Men's Lacrosse

Coach Jim Berkman is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA Division III men's lacrosse history as he begins his 20th season at the helm for top-ranked and defending national champion Salisbury University. Berkman has compiled a 299-30 record at SU through 19 seasons and will enter the '08 season with a chance to break the all-time wins mark in NCAA men's lacrosse history (326 wins). His total career record entering the '08 season is 308-35 (90 percent winning percentage) as he spent one successful season at Potsdam State.

Recognized and respected throughout the lacrosse community as one of the top coaches in the nation, Berkman guided the Sea Gulls to the most successful men's lacrosse season in NCAA history in 2007. Salisbury went undefeated for the fifth time in Berkman's career en route to the program's seventh national championship. The Sea Gulls set a new NCAA record with 23 wins and broke the national marks for goals (417), assists (271) and points (688). The old goals, assists and points records were held by the 1995 Salisbury team that played six less games.

Under Coach Berkman, the Sea Gulls have never lost a Capital Athletic Conference game since it joined the league in 1995. Salisbury has won 13 consecutive CAC championships and totes a 90-0 conference record (including CAC tournament games).

Salisbury enters the '08 campaign with several national winning streaks in tact. SU has not lost a regular-season game in five years (62 straight games) and are 60-0 at home since April 10, 2003. SU also will bring a 23-game winning streak into the '08 season. During Salisbury's three consecutive national championships, the Sea Gulls piled up a NCAA lacrosse record 69-game win streak (2003-06).

SU has won four of the last five USILA National Division III Player of the Year awards. Last season, the Sea Gull won five of the seven Division III national position player of the year awards. Those honorees included Chase Caruso (Player and Long-Stick Midfielder of the Year), Kylor Berkman (Midfielder of the Year), Luis Gonzalez (Specialist of the Year) and Chris Heier (Defenseman of the Year). In Berkman's reign he has coached seven national players of the year and 31 national position players of the year.

The Sea Gulls added to their tradition and history as they tied a program record in '07 with 11 All-Americans. SU placed six on the first team, one each on the second and third team and three honorable mention All-Americans. In Berkman's tenure he has coached 132 All-Americans.

The maroon and gold has been in 19 consecutive NCAA tournaments since Berkman's arrival and won national championships in 1994, '95, '99, 2003, '04, '05 and '07. Salisbury has made 10 national championship game appearances under Berkman and advanced to the national semifinals 13 times. Berkman's undefeated seasons at SU were 1994, '95, '04, '05 and '07.

Berkman won his first national championship in 1994 with a win over Hobart College in College Park, MD. Salisbury went 16-0 that season as the Sea Gulls became the first undefeated national champion in the history of the NCAA Division III championships. The following year, Berkman and the Gulls repeated as national champions as they finished the '95 season 17-0.

In recognition of his outstanding resume, Berkman has been recognized as the CAC Coach of the Year six times ('96, '02, '03, '05, '06, '07) and was the recipient of the Francis "Babe" Kraus award in '91 as the Division III National Coach of the Year.

An All-American midfielder at St. Lawrence (NY) University in '82, Berkman came to Salisbury after serving as the assistant lacrosse coach and head basketball and junior varsity soccer coach for three seasons at his alma mater. The Watertown, NY, native, starred on the basketball team as well as the lacrosse squad at St. Lawrence, earning MVP honors in basketball as both a junior and senior. He also was selected to play in the prestigious North-South All-Star lacrosse game in 1982. Berkman was inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001.

After graduating from St. Lawrence in 1982, Berkman spent two years at Salisbury University while he earned his master's degree. He served as the Gulls' assistant lacrosse coach during those two seasons as SU compiled a 23-7 record. Following one season at Potsdam State, where Berkman coached the lacrosse squad to a school-record nine wins, he returned to St. Lawrence from 1985-88. As head basketball coach, Berkman directed his '87-88 St. Lawrence team to the ICAC league championship.

Berkman currently resides in Salisbury, MD, with his wife Jennifer, who is the director of SU Student Health Services. Their son Kylor is a junior on the men's lacrosse team and daughter Keli is a senior at James M. Bennett and will play women's lacrosse at Mount St. Mary's next year.