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Canisius University Athletics

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Mark Miyashita 2021 headshot

Mark Miyashita


• Named the fourth coach in program history on Aug. 3, 2017

• Has guided Canisius to four appearances in the MAAC Men’s Lacrosse Championship during his time on Main Street, highlighted by the 2018 title in his first season at the helm after recording a pair of thrilling overtime victories against top seed Quinnipiac and Detroit Mercy at the MAAC Championship

• Individually, Canisius’ student-athletes have excelled under Miyashita’s tutelage, with 26 players earning a total of 37 All-MAAC accolades

• Has also shown an ability to develop talent for the next level, with seven National Lacrosse League draft picks to his credit, highlighted by a pair of first-round picks (Connor Kearnan and Holden Garlent)

• Coached Connor Kearnan, who put together one of the finest individual seasons in program history during the 2018 season as he was named the MAAC Offensive Player of the Year, MAAC Championship Most Valuable Player, Inside Lacrosse Media Honorable Mention All-American and USILA Scholar All-American after setting the MAAC single-season record with 53 assists

• Mentored 2019 MAAC Rookie of the Year Jacob Buck, who led the Griffs in scoring with 44 points and finished second on the team in both goals (30) and assists (14) during the campaign

• Coached 2024 MAAC Face-off Specialist of the Year Micah Hanson, who led the MAAC in ground balls (120) and ground balls per game (8.00) and ranked 10th nationally in ground balls per game 
 

• Has served as an assistant coach for Team Canada on multiple occasions

• At the 2018 FIL Men’s World Lacrosse Championship, Miyashita worked with fellow Canisius Hall of Famer and Team Canada head coach Randy Mearns to help guide the Red and White to a second-place finish at the 46-team event held in Netayna, Israel

• Reunited with Mearns and Team Canada for the 2023 FIL Men’s World Lacrosse Championship, helping lead them to a silver medal finish in San Diego, Calif.

• Served as an assistant coach for Team Canada at the World Lacrosse U-21 Men's Championship in August 2022, helping the Red and White claim a silver medal in Limerick, Ireland  

• Named an assistant coach for the 2025 World Lacrosse U-20 World Championship, slated for August in Seogwipo, Jeju, Japan
 

• Returned to Canisius after four seasons as an assistant coach at Sacred Heart University, helping the team advance twice to the Northeast Conference Tournament (2014-17)

• Serving as the Pioneers’ offensive and recruiting coordinator, Miyashita built and orchestrated a Sacred Heart attack that ranked second in the NEC in scoring offense (11.33 goals/game) and featured four of the top-10 players in the league in points per game in 2017

• Also played a key role in the program’s improvement in the classroom as the team’s cumulative GPA rose more than a quarter of a point during his time with the Pioneers

• Began his coaching career as the head coach at Castle View High School in Castle Rock, Colo., where he founded the lacrosse program when the school first opened in 2006

• A two-time Douglas County Lacrosse League Coach of the Year selection, he led Castle Rock to its first league title in 2012. He coached multiple All-American and All-League players while also placing numerous players with various college programs at the Division I, II and III levels.

• In addition to his work at the collegiate and high school levels, Miyashita was also active at the club level, working with Xcelerate Lacrosse and the Denver Elite Lacrosse Club

• He was the founder and co-owner of Fundamental Lacrosse in Connecticut, an organization that provides box and field lacrosse instruction for players in the Nutmeg State
 

• A member of the Canisius Hall of Fame class of 2013, Miyashita appeared in 42 games during his four seasons with the Blue and Gold, finishing his career ranked among the program’s career leaders in points (145/7th), assists (74/8th) and goals (71/15th)

• A three-time captain, Miyashita led the Griffs in points in both 2000 and 2003, two seasons where he also earned All-MAAC First Team honors.

• The school’s all-time leader in career faceoff percentage (.593) and second in program history in career ground balls (329), Miyashita led the nation in ground balls per game in 2000 with 10.69, a number that still ranks second-best in NCAA history to this day

• Ended his career with 7.83 ground balls per game, a number that currently ranks eighth all-time in NCAA men’s lacrosse history

• Selected first overall pick of the Vancouver Ravens in the 2003 National Lacrosse League Draft

• Played five seasons for Vancouver, Colorado and Minnesota

• Finished with 17 goals and 41 assists in 46 career games played while also contributing 421 faceoff wins and 324 loose balls.

• Was the top overall pick of the Maple Ridge Burrards of the Western Lacrosse Association in 2003, helping guide the team to back-to-pack postseason appearances in 2004 and 2005.
 

• Native of Richmond, British Columbia

• Received his bachelor’s degree from the College in social studies education in 2003

• Earned his master’s degree in information and technology from the University of Colorado at Denver in 2010

• Miyashita is married to the former Theresa Delano, Ph.D., a fellow 2003 graduate of Canisius College and a native of Cheektowaga. They are the proud parents of their daughter, Alexis