University of Delaware Athletics
Men's Lacrosse
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- menslacrosse@udel.edu
| Coach DeLuca At A Glance |
| NCAA National Champion: 2014 NCAA National Finalist: 2009 NCAA Final Four: 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2014 NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2000, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2022, 2023 ACC Regular Season Champions: 2014 Ivy League Champions: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 Ivy League Tournament Champions: 2011, 2013 CAA Outright Regular Season Champions: 2021, 2023 CAA Tournament Champion: 2022, 2023 |
Ben DeLuca joined the University of Delaware as the head coach of the men’s lacrosse program in 2017, with his first season at the helm coming in 2018. He has enjoyed national success as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach throughout his career.
He is just the ninth coach in the 75-year history of the sport at the University of Delaware.
Upon his hiring, Delaware Director of Athletics, Community, and Campus Recreation Chrissi Rawak said:
“I am so excited to have Ben and his family as part of our Blue Hens family. Ben believes strongly in the pursuit of excellence on and off the field and embodies the core values that drive the decisions we make every day in Delaware Athletics. He brings to us an incredible knowledge of the game of lacrosse and an understanding that the University of Delaware is a very special place. We have such a passionate group of Delaware lacrosse alumni and I know Ben will build a strong connection with them. There is absolutely no doubt that Ben makes our men's lacrosse program, this department, and this University better.”
He’s led Delaware to four double-digit win seasons in his first six full seasons, making him the first head coach in the history of the program to accomplish that feat. Additionally, from 2018-24, he led the Blue Hens to six-straight CAA Tournament appearances. From 2018-25, DeLuca has steered the Blue & Gold to seven-consecutive winning seasons at Delaware.
In 2025, UD finished 7-6 and missed the CAA Tournament for the first time in DeLuca's tenure. Five Blue Hens earned CAA postseason honors as Brendan Powers and OJ Morris earned All-CAA First Team honors, Nick Cowen was All-CAA Second Team, and Liam Powell and Bennett Parmer were on the CAA All-Rookie Team. The Hens were dominant at the X thanks to Morris and Logan Premtaj, ranking second in the country with a .643 faceoff percentage. The Hens also finished top 10 in the nation in fewest turnovers per game with 14.15. Morris had a special individual season, finishing second in the country and first in the CAA in faceoff percentage (.686) en route to All-American Honorable Mention nodds from USILA and USA Lacrosse Magazine.
The 2024 season saw the Blue Hens finish as the CAA Championship runner-up with an overall record of 9-5. Mike Robinson became the program's all-time leading scorer with 185 goals. Robinson was named second-team All-CAA as he was one of eight Blue Hens to earn All-CAA honors including JP Ward, Aidan Fritz, Reed Kurtz, Matt Montgomery, John McCurry, and Louie Atkinson. Senior Kevin Ellington was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, the first of many honors for the goaltender. Ellington went on to earn both USILA and USA Lacrosse All-America recognition. DeLuca had the pleasure of coaching Delaware's third player to reach both 100-career goals and 100-career assists in Ward.
In 2023, DeLuca was named CAA Coach of the Year and helped lead the Blue Hens to their second straight CAA Championship with a win over Stony Brook. With a 13-5 season, the Blue Hens made it back to the NCAA tournament, advancing to the second round after a win against Marist 25-10. Delaware was ranked 2nd in the NCAA for total goals (254) and scoring margin (5.65). The Blue Hens brought home two major awards in 2023 as Tye Kurtz was named CAA Offensive Player of the Year and Owen Grant was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year. Grant was the first Blue Hen to ever win three consecutive Defensive Player of the Year awards and the first Blue Hen since Jon Grant Jr. to earn First-Team All-America status. Kurtz joined Grant as Delaware's other men's lacrosse All-American.
The 2022 campaign under DeLuca was one of the most successful seasons in program history. The program’s 13 wins was the most in 15 years. The Blue Hens went on to defeat Towson in the CAA finals, and were crowned tournament champions for the first time since 2011. In the NCAA tournament, the Blue Hens picked up multiple wins against Robert Morris and No. 2 Georgetown en route to an appearance in the quarterfinals. It was the program’s first NCAA tournament win and appearance in the quarterfinals since 2007.
