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Zach Nedbalski

 
Profile
Head Coach Zach Nedbalski was hired to helm the Methodist men's lacrosse team in 2013.

He has compiled an overall record of 55-50 and has earned two Coach of the Year honors in league action. He spent the first season recruiting and not in competition.

The 2020 season was cut short due to COVID-19. Before the cancellation, Nedbalski led Methodist to a 5-3 overall record, including a positive 91-78 goal differential. The Monarchs also recorded 67 assists through the eight games. That mark led the USA South and Methodist's goal against average (9.69) was second in the conference.

The Monarchs 9-7 record in 2019 and a 4-3 mark in the USA South Athletic Conference earned Nedbalski his first USA South Coach of the Year honor. The Monarchs finished second in the conference's regular season after a prediction of fifth place in the preseason coaches' poll. He coached two players to First Team All-USA South conference selections.

After spending the program's first four seasons of competition in the Southeast Independent Lacrosse Championship, the Monarchs joined the USA South in men's lacrosse in 2018 where Methodist finished with an overall record of 6-10 but a conference mark of 3-3. Nedbalski coached another two players to First Team All-USA South conference selections.

In 2017, Nedbalski was honored as the SEILC Coach of the Year, as well as Methodist University's McLean Foundation Coach of the Year as voted on by a committee of MU faculty and staff for an outstanding 15-3 season. The Monachs banner season included winning the Southeast Independent Lacrosse Championship with a 15-10 win over Ferrum. Of the Monarchs three losses, one came to eventual NCAA National Champion Salisbury and another was to an NCAA Div. II institution. Nedbalski picked up SEILC Coach of the Year honors, as well as

Under Nedbalski's leadership, five players were named to the all-conference team in 2017, including SEILC Offensive Player of the Year Jake Smerka. Smerka also took home the two top University awards as he as named MU's top male senior athlete, as well as the Mason Sykes cup - given to the University's top overall student-athlete.

The 2017 team ranked in the Top 30 nationally in assists, assists/game, face-off winning percentage, ground balls, ground balls/game, points/game, scoring offense and man-up offense. The Monarchs' winning percentage of .833 was the 11th best in Division III. The 2017 team also saw Smerka rank 6th nationally in man-up goals, Kyle Clarkson was 26th in assists/game, and Jackson Bingham was 28th in goals-against average,