The USA Lacrosse Boys’ National Team Development Program (NTDP) coaches have been named for the 2024 cycle.
Built as a pipeline for the U.S. Men’s National Team, the development program launched in 2019 and each year works with hundreds of the top high school players from around the country through three phases – regional tryouts, a national combine and ultimately USA Select Teams (U16 and U18) competing against international competition.
Serving as co-head coaches for the USA Select U18 team for the second straight year will be Steven Brooks and Drew Snider.
Brooks has been involved with the National Team Development Program since its inception in 2019. Currently an assistant coach with the PLL’s New York Atlas, he has experience coaching at multiple levels of the sport. A past participant with the U.S. national team, Brooks played 12 years of professional lacrosse and was a two-time MLL champion. The Illinois native also won two national championships and Syracuse and was voted the nation’s outstanding midfielder as a senior in 2008.
Snider is back with the National Team Development Program for the third straight year. A native of Washington, Snider won a gold medal with the 2018 U.S. men’s team and also won a bronze medal playing with the U.S. box team in 2015. An All-American at Maryland, Snider won four professional championships – three in the MLL and one in the PLL. As a coach, Snider led two different programs – O’Dea and Nathan Hale – to state championships in Washington and is also an assistant coach with the PLL’s Maryland Whipsnakes.
The assistant coaches for the U18 team are Cole Kirst and Will Snider.
Kirst was a captain for the 2022 U.S. U21 team that won gold in Ireland and is currently a member of the U.S. box training team. He plays professionally with Halifax in the NLL and the California Redwoods in the PLL. Kirst graduated from Lehigh in 2022 after a four-year career and then earned All-ACC recognition as a graduate student at Syracuse after a 37-point season in 2023.
Snider is currently the head boys’ lacrosse coach at O’Dea High School in Seattle. He was a starting midfielder at Maryland, helping the Terps to a national championship in 2017 and then went on to play professionally with the MLL’s Denver Outlaws. He is the younger brother of fellow coach Drew Snider, and their father, Kris, is a National Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee.
Serving as co-head coaches for the USA Select U16 team for the second year in a row will be Mark Glicini and Michael Gongas.
Glicini participated with the U.S. national team program on the training teams for both the senior team and the inaugural Sixes team. Glicini is a captain for Chaos LC in the PLL and helped the team win the 2021 league championship. A New Jersey native, Glicini was an All-American shortstick midfielder at Yale. He won the PLL’s Jimmy Regan Teammate Award in 2019 and also has professional box experience with the NLL’s San Diego Seals.
Gongas, a Long Island native, has been an assistant coach at Hofstra University since 2019. He began his collegiate career at Massachusetts and later transferred to Adelphi where he earned All-America honors. He has extensive experience coaching at a variety of levels of collegiate lacrosse with positions at Suffolk County CC, Presbyterian, Sacred Heart and Marist before his current role at Hofstra. He was also the equipment manager for the 2023 U.S. men's team that won the world championship in San Diego.
Tim O’Branski will serve as an assistant coach for the U16 team. O’Branski is in his third year as an assistant coach at Maryland and previously coached at Salisbury, Georgetown and Mercer in addition to a stint as the director of lacrosse operations at Johns Hopkins. He also served on the support staff for the 2014 U.S. men’s senior team and the 2016 U.S. men’s U19 team. As a player, O’Branski helped Salisbury to a pair of undefeated national championship seasons and was a team captain as a senior.
Serving as goalie coach for both USA Select teams is Jack Runkel. A Connecticut native, Runkel was an All-America at Loyola and set an NCAA record when he allowed just three goals in helping the Greyhounds to the NCAA championship. He coached at the collegiate level for seven years at Georgetown, Yale, Manhattan and LIU before stepping away to start The Goalie Workshop.
The USA Lacrosse National Team Development Program is sponsored by Cascade Maverik, STX, New Balance, Enovis, MedStar Health, NCSA, Gatorade, Hotel Planner and First Scout.
About USA Lacrosse
USA Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is a Recognized Sports Organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. As the governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse in the United States, USA Lacrosse leads the U.S. National Teams Program and establishes universal standards. With more than 400,000 members across the country, USA Lacrosse unites the community of players, coaches, officials, parents, and program leaders. Working together, we inspire participation, enrich the athlete experience, and support the growth of the sport.
