Lacrosse | Coaches and Roster

Thomas Alford, Assistant Varsity Coach

Thomas Alford is back for his 11th season. A graduate of St. Albans School, Coach Alford played lacrosse for the University of Maryland from 2003 to 2007. At St. Albans, Coach Alford was a captain of both the football and lacrosse teams and received Honorable Mention All-Met and All-IAC awards. While at Maryland, his teams won back-to-back ACC titles and made Final Four appearances in 2004 and 2005. Alford was also on the Dean’s List for seven consecutive semesters, and was named to the All-ACC Academic Team three years in a row. Alford, who earned his MBA from Johns Hopkins University, works for a tech startup and enjoys volunteering for local non-profits such as So Others Might Eat and Collegiate Directions. At Gonzaga, Coach Alford works with the middies and offense, and on face-offs, and man-up.

Neil Alt, Assistant Varsity Coach

Neil is entering is third season with the Gonzaga Varsity Men’s Lacrosse team after co-chairing the Gonzaga Lacrosse Booster Club the last two seasons and assisting in the off-season the last four years. Neil is a native of Baltimore where he was a High School All-American, Co-Captain and a member of the 1983 undefeated Maryland state championship at Dulaney High School. Neil was a four (4) year letter winner at Syracuse University participating in four (4) final-four teams and was a Co-Captain his senior year on the 1988 undefeated national championship team. Neil has been coaching youth lacrosse in the DC area since 1990 including St. Peter’s, Bethesda, Great Falls and as a founding member of Club Blue. He has served on the Boards of WINNERs Lacrosse, US Lacrosse – Potomac Chapter and the Tewaaraton Foundation. Neil was inducted into the US Lacrosse – Potomac Chapter Hall of Fame in 2015. Neil is a managing director at Lincoln Property Company and lives in Bethesda with his wife Maura and two children, Maggie (Georgetown Visitation ’14 and Santa Clara University ’18) and Brendan (Gonzaga ’17 and Marquette University ’21) – both playing lacrosse in college.

Andrew Battaile ‘90, Assistant Varsity Coach

Coach Battaile is in now in his 21st year of coaching lacrosse at Gonzaga, including two years as the Head JV Purple coach. He specializes in goalies and defense and brings many years of coaching experience from all levels. A 1990 graduate of Gonzaga, Coach Battaile lettered in football, rugby, and lacrosse before going on to Georgetown University, where he played club lacrosse and rugby. He graduated from Georgetown with honors in 1994 with a major in English and a minor in History. Coach Battaile is Gonzaga’s Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid and also is a Co-Director of the Purple Eagle Lacrosse Camp. He was named the 2010 US Lacrosse Potomac Chapter Assistant Coach of the Year. He lives with his wife and two children in Hyattsville.

Conor Catliota '03, Head Freshman Coach

This is Coach Catliota's 13th year of coaching with the Gonzaga Lacrosse Program and ninth as the Head Freshman Coach. Last year, Coach Catliota led the Freshman Eagles to a 10-3 record (he has recorded two undefeated seasons in nine years as head coach). His overall coaching record is an outstanding 105-25. Nine years ago Conor worked with our JV offense guiding the Eagles to a 21-7 record over a two-year span. Coach Catliota graduated from Gonzaga in 2003, lettering in lacrosse and ice hockey. On the field, he played attack for three years on varsity for the Eagles. While attending Dickinson College, he played one year of varsity lacrosse, one year of club lacrosse, and two years of club ice hockey. During his senior year, Conor was the Co-Founder and Vice-President of Dickinson's club lacrosse team. He graduated in 2007 with a major in Law and Policy and currently lives with his wife Natalie in Washington, DC.

Nick Hayman ‘96, Assistant Varsity Coach

Nick Hayman ’96 enters his 13th year coaching on Eye Street. When Coach Hayman played at Gonzaga, he was a varsity starter at attack. After graduation, he played for one year at Bridgton Academy before going on to play Division I lacrosse at Boston College, where he played midfield as a sophomore and junior, and attack as a senior. He graduated in 2001 with a degree in economics. Nick has also served as the head coach for Fort Hunt (U 15) in the NVYLL. He and his wife, Kim, and their three children live in Northwest DC. At Gonzaga, Coach Hayman works with middies and runs the box on the sideline.

