OTTAWA - Edmonton's Taylor Wray will take the reins for a second time as the head coach for the 2016 Under-19 Team Canada entry to the 2016 FIL World Under-19 Men's Lacrosse Championship. After leading the 2012 U-19 Men's Field Team Canada to a silver medal, including a historic round-robin victory over Team USA, Wray will lead Canada to its quest for gold when the world converges on Coquitlam, B.C., July 7-16, 2016.
"I am honored and thrilled to have been selected as the Head Coach for our U-19 national team," Wray said. "There is no greater honour in sports than having the opportunity to represent your country. To be in a leadership role is a tremendous responsibility and one that will not be taken lightly."
An NCCP competition-introduction certified coach, Wray has enjoyed a long and successful lacrosse career, both on and off the field. Growing up he played junior A (box) lacrosse in Burnaby and played four years for the Duke Blue Devils men's field lacrosse team, before ultimately entering the professional league playing for the National Lacrosse League's Calgary Roughnecks in 2004. From the time he graduated at Duke and while still playing competitively himself, Wray began his coaching career when he joined the coaching staff at Queens University of Charlotte (N.C.) as assistant coach. Wray held that position for four years (2003-06) and then spent four seasons as assistant coach for Lehigh University (2008-11) before taking on his current role as head coach for Saint Joseph’s University (Philadelphia, PA) in August 2011. Now in his fifth season with Saint Joseph's, Wray continues to exude his abilities to effectively and successfully lead athletes to excellence and was honoured in 2014 by being named NCAA's 2014 Northeast Conference Coach of the Year. Wray possesses a wealth of high-level playing and coaching experience.
"I am thrilled that Taylor Wray is returning as the head coach of our U-19 team for the 2016 worlds," said CLA's National Team Director, Men's Field Lacrosse, David Huntley. "When you speak with people who work with him, the common descriptor is ‘Leader’. Our U-19 players are in the early stages of developing their leadership skills and they will benefit greatly from working with Taylor."
Wray has also excelled internationally. In 2012 as head coach for the U-19 men's field national team, Wray led Team Canada to an unprecedented round-robin victory over Team USA. In 2010, he was the defensive coordinator for the national team which finished second at the 2010 FIL Men's World Championships. Most recently, Wray was a crucial member of the coaching staff when he once again served as the defensive coordinator for the 2014 men's field national team that won the gold medal with an impressive 8-5 win over Team USA at the 2014 FIL Men's World Championships.
As a player, Wray started his international career as a member of the 1999 U-19 men's field silver medalist team in Australia and then took to the field as a member of the 2006 men's field gold medalists' squad in London, Ont. He capped his international playing career off in 2007 when Team Canada claimed the World Indoor gold medal for the second straight time and he was named to the All-World Team.
Team Canada Chair Dean French spoke to the international value of having Wray return to lead the team.
"I do not know of any other national team that has a guy on their coaching staff who has played or coached in four World Championship finals since 2006," French said. "Having Taylor return as head coach of our U-19 team is definitely a competitive advantage for Team Canada."
With 14 months to go until Team Canada steps on the field in Coquitlam, coach Wray's first task will be flanking himself on the sidelines with an all-star coaching and support staff.
"Coach Wray’s next step is to select his staff and I am very pleased to present him with the deepest and most experienced applicant pool we have ever had," Huntley said. "He will have some tough decisions to make and there is no doubt our staff will reflect his passion for Canadian lacrosse and our players."
Wray said he too is already looking forward of what's to come.
"I believe we have an incredibly talented pool of players to choose from and I'm looking forward to learning more about them, assembling the coaching staff and building the support team necessary to help us win the world championship in 2016."
About the Canadian Lacrosse Association
The Canadian Lacrosse Association (CLA) is the governing body responsible for all aspects of lacrosse in Canada and oversees the Canadian Championships and any international events that are awarded by the international federation (FIL). With the support of its valued corporate partners – Gait and Adidas – along with the Government of Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada and the Canadian Lacrosse Foundation, the CLA’s mission is to honour the sport of lacrosse and its unique nation-building heritage, by engaging our members and leading our partners and providing opportunities for all Canadians to participate from the grassroots to the national team level. We value health, excellence, accountability, respect and teamwork. For more details on the Canadian Lacrosse Association and the sport of lacrosse, visit www.lacrosse.ca.
