little bit, you know. He definitely um he definitely kept the party going for goalies in Limestone for sure.

SPEAKER_03 43:28

Well, so how how did he do that? How did he make such like a player like you even better?

SPEAKER_06 43:34

Coach Malone just has a way of staying on guys every day in practice. Um his his attitude, I guess, is just so contagious. Like he has a really good way of getting on you, and then moments later, you know, you're cracking jokes on the sideline, you know, waiting, waiting and get reps kind of thing. And it's just little things like that that only boost a goal. Confidence and allows them to play how they want to play. Because just like how Kendall said, uh playing for limestone, especially at the goaltender position, is very stressful. You know, and um very, very stressful. I can also imagine.

SPEAKER_08 44:15

Shane. So yeah, sorry. I do want to point out that when I showed up at Limestone, you were fourth on the depth chart. So we give all the credit to Coach Malone. That was real.

SPEAKER_06 44:26

I was I was waiting to get to you. Be patient. Jesus, Coach. Come on. And then yeah, yeah. And then that Coach Torrier guy, yeah, he's good too. You know? No, yeah. Um, same thing with Coach Torrier, though. Um, Coach Torrier, same thing, just gives you all that confidence in the world. And he he lets he like personally, he let me know every day that he had my back and that I was one of his guys, uh, regardless of you know if it was a tough game for me or not. And um, that just goes into you know, obviously keeping goalie's confidence up, which we all know is is very important. So it's definitely a team effort in that sense, and um extremely grateful for that. Right.

SPEAKER_02 45:08

So it it was a Tuesday night. We were uh doing our podcast, and we had Devin Spilker on as our as our analyst for the week. So much fun. He is such a funny guy, and he loves the the voice he's got, he's got that voice, you know. And uh he was great, and we had a great it was uh coming up to senior day, it was that that weekend for Limestone, and uh the Wingate Wingate was playing you guys, and uh I was going to the game. So Devin and I were going back and forth just about how Limestone was so great and all the things that they did. And I and I don't know if you listen to the podcast on the regular, but I was loving Limestone all year. The offense, the way you guys were moving the ball, the speed, the defense, the slides, just what you were doing. I said Tampa shouldn't be one, Delphi shouldn't be one. I feel that Limestone's the best team in the country, and I felt that way all the way through. The next morning, after we recorded that, we found out that limestone was closing its doors. Coach, how did you find out?

SPEAKER_08 46:16

Uh I got I still gotta be careful about how I tell this story. Um, but I was I was I was called at 11:30 uh Wednesday morning. Um I left, my son had a field trip um that morning at a at a local uh strawberry orchard or whatever you call it, and um got in my car, was driving to work and uh got a phone call um at 11:30 a.m. Um you know, someone I very close to the program who you know cares about me deeply told me um that limestone was closing. And uh kind of just talked through it quickly, uh called my wife, let her know, and then came to the office and uh you know met with these guys and told them. Um then the rest of you know, everybody kind of found out at two o'clock that day and you know had a quick talk with the guys and um not I mean and then went to practice.

SPEAKER_02 47:18

Still touchy subject, isn't it? That's that's yeah, I can hear it in your voice.

SPEAKER_08 47:23

Yeah, yeah. I mean it it means a lot to me, you know. Um hundred percent. You know, all these guys. It's uh yeah, I mean it it's it's uh it's terrible, you know what happened and uh the I mean, yeah, we can get into get into the whys and the hows and all that, but just to know that uh you know we weren't gonna be together anymore um is uh is the sad part.

SPEAKER_03 47:49

Yeah, Danny and I talked about this before you guys got on. When we've seen other teams leave to go to D1, like the Lemoines and the Mercy Hearst, you know, it it really bummed us out. We loved watching those teams. But when you have a team like Limestone not even moving up, but just closing and what it meant to D2. I'll say it again. Like, I I I don't know a program that first of all, you guys set the standard in the South. Period end of story. There's not another team. Danny and I joked about this before. When my son was a freshman at Wingate, I think that's when we found out Limestone was coming to the sack. And we're like, no, we can't have that. Damn, we can't have that. We're never gonna win the conference championship ever again with Limestone here. But what Limestone does is it raises all boats. It made Lenore Ryan, Wingate, Newberry, Anderson go down the line. All strive to be better. And I think that is a legacy that all of you should be proud of of what Limestone brought to the table.