With the success from the 2022 season, Owen Grant, Tye Kurtz and Jake Govett were selected in the first round of the 2022 National Lacrosse League draft. It is the first time the Blue Hens had multiple athletes selected in the first round in the program’s history. Grant was selected third overall by the Vancouver Warriors, Kurtz was selected 17thoverall to the Albany FireWolves, and Jake Govett was selected 22nd overall to the San Diego Seals.
Since taking over the program, DeLuca has coached 39 All-CAA performers and seven conference major award winners. He has additionally guided 10 Blue Hens who went on to earn USILA All-American honors. DeLuca’s impact on the academic achievement of his student-athletes has been equally impressive, resulting in program records for highest overall semester, year and cumulative team grade point average while producing six USILA Scholar All America selections.
On the field, DeLuca has had Delaware’s defense ranked inside the top-20 in the country over the past five seasons, while its offense has made major strides and finished inside the top-20 during the 2021 campaign. The Blue Hens were one of eight teams to finish in the top-20 on both offense and defense in the 2022 campaign.
The Blue Hens enjoyed a historic 2021 season under DeLuca’s watch. Delaware finished the year with a 10-3 overall mark and a 7-1 record in conference play en route to being crowned the outright CAA regular season champions for the first time in program history. The three losses on the year were the fewest in program history, in a season with at least 10 games played, since 1999. The Blue Hens also set the CAA record for the most conference wins in a single season.
DeLuca had the Blue Hens clicking all season long as they were one of just seven Division I teams to finish inside the top-20 in scoring offense and scoring defense. He guided Charlie Kitchen ’21 and Owen Grant to USILA All-American honors, marking the first time since 2010 that two Blue Hens earned the national recognition in the same season. Six Blue Hens collected All-CAA honors, while Owen Grant became the program’s first-ever defensive player of the year. Mike Robinson earned the rookie of the year nod, the second consecutive season that a Blue Hens rookie captured the honor under DeLuca.
In a shortened 2020 season, due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, DeLuca had the Blue Hens off to a 4-2 start to the year. The defense was one of the best in the nation, ranking ninth in Division I in goals allowed and 11th in caused turnovers per tilt. Thomas Aloe was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association Scholar-Athlete of the Year and also honored as the CAA Leadership & Sport Excellence Award winner. Jake Hervada was honored as the Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award.
In 2019, the Blue Hens set a program record with seven student-athletes earning All-CAA Accolades. Tye Kurtz became the program’s first CAA Rookie of the Year since 2004, while Charlie Kitchen was named the CAA Player of the Year. Matt DeLuca (no relation) earned the program’s first All-American honor since 2011, ranking in the top-10 in both saves per game and save percentage.
In 2018, five student-athletes earned All-CAA accolades with Dean DiSimone, Austin Haynes and Charlie Kitchen earning first team recognition, while Matt DeLuca and Will Hirschmann were named to the second team. Off the field, the Blue Hens were heavily involved in the community, working with the Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation, the B+ Foundation, the One Love Foundation, being weekly participants at a children’s literacy program at nearby McVey Elementary and working with the Ferris School for an annual series of lacrosse clinics. As a team, the Blue Hens earned over a 3.0 cumulative grade point average, marking the first time in program history that had been accomplished. In addition, Will Hirschmann was named the recipient of the 2018 Edgar Johnson Award, given to the male senior letter winner at Delaware who has exhibited the qualities of hard work, dedication, leadership, fairness and striving for excellence.
“My family and I want to thank President (Dennis) Assanis and Chrissi Rawak for this special opportunity and for the trust they have showed in inviting us to share in their mission to lead the renaissance of this great program together,” said DeLuca. “I agree wholeheartedly with Chrissi's vision of comprehensive excellence in all facets of the student-athlete experience. We want to be great in the sport of lacrosse, but we want to be excellent in the classroom and leaders in the community as well. I take very seriously my role as an educator, mentor, and role model and will lead our central mission to develop young men into men and prepare them for life after college. Our program aspires to produce polished, accomplished, admirable men who will graduate and become ambassadors for the University of Delaware and Blue Hen Lacrosse. Hard work, integrity, character and a passion for greatness will be the hallmarks of our program. Well done is better than well said, and here at the University of Delaware we believe our actions will speak louder than our words."