Jeff King, Defensive Coordinator

A Long Island native, Coach King graduated from MacArthur High School in 2002 where he played football, basketball, and lacrosse. During his senior year he received All-County honors in football and was named an Honorable Mention All American in lacrosse. At Lehigh University, King served as captain of the lacrosse team for three years. He was a three-time All-Patriot League selection at defense and was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year in the Patriot League in 2006. He was also voted Athlete of the Year for two consecutive years by his teammates and received the Outstanding Leadership Award by the Lehigh Athletics Department. This spring, Coach King will enter his 11th year full time with the varsity as the defensive coordinator. An architect, he works for The Clark Construction Group and lives in Alexandria with his wife, Geneva.

John Lewis '06, Assistant JV Coach

Gonzaga Lacrosse is excited to have Coach Lewis back for his second season. John played under then Asst. Coach Casey O'Neill for two years before playing D1 for St. Joseph's University. While at Gonzaga, John lettered in both Lacrosse and Swimming falling short twice on the lacrosse field but winning 7 championships in the pool. Coach Lewis will be assisting with the JV team handling the offense. Before joining Gonzaga, Coach Lewis volunteered for the inner city lacrosse program, WINNERS Lacrosse and coached various youth programs both here and in Denver, Colorado. John lives and works in Old Town, Alexandria as an independent insurance broker for Holden and Company Insurance.

Jimmy McGinnis '08, Assistant Freshman Coach

This will be Coach McGinnis’s third year coaching Gonzaga Lacrosse after moving back to the area from Denver, Colorado. Coach McGinnis graduated from Gonzaga in 2008, lettering in lacrosse for three years and serving as co-captain his senior year. On the field, he played defense for three years on varsity for the Eagles. He attended Virginia Wesleyan University and was a four year starter at defense for the Marlins. He graduated in 2012 with a B.A. in Facility Management and currently works as a realtor for Coakley Realty in Rockville, MD. Coach McGinnis lives in College Park, Maryland.

Jesse Miller, Assistant Varsity Coach

Before joining Gonzaga’s lacrosse coaching staff, Miller coached at both Georgetown and Tufts. He’s also the co-founder of Be The Best Lacrosse, an online instructional video series. A four-year letter winner at Tufts, Miller earned a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering in 2004, a masters degree in chemical engineering in 2006, and currently works for the Environmental Protection Agency. As a college player, Miller helped lead the Jumbos to a No. 10 national ranking during his senior year. In 2004, Miller was selected to play in the North-South All-Star Game, and earned an honorable mention All-New England selection. At Gonzaga, Coach Miller helps run the offense, man-up and coach the attack, middies, and lsm's.

Dave Redmond, Assistant JV Coach

Gonzaga Lacrosse is excited to have Coach Redmond back for his third stint with the program. David is a product of Long Island lacrosse. He played at Garden City High School (Class 1974) and went on to play at Cortland College (Class 1978). Coach Redmond was a member of the coaching staff of the first Gonzaga lacrosse team to win the WCAC championship (1992) and of the Gonzaga 2003, 2004, 2005 varsity lacrosse teams. Coach Redmond is a founder of Great Falls Youth Lacrosse and served on the Board of Directors as Vice President. He also volunteered as an assistant coach of the varsity boy’s lacrosse teams at Episcopal High School and Langley High School. David and his wife Barbara Redmond have been married for thirty-six years and have four children and two grandchildren. Their son Jack was named all WCAC three times while playing lacrosse for Gonzaga.

Tommy Rothert, Assistant Varsity Coach

Tommy Rothert comes to Gonzaga from Walt Whitman High School where he was the Head Varsity Lacrosse Coach for the past five years. Before becoming the Head Coach Rothert served as the Defensive Coordinator at Whitman for two years. Coach Rothert played lacrosse at University of Maryland where he graduated in 2012. He grew up in Germantown, MD where he played both football and lacrosse at Seneca Valley High School earning all-county and all-met honors in both sports. Outside Gonzaga, Coach Rothert also coaches lacrosse for Bethesda Lacrosse Club and DC Express. Tommy works as the Sales Manager at Nauticon Information Systems. He and his wife, Emily, and their son, Rhoads, in Silver Spring, MD.

