Men’s lacrosse returns to Mercyhurst North East after about three years without a team.

“We last fielded a team in the spring of 2013,” said Brian Dewey, Mercyhurst North East director of athletics.

The lacrosse team struggled to regain momentum after the spring of 2013 but multiple issues led to its eventual suspension.

“When I became the director of athletics in June of 2014, there were only five players enrolled and we didn’t have a coach at that time,” Dewey said.

The Mercyhurst North East Saints looked to add another sport for the 2016-2017 school year.

“We are challenged with lack of facilities on our campus so we could not add another fall sport,” Dewey said.

Erie weather can take a large toll on campus sports teams. However, Dewey does not foresee the reopening of lacrosse to be a major problem for indoor facilities.

“The biggest impact in that aspect will be in the winter months. Our campus has plenty of outdoor space once the weather warms up,” Dewey said.

Overall, the campus felt a spring sport would best serve the campus, which is where the idea for bringing lacrosse back came from.

“While looking at adding a new sport to our campus, we felt a spring sport made the most sense because we only have baseball, softball, and golf in the spring,” Dewey said.

Eric Miccio has both playing and coaching experience in lacrosse and will be the new lacrosse coach at North East.

“Coach Miccio played at both a junior college and a four-year lacrosse team, so he will be able to identify with his players and show them a blueprint on how to become successful,” Dewey said.

Recruiting for the new team is already underway.

“I can also tell you he [Miccio] has done a lot of recruiting in his two weeks so far, so it’s apparent he is very driven and determined,” Dewey said.

Miccio will be working hard and quickly to prepare for this upcoming season, which will begin spring of 2017.