Having a great coaching staff can provide a lift for any team. The obvious reason is that they get the most from their players. Another reason — although it may be overlooked — is their ability to recruit top talent. The mere presence of NYIT men’s lacrosse Head Coach, Bill Dunn, who is in his fifth year at the helm, was able to reel in one of the Long Island’s top goalies from last season, Alex Seltzer.
“When I saw how strong of a person Coach Dunn was, having dealt with Hurricane Sandy, I knew this was the right choice for me,” said the Plainview native. “This school is much more personable than some of the others.”
The NYIT lacrosse program is proud to have a player of Seltzer’s acumen, who has already been named ECC Goalkeeper of the Week twice on the young season.
He recently led the Bears to a victory over Chestnut Hill. He recorded 10 saves in the contest, with a 71.4 save percentage. He surrendered just four goals and caused one turnover in the game.
Having a stable goalie is a necessity for any team with playoff aspirations and the Bears have found that in Seltzer, an All-County player in 2013. He has made a smooth transition to the collegiate level, not an easy task coming straight out of high school.
“I’ve put in a lot of work,” said Seltzer. “The coaches have helped me a lot.”
The coaching staff also consists of Karl Hedstrom, who also had an impact on Seltzer’s decision to become a Bear.
“One of my friends told me Hedstrom was one of the best coaches around,” he said.
Seltzer noted that the coaches told him it is rare for a freshman goalie to come in and accrue playing time right away.
“I’ve gotten a lot of help from my teammates,” he said.
The 6’3” goalie acknowledged that the college game is more of a challenge than last year’s competition he saw at high school.
“The players are older and stronger,” he said. “You sort of weed out the weaker ones.”
Fortunately, the Bears have one of the stronger goalies in the conference. He had led the Bears to three straight wins and has his aspirations set for the long-run.
“I just want to make the playoffs and make everyone proud,” he said. The Bears will certainly have a good shot if they continue to play as well as they have.
Seltzer is a criminal justice major who is undecided on his career path. He said, “there is still a lot to work on” before he can think of playing lacrosse at the next level. In the meantime, he will focus on winning games for the Bears, and trying to advance further in the playoffs than last season.
The Bears are coming off a 12-3 season in 2013. They’re dreams were cut short in the first-round of the NCAA Division-II tournament to Adelphi by the score of 14-11.
