Aug. 9, 2006

BALTIMORE, MD -- Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse coach Dave Pietramala announced today that Bill Dwan, an assistant coach at Hopkins for the last six years, has been promoted to associate head coach, while Bobby Benson joins the staff as the team's assistant coach/offensive coordinator. The promotion of Dwan and the hiring of Benson come on the heels of former associate head coach/offensive coordinator Seth Tierney being named the head coach at Hofstra University.

"The promotion of Bill Dwan to Associate Head Lacrosse Coach is something we were very excited to do," said Coach Pietramala. "Coach Dwan has quietly played an integral role in the success of our team over the last six years. His knowledge of the game and relationships with the players have been and will continue to be crucial to our program's success."

Dwan joined the Blue Jay coaching staff prior to the 2001 season and has been an instrumental part of the success the team has enjoyed over the last six years. Dwan's efforts on the defensive end of the field and with the team's video scouting and recruiting efforts have gone largely unnoticed by those not close to the program. He will continue to handle those responsibilities in his new position, but will take on more responsibility in the overall defensive game-planning and man-down efforts. He will also take on an expanded role in recruiting and will take on some of the day-to-day operations that Tierney handled, including many of the team's community service initiatives.

"I am excited about the opportunity that Coach Pietramala has given me," Dwan said. "And I'm looking forward to the challenges of the upcoming season."

A 1991 Johns Hopkins graduate, Dwan has helped the Blue Jays to six straight berths in the NCAA Tournament, four appearances in the final four and the 2005 national championship. He earned All-America honors three times during his career at Homewood and helped the Blue Jays to a national runner-up finish as a sophomore in 1989. He served as a team captain as a senior and completed a stint as an assistant coach at nearby Loyola College.

Benson, a 2003 Johns Hopkins graduate, returns to Homewood after coaching stints at nearby UMBC and Loyola. He served as the offensive coordinator at UMBC in 2004 and 2005 and helped the Retrievers rank among the national leaders in extra-man offense. He moved to Loyola last January and the Greyhounds promptly led the nation in extra-man offense with 24 goals on 43 attempts (.558).

"We're thrilled to welcome Bobby Benson home," Coach Pietramala said. "Not only is Bobby a wonderful person, he has an outstanding and innovative mind for offense, a tremendous passion for Johns Hopkins and a relentless attitude when it comes to recruiting."

Benson inherits an offensive unit that will be among the most experienced in the nation next season as the Blue Jays return their top three scorers and 16 of the 17 players who registered a point during the 2006 season. Included are First Team All-America midfielder Paul Rabil (25, 13a) and Third Team All-America attackman Kevin Huntley (30g, 6a).

A three-time All-American during his career at Hopkins (2000-03), Benson finished his career at Homewood ranked sixth all-time in goals scored (124) and 14th in career points (167). He is one of just two players in school history to lead the team in goals four straight years and helped the Blue Jays to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, three trips to the final four and one national runner-up finish (2003). He played his final three seasons at Johns Hopkins under Pietramala and worked closely with Tierney in building a unit that led the nation in scoring and extra-man offense during his senior year.

Pietramala also announced that Dave Allan will return to the Blue Jay coaching staff for a third year in 2007. Allan, who joined the program in 2005 as the team's volunteer assistant, will work closely with Benson in running the offense and will also continue to work with the team's goalies and faceoff specialists.

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