DeLuca came to Delaware with an impressive history of success as a student-athlete and coach at three of the nation's top academic and NCAA Division I lacrosse-playing institutions - Cornell University, Duke University, and Harvard University. During that time, he led teams to 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a national championship title as an assistant at Duke, a national runner-up finish as an associate head coach at Cornell, and three other NCAA semifinal appearances as a head coach and as an assistant.
Throughout his 25-year coaching career, DeLuca has recruited, developed and shared in the success of teams which produced a multitude of All-America selections including well more than a dozen First Team honorees. He has coached over forty First Team All-Ivy League selections, several First-Team All-CAA and All-ACC selections, three Ivy League Rookie of Year selections, two CAA Rookie of the Year selections, seven Ivy League Player of the Year honorees, a pair of Lt. Raymond Enners Award winners (USILA Outstanding Player – Div. 1), an En. C.M. Kelly Award winner (USILA Outstanding Goaltender – Div. 1), a Schmeisser Cup award winner (USILA Outstanding Defenseman – Div. 1), three recipients of the Lt. j.g. Donald MacGlaughlin, Jr. Award (USILA Outstanding Midfielder – Div. 1), two Jack Turnbull Award winners (USILA Outstanding Attackman – Div. 1), and a pair of Tewaaraton Award winners. DeLuca has guided defensive All-America honorees at four different institutions. Under DeLuca's tutelage, Rob Pannell graduated after breaking a handful of Cornell, Ivy League and NCAA records, becoming the all-time leading scorer in Division I history (354), as well as the Cornell all-time assist leader (204).
DeLuca has invested in development of the young men under his guidance outside the realm of lacrosse as well, spearheading several lasting team community service endeavors, mentoring numerous Academic All-CAA, Academic All-Ivy and Academic All-ACC selections, more than a dozen USILA Academic All-America selections, multiple ESPN / CoSIDA Academic All-America selections, and a pair of Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winners.
In the community, DeLuca's student-athletes have been heavily involved in the community, volunteering with such organizations as the Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation, B+ Foundation, One LOVE Foundation, HEADstrong Foundation, American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross, Children's Dream Factory of Central New York, Family Reading Partnership of Central New York, children's literacy, Team Impact, and the Army Ranger Lead the Way Fund.
DeLuca came to Delaware after two years serving as the Associate Head Coach at Harvard University. In his first season, DeLuca helped lead the Crimson to the Ivy League Championship game after knocking off top-seeded and No. 2 ranked Brown in the semifinals. At the conclusion of the year, three Crimson student-athletes were named to the USILA All-America teams, with a total of six individuals garnering All-Ivy League honors. In 2016, one Crimson player was recognized with USILA honors and three others earned All-Ivy League honors.
Prior to his time in Cambridge, DeLuca spent two seasons as an assistant coach and defensive coordinator under John Danowski at Duke University, helping the Blue Devils to the 2014 National Championship and the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championship. DeLuca coached four defensive All-America honorees in his first season in Durham.
DeLuca began his coaching career at his alma mater and was an integral part of restoring the Cornell lacrosse program back to the upper echelon of Division I lacrosse during his time as an Assistant Coach, Recruiting Coordinator, Defensive Coordinator, Associate Head Coach and Head Coach. In total, DeLuca spent 17 years at Cornell, including four years as a player for the Big Red before serving as an assistant coach for two seasons. A brief two-year hiatus took DeLuca away from Ithaca and into the business world, but he returned in the summer of 2002 and he was promoted to the top assistant position and recruiting coordinator in the summer of 2003. He became the first Mario St. George Boiardi Assistant Coach of Men's Lacrosse the following year and was promoted to Associate Head Coach following the 2007 season. His efforts helped to guide the Big Red to nine NCAA Tournament appearances from 2004 to 2013. Cornell competed in four NCAA national semifinal games, a national championship game and captured ten Ivy League Championships in eleven years during that span. DeLuca was named as the IMLCA Assistant Coach of the Year in 2007.
In his first season serving as Cornell’s Head Coach, DeLuca led the Big Red to a 14-3 record and became only the second coach in the history of the Ivy League to post an undefeated Ivy record in his first season, joining Ned Harkness (Cornell, 1966). After subsequently leading the Big Red to their first Ivy League Tournament Championship in program history, DeLuca became the first coach in the history of the Ivy League to lead his team to an 8-0 record in conference play as well as the first coach in Cornell history to lead the Big Red to the NCAA tournament in his first season.