SPEAKER_02 49:06

Yeah, you you were the team that everybody was striving to be. Whether you guys know that or not, or you might know it, or you might secretly, kind of secretly know that, but oh we know it.

SPEAKER_08 49:15

Oh, yeah. There you go. You know it.

SPEAKER_02 49:16

See, that's why you're the team that everybody loves to hate. But you know what? It's a it's good to have a team like that. I like having that team. You got the black guys, the black hats, and the white hats, you know, and the the cowboys and the Indians. And that's what makes this sport, I think. I, you know, you got you got the camaraderie, but you got the rivalries, and the rivalries like I see it in in PLL. Those guys still hate each other, and it goes back to high school and club, those guys, and they're playing in pros and they're still trying to take each other's heads off. But you guys set the bar, I believe, in the South. I think you guys were the team that everybody strived to be. Not so much Tampa, it was limestone because of your brand of ball, the speed, the excellence, the the ball movement, the defense, just everything that you guys did. You guys set the bar in the south. And it it's been fun to watch you guys. I mean, hey, we're playing limestone, it's a big game. I'm going. Like, I'm getting on the plane and going. You know what I mean? I'm not watching the stream. I'm gonna be at that game. And I was at the senior game that day, and uh Kendall was hanging out with mom and dad, got to meet them, had a really good time. I met a lot of good people that day. Uh uh, the Kesis and the Onagis and the Del Grosso's and just the list goes on. And they welcomed me with open arms. I was like, is this because of the podcast? Because I had my wing gate gear on, you know, and they were great. They brought me from the.

SPEAKER_03 50:46

You have no idea where they put in your drink, Danny.

SPEAKER_02 50:48

Your mom, your mom had high C's for me, and everything. That was awesome. That was great because I always talk about high C, you know. And uh, she had some high C's for me. I got pictures, and it was a great day, that senior day. And it was sad at the same time. Tell us, take us through that senior day coach story, huh?

SPEAKER_08 51:11

Uh I mean, honestly, it's all a blur. Kinda since we got the news, it kind of, you know, all we were doing was just trying to keep things together. Um you know, we we have an innate ability as a coaching staff to have a great time. Um and we just kind of tried to continue to have a great time. Um but you know, knowing it was everybody's possible last game on that field was uh, you know, it was I don't want to say it was stressful, but you know, there was certainly something in the air that night um that uh you know made it even more special. So I mean it was a great senior class, you know, uh Kendall, Shane played with those guys. Coach Malone, you know, was was all obviously with them for four years, and um, you know, Kevin and I were as well. So um it was kind of like that traditional senior class um for most of that staff. So it was special, great guys. Um, you know, and uh yeah, I mean it was just a a I don't want to say weird night, but it was, you know, it was it was strange, and the rest of the season was strange. So um, but we just tried to, you know, stay together as long as possible.

SPEAKER_02 52:26

You know, Spilkert told me, he goes, listen, if you're going down there, you gotta go to Daddy Joe's. So I said, you know what? It was a long morning. I was starving. I said, I'm going to Daddy Joe's before the game. So I stopped in Daddy Joe's. Who's in there? Chris Barrett, Ryan Ross. Yeah, they're like, Danny, come over and sit with us. I sat with them. We talked about Limestone Lacrosse, and we talked about the podcast. And man, two great guys right there that were big parts of the program as well. And they were really sad. They were really sad. Like you could see it in their faces. Like they didn't know what to say. They didn't like I remember Chris Barrett going, Well, what are they gonna do with all the trophies now? Like that are in the trophy box. Like, where's that stuff going? Like, he that's the way he was thinking. What do these kids do? What's going on with the beds and the stuff? Like, you know, he was thinking as a coach and like, you know, being a part of a of a program. And he was thinking along that way. And my my side was thinking, like, what are these poor guys gonna do now? These freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. You know, they they have to find a new place. And then, you know, I how stressful that must have been. Because, you know, especially a junior, you know, hey man, I'm going into my senior year, and you kind of have it all settled and ready to go, and then oh boom. So my my heart went out to the kids. My heart went out to the whole faculty, staff, everybody. I mean, I really did. As much as I'm a wing gate lover, I respect limestone and I know what it did for Division II. And I I've watched them play for a long time now. 2009 was the first time I saw Limestone play. And I was like, damn, that school, those guys are good, man. They played St. Leo. St. Leo, my son was a freshman on St. Leo, 2009. They won the Sunshine State Conference. They had all Americans up and down the field. They were good. They couldn't even clear the ball against you guys. I was like, they can't even clear the ball. I was like, limestone, where is this school? I was like, next thing you know, I'm like looking up limestone and just finding out the history of it. And I've been a fan of yours ever since. I mean, I just again, you set the bar.

