ANNAPOLIS, Md. – University of Denver men's lacrosse assistant coach John Orsen has been announced as the new top assistant at Navy, Midshipmen head coach Joe Amplo announced on Thursday.
 
"I have been honored to coach under Bill Tierney for the past five years at Denver," Orsen said. "I am so thankful to him, Matt Brown and the entire staff and administration at the University of Denver for their guidance and support during my time there. I feel incredibly grateful to have worked within an athletic department that consistently produces excellence. I take with me knowledge, relationships and a winning culture which will undoubtedly provide me an even greater foundation for the next chapter in my coaching career." 
 
The 2006 Hofstra graduate will rejoin Amplo, who he helped start Marquette's men's lacrosse program with prior to joining the Pioneers. Orsen spent five seasons with Denver, helping guide the program to a 66-18 record during his tenure.
 
Denver became the first program west of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to win a National Championship in Orsen's first year with the program in 2015. Denver's defense ranked 12^th in the country in his first season, holding three of its four NCAA Tournament opponents to 10 goals or less, including limiting Maryland to five tallies in the final.
 
"John Orsen gave us five great years here at the University of Denver, helping us win a Championship, go to two Final Fours and three Quarterfinals and win five league championships," head coach Bill Tierney said. "He helped us recruit great student-athletes to fit his defense, and most of all, he allowed me to be a head coach when he took over the entire defense like Matt Brown runs the offense. We are so happy for John and are thrilled for him for his next opportunity at Navy. John, Leigh Ann and Emma will always be Pioneers and we wish them the best in this next chapter of their lives together."
 
The Pioneers have finished in the top-five in scoring defense in each of the last two seasons, recording the third-best goals against average in 2018 (7.88) before keeping the fifth-best goals against average in 2019 (9.33).
 
Denver was 45-2 under Orsen when holding its opponents to under 10 goals. The Crimson and Gold help opponents to single digits in six-straight games during its 2015 championship season. Orsen's defense also kept the program's first shutout since 1971 (2/26/17 vs. Canisius) and held Notre Dame to four tallies in the 2017 NCAA Quarterfinals, the best defensive performance for the Pioneers in their NCAA Tournament history.
 
Orsen coached four-time All-American selection Christian Burgdorf to his first-ever first team award from the USILA. Burgdorf was drafted by the Atlanta Blaze in the 2017 MLL Collegiate Draft. In his fourth year, Orsen once again coached faceoff specialist Trevor Baptiste who earned his fourth-straight USILA First Team award, the sixth player in the history of the award to earn First Team All-America honors in all four collegiate seasons.
 
As a player, Orsen transitioned from attack to defense while at Hofstra, earning a spot on the USILA All-America Honorable Mention squad in his final collegiate campaign. In that 2006 season, Orsen and the Pride reached the NCAA Quarterfinals after a 14-8 win over Providence in the first round. Orsen captained his club in both his junior and senior seasons, leading the team to a 17-2 mark in 2006, and earning First Team All-CAA honors.
 
Professionally, Orsen was picked in the fourth round in the MLL Draft by the Long Island Lizards. Later in his MLL career, Orsen played for and won the league championship with the Chesapeake Bayhawks in 2012. Orsen was also selected by the New York Titans of the NLL for the indoor season. In addition, Orsen suited up for Team USA in 2011 at the FIL World Indoor Championships in Prague, and played for the Colorado Mammoth from 2011-13.
 
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