TUCSON, Ariz. - The University of Arizona Men's lacrosse program is pleased to announce that Matt Blamey has been named the of head coach, effective immediately.

Blamey takes over for Spencer Fuqua, who resigned in May 2016 after coaching Arizona for one year.

Blamey comes to Arizona after two years as head coach at Sierra Nevada, an MCLA Divsion II school located in Lake Tahoe. In his two seasons at SNC, the Eagles finished with a combined record of 24-7, capturing two consecutive WCLL championships.

In 2017, Sierra Nevada achieved its highest national ranking ever as the No. 3 seed at the MCLA National Championships. Prior to SNC, Blamey served as head coach for Dominican University in San Rafael, Calif.

After a successful inaugural MCLA season with Dominican in 2015, Blamey was named the WCLL Division I Coach of the Year. He also served as defensive coordinator at Sonoma State for two years prior to taking over at Dominican.

Prior to relocating to California, Blamey was the founder and head coach of the Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA), the first NJCAA lacrosse program in the state. Before NOVA, he spent seven years as the head coach at South Lakes High School in Reston, Va., during which time he was recognized twice as the Liberty District Coach of the Year.

Growing up playing defense in Northern Virginia, Blamey earned multiple MVP honors as captain for Gar-Field High School. A four-year varsity player, he was selected first team all-conference three times, and was a two-time Virginia Commonwealth Games starter and an All-Met nominee his senior year.

After graduating in 1996, he continued his playing career as a defender with the University of Mary Washington.

"First and foremost, I would like to thank the executive board and hiring committee for the opportunity to come to the Arizona," Blamey said. "I am humbled and honored at the confidence everyone involved in this process has shown in me. The opportunity to coach such a talented group of athletes at an institution with as much to offer as the University of Arizona doesn't come around very often. We are going to do great things here in Tucson, and I am beyond thrilled to get started building the next chapter of Arizona lacrosse."

In addition to his recent on field success, it was Blamey's MCLA experience, enthusiasm, organizational strength, and his success building other programs that helped him stand out among a long list of candidates.

"We feel fortunate to have found someone who we believe is a perfect fit to lead the rebuild of the Arizona program and return it to national prominence, where it belongs" said Arizona team president, Zach Rogers. "We can't wait to get started."