Justin Axel ready to lead Salisbury University men’s lacrosse into its next chapter

SALISBURY, Md. – In June, Jim Berkman–the legendary head coach of Salisbury University men’s lacrosse–announced that he would be stepping down after 38 seasons and 13 national championships. At the time, longtime assistant coach Justin Axel was tabbed as the interim head coach of the team.

On Tuesday, August 4th, the interim tag was dropped, and Axel was officially named as the program’s leader. “This is one of the premier jobs in the country, I’m just very blessed to have the opportunity,” he said.

It’s a premier job–a premier opportunity–in part because of what Jim Berkman helped the program accomplish in his time at the helm. Axel had the opportunity to work with and learn from him for 18 years.

“Obviously, [Berkman is] a master at the X’s and O’s and just an incredible coach, incredible motivator,” Axel said of the former head coach’s strengths. “To get a group of 50 guys working as hard as they possibly can each and every year and creating those standards, to make sure our guys are preparing themselves for a championship each and every year, I think is what really sets him apart from a lot of coaches.”

Axel was a part of a coaching staff that helped the program bring home four NCAA championships from 2003 to 2007.

“When you win that first one, there’s no better feeling than it,” Axel said. “But as you kind of mature and you start to develop young men, when we talk about the winning here and the championships, it’s not for me. It’s not for our coaches. It’s for our guys…And when you see them experience that for the first time, I mean, that’s really what keeps you coaching”

In 2008 He made his head coaching debut at Eastern Connecticut State, leading the warriors to three postseason appearances in seven seasons. But in 2014, Axel was prompted to return to the Eastern Shore when Coach Berkman finally received a full-time assistant position on his staff: “When I was at Eastern Connecticut, I felt like I hit a ceiling a little bit. You know, I was fundraising for balls. The budget wasn’t quite what it was or what it needed to be…After being here and leaving. You don’t realize what a bubble Salisbury University is from an educational standpoint, from an athletic standpoint,”

Now 12 years after returning to the Sea Gulls, Axel found himself as the right man for the job, tasked with advancing a legacy built on 13 national championships. “It’s really our job to carry that torch on and to enhance it as much as we possibly can,” he said, noting, “We have to reinvigorate our standards a little bit, gotta play a little bit harder. We’ve got to play a little faster. We’ve got to get back to the fundamentals a little bit.”

Even as one of the most prominent brands in the lacrosse world, the Sea Gulls have claimed just one NCAA title in the past nine years (2023). If there’s any pressure that comes with championship expectations Axel didn’t feel it.

“To be able to come in here and call this work and call this my life is just–it’s a dream come true. It really is.”