John Schlegel ‘01, Assistant Varsity Coach

Coach Schlegel graduated from Gonzaga in 2001, where he played varsity attack for three years and was captain as a senior. When he graduated, he was the all-time leader in goals. Coach Schlegel went on to Ohio Wesleyan where he was a two-year captain, three-time All-American, and two-time NCAC player of the year. John ranks third all time in goals and fifth all time in points at OWU. He played in the prestigious North/South All-star game and was drafted by Major League Lacrosse’s Chicago Machine (now Ohio Machine) after graduation. John works for Transwestern Commercial Services as an Executive Vice President, and is Co-Chair of the Advocacy Advisory Group. He and his wife, Carrie, and their two children live in Chevy Chase, MD. Coach Schlegel works with both the attack and offense.

Cam Tough, Assistant Freshman Coach

This will be Coach Tough's first year coaching Gonzaga Lacrosse after coaching six seasons (2 years as a head coach) for the varsity program at Conestoga Valley High School in Lancaster, PA. Coach Tough graduated from Conestoga Valley in 2009, lettering in lacrosse for four years and two years with football. He served as co-captain his junior and senior year for lacrosse. He was named MVP his senior year. On the field, he played attack and midfield. He attended Eastern University where he played midfield. He graduated in 2013 with a B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Astronomy and currently works as a Scientist/Data Reviewer for Eurofins. Coach Tough lives in Washington, D.C. with his wife.

Shane Twomey, Assistant Varsity Coach

Shane Twomey is back for his seventh season on Eye Street. Coach Twomey played Division III lacrosse at Virginia Wesleyan, where he was a three-time captain, team MVP, and all-conference selection as goalie. After college, he played professional lacrosse for the National Lacrosse League’s Baltimore Thunder and Washington Power as well as for Major League Lacrosse’s New Jersey Pride. From 1994-2002 he also played for Maryland Lacrosse Club and Capital Lacrosse Club. He’s won many awards and accolades, including the Krongard Award by US Lacrosse and induction into the National Hall of Fame. He lives in Reston with his wife, Beth, and four sons. At Gonzaga, Coach Twomey works with the goalies and defense.

Sarah Washington, Assistant Varsity Coach

Sarah Washington enters her first year of working with the Gonzaga lacrosse team. Sarah, a mathematics teacher here at Gonzaga, has recently joined the Eagle family after earning her masters in secondary mathematics education and bachelors in mathematics from Catholic University. At Catholic, Sarah played attack and midfield for the Cardinals where she and her teammates earned four Conference Championships and went on to play in the NCAA playoff tournament four years in a row. Sarah attended high school at Annapolis Senior High School, where she earned Varsity letters in four different sports including lacrosse, field hockey, indoor track and volleyball. Sarah is excited to begin her coaching career with the Eagles and continue learning all about the game of lacrosse.

Sean Whitcomb '12, Head JV Coach

Sean Whitcomb graduated from Gonzaga in 2012. He won 3 WCAC Championships, was a 3x All-WCAC selection, and was elected captain of the Varsity team his Junior and Senior seasons. Coach Whitcomb scored the most memorable goal in program history during the 2010 WCAC Championship game in overtime to defeat DeMatha and secure the programs first league championship in 12 years. Sean finished his career with over 150 points and went on to play Division 1 lacrosse at Mount St. Mary’s University for a year and half, until injuries forced him to walk away from the game. Sean then put his efforts towards coaching. He has been doing private lessons for players all over the DMV area for the past 4 years. He also coached at Good Counsel during the 2016 season and Friends School of Baltimore during the 2018 season. Coach Whitcomb has a degree in Sport Management from Towson University. He led the JV Eagles to an 11-2 record in his first year as head coach in 2019.

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Casey O'Neill '96, Head Coach

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