Embrace the Journey: Schimoler, Former Saint Michael's Coach, Inducted into National Lacrosse Hall of Fame

Embrace the Journey: Schimoler, Former Saint Michael's Coach, Inducted into National Lacrosse Hall of Fame
Posted: May 23, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Paul Schimoler Part of the Class of 2019.

COLCHESTER, Vt. - Long-time Saint Michael's College men's lacrosse head coach Paul Schimoler was selected for the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame on Wednesday, thanks in part to a legendary goalkeeping career at Cornell University. The Hall's nine-person Class of 2019 will be inducted on Oct. 19 at The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Md. Tickets for the event will be available beginning on Aug. 1 at uslacrosse.org/HOF.

During his eight years guiding the Purple Knights, between 2004 and 2011, Schimoler put together a school-record 61 wins. His squads reached the Northeast 10 Conference Championship six times, advancing as far as the semifinals on four occasions. In his final campaign, Saint Michael's was 10-6 overall and 8-2 in the NE10 while losing only 8-7 in a league semifinal to Adelphi University, the eventual NE10 champ and national runner-up. Schimoler and that group of student-athletes laid the foundation for the Purple Knights to go a combined 22-10 overall and 15-6 in conference play the next two campaigns combined, with two more semifinal appearances.

The 2011 New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) Coach of the Year in his final season at the College, Schimoler joined the Dartmouth College coaching staff as an assistant in 2012. He also was on the coaching staff at his alma mater and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) at different points.

Schimoler passed away on Feb. 15, 2013, following a short battle with cancer, but his memory lives on in the Saint Michael's men's lacrosse program through the Coach Paul Schimoler Player of the Year Award, presented annually since 2013 to an exemplary member of the program that displays leadership and commitment as exemplified by Schimoler, and which has been made possible thanks to the generosity of men's lacrosse alumnus David Dillmeier '91.

In his playing days, Schimoler was a four-time All-America goalkeeper at Cornell - the program's first four-time All-America pick - and landed All-Ivy League laurels each season. He was the Ivy Player of the Year as a senior in 1989, and helped the Big Red to national runner-up finishes as a sophomore and junior, as well as an Ivy title in 1987. Schimoler posted a career .636 save percentage with 787 saves, 299 ground balls and a 38-17 record. He stood fourth in NCAA Division I history in career saves upon his graduation and was still 15th entering the 2019 season. Schimoler's 85 stops in four games during the 1988 NCAA Tournament remain the national mark.

Schimoler enjoyed an eight-year post-collegiate club career, and was the USCLA's Player of the Year (North) in 1990. He played for the U.S. National Team during the 1990 and 1994 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Lacrosse Championships, winning gold both times. Schimoler was later selected by the Boston Cannons in the 2001 Major League Lacrosse Supplemental Draft.

The National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, a program of US Lacrosse, was established in 1957 to honor men and women who by their deeds as players, coaches, officials and/or contributors, and by the example of their lives, personify the great contribution of lacrosse to our way of life. Visit uslacrosse.org for more information about the induction Class of 2019.

-Release provided by Saint Michael's athletic communications staff-

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete. 

Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.