The 2012-13 academic year marked the third on Post for Tony Mackin on the VMI coaching staff this year. He assisted with the team’s faceoff unit, recruiting, and day-to-day office activities, as well as added responsibilities on defense.
Mackin played an instrumental role in the continued emergence of faceoff specialist Stephen Robarge in his first year on Post, as the junior secured the NCAA statistical title in faceoffs as well as groundballs, becoming only the second player in NCAA history to win both the faceoff and ground ball category. Robarge’s 10.15 groundballs per contest in 2011 ranks No. 8 in NCAA history and is the highest ground ball per game average in Division I lacrosse since 2006, when Denver’s Geoff Snider averaged 11.41 grounders per contest.
Additionally, Mackin was responsible for the revolution of former Keydet Chris Rossie in a faceoff wing position, as VMI had the only duo in ranked in the top-25 nationally in groundballs, as a junior, Rossie collected 65 groundballs on the year primarily in a faceoff wing position. As a team, VMI was No. 2 in the country in faceoffs as a team, coming in second behind Jacksonville.
There was no drop off on the faceoff unit from Mackin’s first season on Post to his second. Robarge once again claimed the top groundballs per game (9.07) title and faceoff percentage (66.6). The Keydets also finished tops among the nation’s 61 Division I teams in faceoff winning percentage, claiming draws at a 64.4 percent clip. Robarge became the first Division I player to win back-to-back groundball titles, in 2012.
A defenseman in college, Mackin also helped revamp the Keydet close defense in 2012, instituting a defense that allowed the fewest goals in MAAC play since 2009. The defense was crucial in several games, holding opponents under 10 goals in three of the last four games, helping VMI win those three games. One of the defense’s shining moments of 2012 came in a 6-2 setback against then-16th ranked Lehigh, which went on to a No. 7 ranking and a spot in the NCAA tournament. Mackin’s responsibilities helped lead to a pair of second-team All-MAAC selections in defenseman Kyle Hofstetter and Robarge, who was also named MAAC Faceoff Specialist of the Year for a second season.
“Tony has made his presence known at VMI since his first year,” remarked head coach Brian Anken. “He was directly responsible for coaching one of the most potent faceoff units in the country, including the 2011 faceoff percentage and ground ball statistical champion Stephen Robarge. This year, Tony’s responsibilities were expanded and he will also work directly with a very talented defensive unit that boasts several returning starters, as well as a talented freshman group. His energy is contagious and is expected to bring a heightened intensity to our defense this season.”
One of the talented young defensemen under Mackin’s instruction is Tyler Prasnicki, who made great strides between his freshman and sophomore seasons (2012-13). Prasnicki finished the 2013 season with 26 caused turnovers, becoming the first Keydet to surpass the 20-caused turnover mark in a single season since the statistic became official in 2010. Prasnicki was also one of the best in the country during 2013, ranking fifth in caused turnovers per game (2.36) and he was the highest-ranked sophomore in the nation.
In addition to his duties with the varsity team, Mackin was the head coach of VMI’s highly-successful club lacrosse team as well. In two seasons as the head man, Mackin led the squad to back-to-back title games in the National Club Lacrosse League’s Blue Ridge-Tidewater Conference. In 2013, Mackin’s club squad claimed the league title, earning a berth in the NCLL national tournament, where the team reached the final four.
Mackin joined the Keydets after a year as a graduate assistant coach at Marymount University in Arlington, Va., earning a master’s in secondary education. He is a 2008 graduate of Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa., where he played a pair of seasons under Anken. Serving as a team captain senior year, his season was cut short after suffering a career-ending knee injury.
Following the injury, Mackin took on a role as an assistant coach, where he headed the man-down defense and assisted with team conditioning and scouting. During his student-teaching responsibilities at Marymount in the spring of 2009, he also served as an assistant coach at Hayfield Secondary School, which produced Robarge, who was drafted by Major League Lacrosse’s Denver Outlaws. Robarge was picked up 44th overall by one of the League’s top teams, and was named the MLL Rookie of the Week after his first game with the Outlaws, who eventually reached the League’s Championship game.
Mackin currently resides in Lexington with his wife, Terese.
