Navy assistant to helm M. Lax

When the freshman Penn men's lacrosse players arrive on campus this fall, they'll be greeted by a new face -- recently appointed head coach Matt Hogan.

Hogan, a former Naval Academy coach, was named Monday to the position vacated by Marc Van Arsdale, who left to become head assistant coach at the University of Virginia.

Yet, while it may be Hogan's first season with the Quakers, he has ties to Penn lacrosse stretching back to the mid-'80s, when he and Van Arsdale began working at lacrosse camps together. And all told, the new head man has had previous contact -- either through recruitment efforts or summer camps -- with at least 10 of the athletes on the current Red and Blue roster.

One such Quaker is junior defenseman Steve Brown, who was recruited by Hogan while a senior at Germantown Academy (Horsham, Pa.).

"He has an exceptional reputation as one of the top defensive coaches in the country," Brown said of his new coach. "He's coached some outstanding defensemen and led them to success as a team and individually."

Hogan's reputation as a quality coach is one built on years of experience, including 13 years as assistant coach and defensive and faceoff coordinator at Navy and a previous two-year stint as head coach at Clarkson University from 1986-88.

At Clarkson, Hogan led his team to its first-ever national ranking and its first postseason championship and was recognized in 1988 as ICAC Unanimous Coach of the Year.

Described as a "player's coach" by Van Arsdale, the Springfield College graduate looks to build upon last season's promise, as the Quakers finished at .500 in the Ivies after winning only one Ivy match in the 1999 season.

Helping Hogan in his quest this year will be the return of a strong defensive corps, as well as senior attackers Scott Solow and Peter Scott, whom Hogan singled out for praise.

But it is the team as a whole -- as well as its extended support system of family and alumni -- that Hogan is excited to meet.

"I'm looking forward to being involved with [the athletes'] families, cultivating relationships with the alums and creating a friendly environment," he said. "Penn's a special place and I look forward to working with the people there."

Joining Penn's newest coach in expressing excitement for the upcoming season is Quakers assistant coach Mike Murphy.

Murphy, whom Van Arsdale and some athletes had hoped would be named to the position, called Hogan "a great hire."

"With my experience, change in and of itself is healthy," Murphy said. "We're very excited about working with him, getting him up here and getting started."

Hogan -- who is still in Annapolis, Md. -- has, in many ways, already started. Not only has he called all the players on Penn's roster, either speaking with them or their answering machines, but he has already attended his first Penn lacrosse party.

"Last Sunday I went up to Baltimore, [senior defenseman Scott] Marimow's parents had a party and I had a chance to meet and talk with a lot of the players," he said.

In early September, Hogan will finally get the chance to meet the entire team, as he moves to Philadelphia on Tuesday to welcome the rookies and their families. Yet while he gets to know his new lacrosse family, he leaves behind his own -- wife CeCe, son John and daughter Maggie will stay behind in Annapolis for the semester.

"We feel that right now to make the move, in such a short period of time, is too disruptive of [the children's] classroom schedule," Hogan said. "Waiting gives us time to do some research on the schools and find the best place to live."

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