SPEAKER_05 54:34

Well, Brendan had a big goal in that game. We were getting ready to pull him off the field because he wasn't riding. And the ball, ball came literally, ball came over the midfield line where then Brendan was subbing off. Like, Brendan, look up. And next thing you know, boom, it's a fast break. It's like it was like a like a four-on-two fast break going the other way. Brendan scores to tie it up. And then I think in that game that you're probably watching was at St. Leo, and we ran the clock out for there's like 95 degrees that day, and we ran the clock out with three minutes left with like a two-goal lead. So, yeah, Brendan Brendan scored to tie that one up, I think, in the uh late in the third, or maybe even the fourth.

SPEAKER_03 55:07

So I think we just need to bring back Coach Malone for his own show.

SPEAKER_08 55:13

If you guys want this to be a trifecta, Coach Malone is uh is a great person to add. He uh brings a lot to the table in all points of it.

SPEAKER_03 55:24

And then we we're always looking for guest analysts there, Coach, during the year. We may have to pull you in.

SPEAKER_05 55:30

Well, I'm currently still unemployed, so and I think my my coaching days are done. So uh I probably have a lot of free time playing playing dad to an 11-year-old and a six-year-old. So uh, you know, first day of school today. I got plenty of time on my hands. Yeah, but the trophies, the trophies are safe. They're in my storage unit in Gaffney, not the championship trophies. I got all the every other one. So all those all 44 whatever trophies that we have from conference championships in CAA are all in my storage unit still.

SPEAKER_03 55:57

So you can't you can't build an I Love Me wall. Your wife won't let you do that. Houses are big enough. Probably not big enough.

SPEAKER_05 56:04

We're in a big enough. We're in a three-bedroom townhome in Georgia, right outside of Atlanta. So uh, yeah, no. Uh I I tried to put shelves in the bedroom. That was a that was a no-go.

SPEAKER_03 56:15

Yeah. I love it. I love it. Well, I I I want to finish off with this story, Coach Storyer, because I've told it on the podcast, and you I don't know if you remember it. I think we had you on the podcast uh that year. You're just taking over as the I think you're just taking over as head coach at Limestone. You played Wingate in the Crown Classic. That was the year my my son was a senior. He had his uh he had had his knee blown out, so he was up in the booth filming. And that game went to overtime and wingate wins it. And I come down, you know, and you know at that stadium, right? You guys are below us on the on the stands, and I I yell out to you, hey Coach Storier, and you came over, you didn't know who I you didn't recognize me right off the bat, but you could tell I was wearing all Wingate crap, right? So you're like, oh, what's this gonna be? That's what I'm thinking it's going in your mind. And then you recognized me from the podcast and you had just lost the game. You put your hand out, shook my hand, smiled, and I said, Coach, that was a phenomenal game. And you said about the same. You talked to me for a few minutes. I think that exchange to me embodies what a limestone saint is. You play hard, you're there to win, but there's other things that are bigger. And you were very magnanimous, and I've said this several times on this podcast, and several times other people. I remember that story for what you did when you didn't need to after you had just lost a big game in the sack. And I first of all, I thank you for that, but I think that embodies what I think of the limestone program.

