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Our Coaches

Mark Miyashita

Canisius Hall-of-Fame inductee Mark Miyashita '03 was named head coach of the Golden Griffins Men's Lacrosse program in August 2017.
 
A native of Richmond, British Columbia, Miyashita is the fourth coach in program history.  
 
In his first two seasons back on Main Street, Miyashita has led the Golden Griffins to 16 wins and back-to-back appearances in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Men's Lacrosse Championship.
 
He guided Canisius to the 2018 MAAC title in his first season at the helm, where the Griffs recorded a pair of thrilling overtime victories against top seeds Quinnipiac and Detroit Mercy on their way to securing their third league title in program history.
 
The 2019 campaign saw Miyashita mentor a young Griffs squad to an 8-8 overall record that included victories over nationally-ranked Colgate and eventual NEC Champion Robert Morris.
 
Freshman Jacob Buck was named MAAC Rookie of the Year, highlighting an awards haul that saw the Griffs match their program record for a second straight season as nine Canisius student-athletes garnered all-conference or all-rookie distinction for their play during the regular season. 

In his first season as head coach of his alma mater, Miyashita guided Canisius to its highest win total in 10 seasons, culminating in the program's thrilling victory at the 2018 MAAC Championship.
 
Attackman Connor Kearnan put together one of the finest individual seasons in program history as he was named the MAAC Offensive Player of the Year, MAAC Championship Most Valuable Player, Inside Lacrosse Media Honorable Mention All-American and USILA Scholar All-American. Kearnan was also an All-MAAC First Team selection, one of a record nine Griffs to earn all-conference accolades for their efforts during the 2018 campaign.  
 
In addition to his duties with the Griffs, Miyashita gained valuable coaching experience in the summer of 2018 when he served as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the FIL World Championship. Working with fellow Canisius Hall of Famer and Team Canada head coach Randy Mearns, Miyashita helped guide the Red and White to a second-place finish at the 46-team event held in Netayna, Israel.

Miyashita returned to Canisius after four seasons as an assistant coach at Sacred Heart University, helping the team advance twice to the Northeast Conference Tournament. Serving as the Pioneers' offensive and recruiting coordinator, Miyashita built and orchestrated a Sacred Heart attack that ranked second in the NEC in scoring offense (11.33 goals/game) and featured four of the top-10 players in the league in points per game in 2017. He also played a key role in the program's improvement in the classroom as the team's cumulative GPA rose more than a quarter of a point during his time with the Pioneers.
 
A member of the Canisius Hall of Fame class of 2013, Miyashita appeared in 42 games during his four seasons with the Blue and Gold, finishing his career ranked among the program�?�¢??s career leaders in points (145/7th), assists (74/8th) and goals (71/15th). A three-time captain, Miyashita led the Griffs in points in both 2000 and 2003, two seasons where he also earned All-MAAC First Team honors. The school�?�¢??s all-time leader in career faceoff percentage (.593) and ground balls (329), he led the nation in ground balls per game in 2000 with 10.69, a number that still ranks second-best in NCAA history to this day. He ended his career with 7.83 ground balls per game, a number that currently ranks eighth all-time in NCAA men�?�¢??s lacrosse history.
 
The first overall pick of the Vancouver Ravens in the 2003 National Lacrosse League Draft, Miyashita played five seasons for Vancouver, Colorado and Minnesota. He finished with 17 goals and 41 assists in 46 career games played while also contributing 421 faceoff wins and 324 loose balls. Miyashita was also the top overall pick of the Maple Ridge Burrards of the Western Lacrosse Association in 2003, helping guide the team to back-to-pack postseason appearances in 2004 and 2005.
 
Miyashita began his coaching career as the head coach at Castle View High School in Castle Rock, Colo., where he founded the lacrosse program when the school first opened in 2006. A two-time Douglas County Lacrosse League Coach of the Year selection, Miyashita led Castle Rock to its first league title in 2012. He coached multiple All-American and All-League players while also placing numerous players with various college programs at the Division I, II and III levels.
 
In addition to his work at the collegiate and high school levels, Miyashita has also been active at the club level, working with Xcelerate Lacrosse and the Denver Elite Lacrosse Club. He is also the founder and co-owner of Fundamental Lacrosse in Connecticut, an organization that provides box and field lacrosse instruction for players in the Nutmeg State.
 
Miyashita received his bachelor�?�¢??s degree from the College in social studies education in 2003. He earned his master's degree in information and technology from the University of Colorado at Denver in 2010.
 
Miyashita is married to the former Theresa Delano, Ph.D., a fellow 2003 graduate of Canisius College and a native of Cheektowaga. They are the proud parents of their daughter, Alexis.

Derek Marks

Associate head coach Derek Marks joined the Canisius men's lacrosse program in September, 2017. 
 
In his role with the Golden Griffins, Marks handles the team�?�¢??s defensive players and schemes while overseeing the team�?�¢??s recruiting efforts. He also assists in the day-to-day operations of the program.

In his first season with the program, Marks helped guide Canisius to its highest win total in 10 seasons. He also helped lead the squad to the 2018 MAAC Men�?�¢??s Lacrosse Championship as the Griffs recorded a pair of thrilling overtime victories against top seeds Quinnipiac and Detroit Mercy on their way to their third league title in program history.
 
Individually, defenders Holden Garlent and Logan Monroe were named All-MAAC First Team, part of a record nine Griffs to earn all-conference distinction for the 2018 campaign.
 
The 2019 season saw Marks mentor a Griffs�?�¢?? defense that ranked 17th nationally in scoring defense (10.17), helping the squad record victories against nationally-ranked Colgate and eventual Northeast Conference Tournament champion Robert Morris, before qualifying for the MAAC Men�?�¢??s Lacrosse Championship for the fourth consecutive season.
 
Garlent was an All-MAAC First Team selection for the second consecutive season as he ranked second in the MAAC in caused turnovers and third in caused turnovers per game. He was one of three members of the Canisius defense to garner all-conference distinction as Monroe and senior goalieBrad Nordstrom were both All-MAAC Second Team selections.
 
Marks joined the Golden Griffins from Post University, where he served as head coach for the previous two seasons. The programÃ??Ã?¢??s all-time winningest coach, he guided the Eagles to a school-record six wins during his first season in 2016 and the programÃ??Ã?¢??s second All-New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) performer.  
 
The stint was Marks�?�¢?? second with the Eagles, having previously served as the top assistant for the team�?�¢??s inaugural season in 2014. The Eagles won four games that year and boasted an All-NEILA selection.
 
Prior to his return to Post, Marks spent the 2015 as an assistant coach with Fairfield University, helping guide the Stags to a Colonial Athletic Association regular season title and a USILA national ranking. He played a key role in the development of the CAA�?�¢??s Rookie of the Year and seven all-conference selections.
Marks began his career at Mitchell College, working as an assistant for one year before being promoted to head coach, a position he held for three seasons (2011-13). In 2011, he led the Mariners to a 9-4 record and an appearance in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) North Regional Playoffs. Mitchell repeated that feat in 2013.
 
A native of East Lyme, Conn., Marks graduated from Sacred Heart in 2008 with a bachelor�?�¢??s degree in business administration and sports management.

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