The following year in 2012, despite losing Rob Pannell, the reigning USILA National Player of the Year, in just the second game of the season, DeLuca guided the Big Red as high as No. 3 in the national rankings and captured the program’s historic 700th win in program history over upstate rival Syracuse. Cornell finished with a 9-4 record overall and a mark of 4-2 record in the league, good for a second-place finish in the league standings while advancing to the Ivy League Tournament semifinals.
In 2013 DeLuca led Cornell to an outstanding 14-4 record overall, losing three regular season games by a single goal. Cornell advanced to the NCAA Final Four with convincing playoff wins over the 6th and 3rd ranked teams in the country before falling in the National Semifinal to eventual National Champion Duke by 2 goals. Twelve student-athletes earned All-America recognition under DeLuca's tutelage, including five first team selections.
DeLuca’s overall record as Cornell’s Head Coach was 37-11 (.771), and 16-2 (.889) in Ivy League play.
DeLuca has gained invaluable international coaching experience representing the United States as a member the U.S. Men’s National Team staff. DeLuca served as the Assistant General Manager for the 2018 U.S. Men’s National Team that captured the gold medal in the Federation of International Lacrosse World Championships in Netanya, Israel. DeLuca was primarily responsible for coaching the goaltenders and face-off unit while assisting Head Coach John Danowski in all facets of the game. DeLuca also served as an evaluator and scouting consultant for the 2014 USMNT that earned the silver medal in the FIL World Championships in Denver, Colorado in 2014.
A four-year letter winner on defense for the Big Red, DeLuca played for three years under legendary coach Richie Moran, before becoming a captain his senior year under former head coach Dave Pietramala. He was voted as the team's Outstanding Senior Athlete for his leadership and dedication on and off the field, and was also honored with the Rick LaFrance Award given to the student-athlete who best combines mental and physical toughness along with honor and bravery despite injury. DeLuca earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nutritional sciences and biochemistry in 1998.
A native of Rochester, N.Y, DeLuca is married to the former Laurie Tortorelli, a former All-American goaltender and captain for the women's lacrosse team at the University of Delaware. Laurie was a four-year starter in goal in 1999-2002 and led the Hens to the NCAA Tournament in 2000 and an America East conference title in 1999. She still ranks No. 2 all-time at Delaware with 754 saves and No. 3 in minutes played (3,767).
The DeLucas have two daughters, Elizabeth and Anne.
Major Award Winners Under DeLuca at Delaware
Kevin Ellington - CAA Defensive Player of the Year (2024)
Owen Grant - CAA Defensive Player of the Year (2021, 2022, 2023)
Charlie Kitchen - CAA Offensive Player of the Year (2019)
Tye Kurtz - CAA Rookie of the Year (2019), CAA Offensive Player of the Year (2023)
Mike Robinson - CAA Rookie of the Year (2021)
THE BEN DELUCA FILE
Benton A. “Ben” DeLuca
Born: January 29, 1975
Hometown: Rochester, N.Y.
Playing Career: Four-year letterwinner on defense at Cornell (1995-98). Team captain in 1998; Team Outstanding Senior Athlete, 1998; Team advanced to NCAA Tournament in 1995
Degree: Cornell ‘98 (Nutritional Sciences & Biochemistry)
Family: Wife Laurie; Daughters, Elizabeth and Anne
COACHING TIMELINE
2000-10 - Assistant/Associate Head Coach, Cornell University (9 NCAA Tournament appearances; ‘09 NCAA National Runner-up; ‘10 NCAA Semifinals; ‘07 NCAA Semifinals)
2011-13 - Head Coach, Cornell University (37-11 overall record, 16-2 Ivy League record; ‘13 NCAA Semifinals; ‘11 NCAA Quarterfinals)
2014-15 - Assistant Coach, Duke University (‘14 NCAA Champions; ‘15 NCAA Tournament)
2016-17 - Associate Head Coach, Harvard University (‘16 Ivy League runner-up)
2018-Present - Head Coach, University of Delaware
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING......
Bob Scalise, John D. Nichols ‘53 Family Director of Athletics, Harvard University:
“Ben is one of the great young coaches in the game of lacrosse today. We are grateful for all of his contributions to our program and look to forward to watching him accomplish great things for Delaware Lacrosse.”