SPEAKER_08 57:57

I I hope I don't ruin that for you. I was probably looking hoping somebody was gonna try to fight me. Uh I was pretty upset. But uh, no, I mean, uh, you know, that was a great game. Uh Wingate was exceptional that year, like every year. Um, and I just remember after that game, um, because you know, it was a down year, you could say, the year before. I mean, they went 10 and 4, which doesn't seem like a down year, but um at limestone standards it is. And uh, you know, showing up to that venue to play Wingate, who's probably favored to win the conference that year and going to overtime, I knew um, you know, I knew we were gonna be pretty good. And uh, so I had to calm Coach Reesman down and say everything's gonna be all right. Um, and that uh as long as we keep playing hard like that, we'll we're gonna have a chance to beat everyone, uh anyone. So um, no, I and again, like one thing I tried to uh as a coach, you can't change who you are, win or lose. Um, you you gotta stay the same. You know, you can be upset, you can be mad, whatever. Um, but you gotta be the same person you are, win or lose. And uh I, you know, I I hope that uh the guys I worked with uh and the guys I coach, you know, kind of embody that the rest of their life.

SPEAKER_03 59:09

So I appreciate that. I'll just point out one other thing. That's the only time I'll ever be taller than you because I was up in the stands. So I I just want to say uh this has been phenomenal having all you all on. This is I I will tell you, I was telling my wife this tonight. Like, Danny and I haven't been doing the podcast. The last one was end of May, right? So we've had this nice break, been working hard at work. I get to these points where I was not even I wasn't even really looking forward to recording tonight because I was just tired from work. But you guys have re-energized me, and I'm all in. I'm all in for more podcasts because of you. So I really appreciate you all coming on tonight. It was phenomenal.

SPEAKER_08 59:53

Yeah, thank you. I appreciate you having us. Uh any anytime we can talk about uh the best place in the world. Um St.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:00

Bonaventure.

SPEAKER_08 1:00:02

The new best place. That one exists. So um, but uh that that'll be the new best place in the world. But um anytime we can talk about you know the this how special limestone is, and um I can see these guys uh you know, it is is a great time. And uh I appreciate everything that you guys do for you know, lacrosse, division two lacrosse, and you know, all your support throughout uh you know this situation that we endure.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:28

Yeah, two knuckleheads that never played the game, but just have a passion for it, you know, and started this podcast on a whim. And here we are, six sixth season, still doing it, and getting great guys like you guys to come on. And it's been a whirlwind, it's been fun. Um, I wish you guys nothing but success up at St. Bonaventure. Uh, it's kind of a special place to me uh from where I'm from. A lot of basketball players, Rockley Beach, a lot of hoops, big, big, big, big hoop town. And guys that I grew up with playing went to St. Bonaventure. Yeah, it's a great guy. And girls. And and it's just it's a special place for me. When I was a kid, I remember watching like St. Bonnie's playing on NBC on Saturdays and watching hoops and stuff in the winter times. And it's a special place to me. And I I think it's great that you're gonna go there. Um, I think it's uh the bodies are gonna be getting better pretty soon. Uh, I think it's you know, with what you bring to the table and get your recruits there and get going there, and uh, I don't think it's gonna be long before St. Bonaventure is gonna start making some noise.

SPEAKER_08 1:01:31

Yeah, it's a great uh great people here. You know, it reminds me a lot of limestone with everybody kind of pushing in the same direction for uh you know everybody to, you know, be good. And uh the the guys that I'm uh you know gonna be coaching, uh the guys I'm gonna be coaching with are uh great group of guys. So uh I can't wait to get going.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:51

Now, um, Kevin and uh Shane, what's your plans? What are you guys doing now?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:56

So I'm currently, I just started this uh this week on Monday, or excuse me, last week on Monday, uh working with the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Department. So I'm in the process uh right now in the pre-academy phase, going through that. So that is what I will be doing.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:11

Well, congratulations. Good job, Matt. All right, what about you, Shane?

SPEAKER_06 1:02:15

Uh currently uh still at school. I'm sending out more applications. Uh I'd like to be a nurse practitioner sometime in the future. So just sending applications to nursing schools and you know, getting that ball going.

