Limestone Lacrosse Coaching Legend Mike Cerino To Be Inducted Into IMLCA Hall Of Fame

Mike Cerino, Limestone University’s Hall of Fame lacrosse coach and former Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics, will be inducted into the Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA) Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 13, in Orlando, FL.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place as part of the IMLCA Coaches Summit. The Class of 2024 was officially announced on Thursday, Aug. 15.

The IMLCA 2024 Hall of Fame Class includes Cerino, John Desko (Syracuse University), Ned Harkness (Cornell University/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), and Mike Pressler (Duke University/Bryant University). Howard Borkan will receive the “Bob Russell Contributors Award.”

Cerino is one of the most accomplished coaches in Limestone’s storied athletics history. He founded the men’s lacrosse program in 1989 and went on to lead the Saints to an NCAA Division II National Championship in 2000.

When first established, the Limestone men’s lacrosse program was the first of its kind in the state of South Carolina and has become the benchmark for lacrosse in the South.

In 2000, after guiding the team to its first 10-win season the year before, Cerino and the Saints made their first ever NCAA tournament appearance, winning the national title with a thrilling 10-9 victory over C.W. Post. With that win, Limestone became the smallest co-educational school in any division to win a national title. That same year, Cerino earned “Street & Smith’s” College Lacrosse USA Division II Coach of the Year recognition.

In 15 years at the helm of the program from 1990-2000 and 2007-2010, Cerino posted a 128-66 record and coached a total of 51 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association All-Americans. He was also a four-time conference Coach of the Year choice, three-time recipient of the Jim “Ace” Adams National Sportsmanship Award and was a coach for the South Team in the prestigious North/South Classic All-Star Game in 1996. Cerino coached nine players that went on to play professionally and 11 of his 15 teams finished the season with a national ranking.

Serving as Limestone’s Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics for 15 years, Cerino built the Saints athletic program into a perennial powerhouse in NCAA Division II. The Limestone men’s lacrosse program has now won five national championships. In his administrative role, Cerino led multi-million-dollar athletic facility fundraising efforts, and in 2018 he was named Under Armour NCAA Division II Athletic Director of the Year.

He stepped away from his role as Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics in March of 2023 to become the University’s Executive Director of Major Gifts.

After spending a total of 27 years at Limestone, Cerino is now serving as the Director of Athletics & Special Projects at Spartanburg Day School, where he is also the Lacrosse Program Head.

Cerino had an extensive and extraordinarily successful lacrosse head coaching career. In addition to leading Limestone’s program, he also served a stint as the head coach at Washington and Lee University. He was also the head coach at Charlotte Latin School. In addition, Cerino was the head coach and then General Manager for Major League Lacrosse’s Charlotte Hounds.

Outside of his administrative and coaching responsibilities, Cerino has served on various councils and committees in NCAA Division II.

He has been inducted twice in the Limestone Athletics Hall of Fame, first in 2004 as a head coach and again in 2011 as a member of the 2000 National Championship team. Cerino was inducted into the United States Lacrosse South Carolina Chapter Hall of Fame in 2013 for his efforts in bringing and growing the sport of lacrosse in the state. He was inducted in the Pfeiffer University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010 for his contributions as a student-athlete.

The IMLCA was formed in 2004 to serve the intercollegiate men’s lacrosse coaches and to lead the charge in growing the game, honoring its history, and providing a forum for matters necessary of discussion within the sport.

(Accompanying photo: Mike Cerino at the NCAA Division II men’s lacrosse national championship game in 2000.)