Bill Bjorness returns for his 13th year as head coach of the Hartwick College men's lacrosse team in 2010-11.
Over the course of his career at Hartwick, he has piloted the Hawks to six post-season berths in his 12 years as head coach.
In the last three seasons, Bjorness has guided the Hawks to 17 victories and 8 wins in the highly regarded Empire 8 Conference. In 2010, senior defender Kevin Miller and junior attackman Dave Aitchison each were first team Empire 8 selections and freshman Harry Hughes was tagged as the conference's Rookie of the Year. In 2009, Bjorness led second team Empire 8 selections John Meade and Miller as well as Aitchison, an honorable mention pick. He coached the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Vito DeMola in 2008 and conference second team selections Ryan Welch and Brandon Wilk. That same year he also piloted the North squad in the USILA North-South Division III All-Star game on May 23, 2008.
He paced the Hawks to a 7-8 overall record in 2007 and a spot in the ECAC Upstate semifinals. Hartwick dropped three one-goal games, including two against top 10 teams in Western New England (7-6) and Nazareth (10-9), both in overtime. Under his direction, Hartwick placed four players on Empire 8 postseason teams. Pat McCormack and Welch garnered first team accolades, while Lee Austin was honored as a second team recipient.
In 2006, Bjorness guided the Hawks to a 4-10 mark, 2-5 in the Empire 8. Six of the suffered losses were either by one goal (three), or by two goals (three). Bjorness coached three all-league honorees as McCormack garnered second team all-Empire 8 accolades, while Welch and Brian Miller were honorable mention selections.
Under his guidance, the 2005 squad went 11-7 overall, 5-2 in league action. The Hawks advanced to the finals of the Empire 8 Championships before bowing out to Nazareth and then advanced to the finals of the ECAC Upstate Tournament before falling to Rochester Institute of Technology. Eight Hawks were named to all-conference teams, including Mike Debrossy who represented Hartwick on the first team, while Noah Hollander, Devin Poole, Kyle Devoe, and McCormack made second team. Miller, Brian Prescott, Adam Frys, and Tom Dachille were honorable mention selections.
The Hawks finished 8-8 overall, and 4-3 in the Empire 8 in 2004. Bjorness guided Hartwick to two victories over nationally-ranked squads - a 21-11 win over then #16 McDaniel and a 7-4 decision over Empire 8 rivals and then seventh-ranked Ithaca. Five players represented the Hawks on all-conference teams, including Devoe, who garnered second team mention.
In 2003, the Hawks went 8-6 overall and advanced to the semifinals of the ECAC Upstate Championships. Bjorness coached six all-Empire 8 selections, including Ryan Maloney. The native of Downingtown, Pa., was a first team all-league honoree, a second team ECAC Division III Upstate selection, as well as a 2003 Face-Off Yearbook honorable mention All-American. He as well as Brett Raboy represented Hartwick at the USILA Division III North All-Star Game.
In 2002, Bjorness' squad was ranked as high as eighth in the country, but finished with a 9-5 mark, 3-3 in the Empire 8. Hartwick advanced to the ECAC Upstate Tournament, but fell to Oneonta State in the semifinal match up. At the conclusion of the 2002 season, Ross Pino, Brant Kasschau and Ryan Hoffmeister were honorable-mention selections on the STX/USILA All-America Team. In 2003, Maloney was named to the Face-Off Yearbook Preseason All-America Team and the STX/USILA All-America Team as an honorable-mention selection.
The Hawks tallied an 8-7 season, 3-2 in the Empire 8 and another berth in the ECAC Upstate Tournament in 2001. The Hawks fell to Skidmore in the opening round. Pino and Andrew Kurz were named first team all-league selections, while Poole, Hoffmeister, Kasschau were second team honorees. Mark Colite was the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. Pino was a second team ECAC Upstate honoree, while Kurz was an honorable mention selection.
In 2000, the Hawks posted a 6-8 season, 1-4 in E8 action. DeGregorio was a first team all-conference honoree, while Mike Tumolo was a second team mention. DeGregorio was named to the ECAC Division III All-Star team and was an honorable mention 2000 USILA/STX All-American along with goalie Bret Jacobson.
In his first year as head coach, Hartwick recorded a 5-9 mark, 1-4 in league action. On March 13, 1999, Bjorness got his first win with a convincing 11-2 victory over the US Merchant Marine Academy. DeGregorio and Parkhill were first team all-conference honorees as well as honorable mention All-Americans, while Pino was named the league rookie of the year
Bjorness started his collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Keuka from 1986-88. He then served as an assistant coach at Hartwick from 1989-1991.
After his stint as an assistant at Hartwick, Bjorness moved on to become an assistant at his alma mater, RIT, from 1991-1993. He then became the defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Dartmouth College from 1994-1998.
With then head coach Rory Whipple, Bjorness helped turn Hartwick's lacrosse program around during those seasons. The Hawks won the ECAC Tournament with a big 17-14 victory over RIT in 1991.
When Whipple left Hartwick after the 1998 season, Bjorness took over the controls of the program for his old boss.
While Bjorness was a student at RIT, he was a three-time All-American lacrosse player and a left wing on the ice hockey team that won the national championship in 1983.
As a sophomore, Bjorness led the NCAA in scoring with 86 points and was selected as a first-team All-American in lacrosse. He was honored as a second-team pick as a junior and returned to the first team as a senior.
The captain of the lacrosse team as a senior for the Tigers, his teams went to the Final Four twice and went to the NCAA Tournament in all four of his seasons (1983-1986), while compiling an overall record of 49-10. Bjorness finished a stellar four-year career with 152 goals and 112 assists. He was honored for his athletic accomplishments when the school inducted him into the Rochester Institute of Technology Sports Hall of Fame on November 13, 1999.
An active participant on the national coaching scene in the off-season, Bjorness has been on the coaching staff at the Top-205 Lacrosse Camp in Baltimore since its inception in 1988. He also serves on the staff at the Peak-200 Lacrosse Camp in Springfield, Mass.
On the international level, Bjorness has served as an assistant coach for the Iroquois Men's National Team at the International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) World Championships. In 1994, he was the defensive coordinator for the Iroquois team that finished in fifth place at Manchester, England. Bjorness returned in 2002 and helped the team earn a fourth-place medal at Perth, Australia. He doubled as the general manager and assistant coach for the Iroquois at the 2003 ILF Boys Under-19 World Championships at Towson University (Md.), helping the squad finish fifth overall. In 2006, Bjorness served as co-head coach for the Iroquois National team at the ILF World Championships in London, Ontario, Canada. He piloted the team to an upset of Australia in the preliminary round and became the first team from outside the "big three" (Canada, the United States, and Australia) to defeat one of them. Iroquois advanced to the medal round, but fell to Australia in the bronze medal game.
Bjorness also serves as the Chair of the Empire 8 Conference Men's Lacrosse Committee and has served three years on the NCAA Division III All-American Committee.
Bjorness resides in Oneonta with his wife, Heidi and son Adam.