SPEAKER_08 1:02:27

Coming to the Bonnie's. I need a goalie coach. I don't want to deal with those guys.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:31

I said no.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:34

And Kendall down in Mercer, wish you all the best and uh all your best to mom and dad. Um, great people. Um friends with your mom on Facebook. We go back and forth a little bit. It's great. It's been great. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:46

I I saw your brother Pete at the D2 showcase uh outside of Philly before he he absconded from Montevallo to go to St. Bonaventure.

SPEAKER_08 1:02:55

He was already at St. Bonaventure at that time.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:00

And Coach Malone, we need you back on the sidelines, kid. We need you back on the sidelines.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:04

I think Danny, guest analyst next year. I'm writing in my book right now.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:08

We're absolutely absolutely get him on next year for a guest analyst spot.

SPEAKER_07 1:03:13

He can pretend to be Devin Spilker. He does a great Devin Spilker.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:17

Yeah, you know, you guys are always away from my plus size modeling career, you know, I'll be able to uh see what I can do.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:31

See if you can fit us in. We'll we'll give you plenty of different uh windows of uh availability.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:36

Yeah, if I'm in France, I hope I have internet. There we go. There we go.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:39

Well, thanks again, guys. It's been awesome. Thank you.

SPEAKER_05 1:03:42

Thanks, guys.

SPEAKER_08 1:03:43

Thanks, appreciate it, guys. Good luck, whatever.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:47

I can't think, Danny, of a better midsummer podcast guests than those limestone coaches in this episode could be. I mean, I just had way too much fun.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:00

Oh, that was great. First of all, Coach Malone's hysterical. Yeah, I didn't realize he would he should be doing stand-up comedy. Um, great, great interview tonight. Um, I'm so thankful those guys could come on to the show. Again, we're gonna miss Limestone. I know you're gonna miss them, I'm gonna miss him. Yeah, I don't think a lot of players in Division II are gonna miss them. I know that there's no coach in Division II gonna miss them. You know, there's a lot of coaches that saying, damn, I'm glad they're gone.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:30

Except to sharpen the irons.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:33

Yeah, yeah. It's a shame. Again, you know, a lot of schools closed in the last 10, 12 years. It's I guess it's part of it, you know, of and and division two has a lot of small schools, and I guess finances are a problem uh at small schools. Um, I've just read recently that uh college enrollment has been down in the last four or five years since COVID, really. Um it's just kids aren't going to school, they're staying close to home, or they're going online, or they're going into the trades, Kev. Yeah. You know, they're going into the electrical trades and stuff like that. So uh I'm gonna miss Limestone. I wish Coach Storier and his assistants all the best in the world. I really do. The Collins family, great Division II family. Um, we have a lot in common. Yeah, we have a lot in common, the Collins family and myself. We're both Mrs. Collins and I are both the same age. We have three boys, all played Division II, all did some coaching, and you know, so have a lot in common with the Collins, which is very cool. Uh just a great, great interview tonight, and it was you know what it was worth the wait a couple of weeks in the summer to have this show tonight.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:48

I I agree. I talked to Coach about this shortly after uh after the season ended. He said, you know, I I just couldn't do it when we originally wanted to do it. He definitely wanted to do it. It just you you could hear it in his voice when you asked about that day. It is still raw. There's raw emotion, and um you saw it on the faces of those other guys.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:10

No, you saw it. I mean, we're on Zoom, so people can't see their faces, but you can see these coaches there, they're upset about it. They're they're definitely sad about it. You know, they're gonna move on, and life life is like that, Kev. Sometimes you hit uh hit a wall, and you gotta navigate yourself around that wall and and and move over that speed bump and get to the next part of your life. And I think they're doing that seamlessly, it seems that they're doing it very seamlessly. And again, I wish them all the best of luck. I remember Coach Storrier walking us around Limestone when Sean was getting recruited, and he was an assistant, and he was very cool and very nice, and walked us around the whole campus, and I'll never forget that day. And they played Pfeiffer that afternoon in the pouring rain of Pfeiffer's another school that's yeah out of Division II. So kind of fit the whole uh mold of what we were doing tonight schools closing and moving on.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:09

It was uh a fun time to get together, Danny, and talk about D2 Lacrosse and the legacy and the tribute to those schools and especially limestone. And I think with that, Danny, that's a wrap. That's a wrap, Debbie.