Press Release

Team NorCal Lacrosse Adds Local Lacrosse Legend Gary Podesta as High School Travel Team Coach and Recruiting Coordinator

Santa Clara University Head Coach and WCLL President to Lead U19 Team

Palo Alto, CA, November 18th, 2011:  Team NorCal Lacrosse, the oldest and largest lacrosse travel team in Northern California, today announced that Gary Podesta has joined its staff as a co-Head Coach for the program’s U19 Team.  Podesta is also taking on the role of Recruiting Coordinator for the Club, focusing on assisting High School student athletes navigate the process of college recruiting and college selection at NCAA D1, D2, D3 and MCLA schools. 

Podesta has a long and storied career in the sport of lacrosse.  He began his lacrosse career on Long Island, New York where he started coaching in 1979 at Bethpage High School, producing three players who would become college All-Americans. After moving to California, Gary began to coach at the college level. From 1983-1995, 2000-2009 and again from 2011 to present, he is the head coach at Santa Clara University.  In 1993 he was selected as Western Collegiate Lacrosse League Division 1 Coach of the Year.  He is the President of the WCLL and serves on the Board of the Northern California Chapter of US Lacrosse.  He also served as the Director of Game Operations for the San Francisco Dragons of Major League Lacrosse.  In 2003, Podesta was inducted into the Santa Clara University Athletic Hall of Fame.  In 2010 Gary was inducted into the US Lacrosse Northern California Chapter Hall of Fame.

Gary joins his former Santa Clara players Greg Mengis, Program Director – High School and Matt Skiba – Program Director – Youth, as part of the coaching leadership of Team NorCal.  Together Mengis, Podesta, and Joe Juter, Head Coach at Mountain View High School, will lead Team NorCal’s top High School Travel team.  Team NorCal’s High School teams have already achieved success in several prestigious national and regional tournaments in California and throughout the United States.

“Gary Podesta brings a wealth of experience to Team NorCal” stated Bill Glazier, Executive Director and Founder of Team NorCal.  “ Gary’s knowledge of the game, and his understanding of the college recruiting environment and his many relationships at programs throughout the country will help us immeasurably as we seek to compete nationally against the best teams and place our student athletes in top D1, D2, D3 and MCLA schools”

“ I have been very impressed with how fast Team NorCal has developed an extremely competitive high school travel team”  said Podesta.  “Northern California is rapidly emerging as a top source of lacrosse talent, and I am thrilled to be a part of an organization which seeks to showcase the best talent in the Bay Area and expand their lacrosse playing opportunities at the college level.

About Team NorCal Lacrosse

Team NorCal is the oldest, largest and most successful elite and travel lacrosse program in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Now in its 5th year, we have grown from a single U13 team, to this year sponsoring 11 boys teams across U11, U13, U15, and High School Boys Divisions.  Team NorCal selects teams based on competitive tryouts beginning in December of each year.  We accept the most talented and dedicated lacrosse players in the Bay Area - from San Francisco to Monterey, and from Sacramento to Napa - to represent Northern California against the best all around the country in regional and national tournaments. We have a ‘no-parent coaching’ philosophy that is unique in youth sports.  Our coaches are among the most accomplished college, high school, and youth coaches in California.   For more information, check us out at www.teamnorcal.com.

Press Contact: Bill Glazier, Executive Director and Founder, Team NorCal 650-814-3857