Dr. Kevin White, Vice President, Director of Athletics & Adjunct Professor of Business Administration, Duke University:
“Ben DeLuca never failed to impress me during his tenure at Duke. He was a terrific coach and an even better man. Ben's leadership was a major factor in Duke's national championship in 2014, but beyond that, his personal impact on the young men he coached was profound and enduring. This is an absolutely brilliant hire for the University of Delaware.”
John Danowski, Duke University Head Men's Lacrosse Coach:
“I am thrilled beyond words to learn of the appointment of Ben DeLuca as head men's lacrosse coach at the University of Delaware. It was an honor for me to work alongside Ben for two years. Professionally, he checks all the boxes, well-prepared, organized, detail-oriented, open to new ideas, enthusiastic, a great communicator. But what sets him apart is his dedication to a young man's development as a student, athlete and person and his core values, specifically his faith, family and friends.”
Bob Shillinglaw, Former Delaware Men's Lacrosse Head Coach, University of Delaware (1979-2017; 310 wins; 2-time USILA?National Coach of the Year):
“I am extremely excited to welcome Ben DeLuca to the Blue Hen Family as the next lacrosse coach at the University of Delaware along with his wife Laurie and daughters Elizabeth and Anne. Ben's resume speaks for itself. During his coaching career he coached with some of the sport's greatest mentors. He has a long history of success coaching teams to the NCAA tournament while emphasizing academics, community service, alumni involvement and career development. The University of Delaware is extremely fortunate to have someone of Ben's character and most importantly passion to be the next head lacrosse coach.”
Rob Pannell, Cornell ‘13 (2013 Tewaaraton Trophy as National Player of the Year; No. 2 all-time in NCAA?with 354 career points; 2016 MLL Offensive Player of the Year):
"The University of Delaware is not only getting a great coach with great knowledge of the sport and what it takes to win at the highest level but more importantly they are getting a great person. Coach DeLuca cares about having success, but that success goes far beyond the lacrosse field. It goes into the classroom and community and having players leave campus as young men ready to take on anything that may come their way. Coach DeLuca is a passionate leader and I couldn't be more excited for the current members of the team, the University of Delaware and Coach DeLuca and his family to start a new chapter for the UD lacrosse program!"
John Grant, Jr., UD Lacrosse Alum ‘99 (UD Athletics Hall of Fame; 1999 USILA?National Player of the Year; Two-time NLL?Most Valuable Player; 2-time MLL?Most Valuable Player):
“As a proud alum of the University of Delaware Lacrosse program, I am so excited to have Ben DeLuca as the next head coach. Ben has a championship pedigree and has coached with some of the best lacrosse minds in the history of the game. Ben is a tireless recruiter and has a strong desire to mentor his student athletes on and off the field. He has developed numerous All Americans and two Tewaaraton winners in his illustrious career and helped develop some of the top Ivy League students in the country. Ben is a proven winner and I look forward to him leading our Hens back to national prominence.”
Bob Smith, UD Alum ‘83 (1983 Team Captain; 3 East Coast Conference team titles):
“The Delaware alumni is extremely excited to welcome a new coach who has been so successful at inspiring and developing young men and winning at the highest level. We look forward the journey and future we will share with Ben DeLuca.”
Steve Shaw, UD Lacrosse Alum ‘86 (UD Athletics Hall of Fame; 3-time All-American; former NCAA?all-time faceoff leader)
“I could not be more excited for the University of Delaware, the Players and the Alumni that our new coach is Ben DeLuca. We have been so fortunate over the years to have a great man in Bob Shillinglaw lead our program and we will continue that tradition with Ben.”
David Spartin, UD Board of Trustee member:
"Ben has the kind of championship-caliber experience that will help take UD lacrosse to the next level. His passion and commitment to helping student-athletes succeed in the classroom, in the community, and on the field are a perfect fit for Delaware."
Dr. Chris Kennedy, Senior Deputy Director of Athletics & Adjunct Professor of English, Duke University:
“I had the pleasure of working very closely with Ben DeLuca during his two years at Duke. It quickly became evident to me that he combines a thorough knowledge of the game of lacrosse with an uncompromising commitment to the welfare of the student-athlete. At Duke, the players absolutely loved him; so will his players at the University of Delaware."
