Photo courtesy of Tony Carter

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Head coach Dylan Sheridan of the Cleveland State University lacrosse program announced a pair of changes to his coaching staff Monday.

Sheridan promoted Matthew Bertrams to assistant coach while Ted Bergman was named the volunteer assistant coach.

During his first season on staff, Bertrams helped increase the Vikings' DI win total to four while facing six teams among the top 25 in the NCAA's RPI. Included among those four victories was Cleveland State's first road win over a Division I foe—an 8-7 victory at defending Southern Conference champion Air Force.

An Ohio native, Bertrams played in three NCAA Tournaments with the University of Albany and has competed for a trio of teams in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) across four seasons, most recently playing with the Boston Cannons. Bertrams recently signed a two-year contract to remain with the Cannons through 2020.

"Matt was an obvious choice to promote into a full-time role," Sheridan said. "Matt truly lives his life by the values all of us work so hard to impress on our young men, and his dedication to the development of our athletes—on and off the field—is unmatched. I'm grateful to have him on board."

Bertrams was an All-America East performer at Albany, earning the honor in 2015 as a short stick defensive midfielder. He served as a team captain in his senior season with the Great Danes, posting 11 goals, four assists and 31 ground balls while playing in all 19 games.

Bertrams helped Albany to a 41-14 record over his final three seasons, as the Great Danes won a trio of America East Tournament titles. Albany used upsets to reach the NCAA Quarterfinals in each of his final two seasons in upstate New York.

Bertrams was named a USILA Scholar All-American after his senior season and had also been featured on the America East Commissioner's Honor Roll.

A native of Mason, Ohio, Bertrams earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Albany in finance/management in 2015.

Bergman, a standout goaltender at Division III powerhouse Wesleyan University, brings significant experience playing and coaching overseas.

Bergman spent the past five summers living in Israel where he helped develop and coach lacrosse at the grassroots level. He was an assistant coach for Uganda at the 2018 World Championships this past summer and served as the head coach for the inaugural Slovenian national team at the 2016 European Lacrosse Championships in Hungary. 

"Ted brings a fresh set of eyes and unique perspective that is going to help us," Sheridan said. "We have a tremendously talented group of young goalies, and Ted's methodology will take their game to the next level. Ted's positive energy is already making an impact on the program, and I couldn't be happier he chose to join us in Cleveland."

Bergman was named National Goalie of the Year in 2017, earning the Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. honor from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. He was the first Wesleyan player to be named a First Team All-American as a goalie as he led the team to its first NCAA Final Four appearance in a decade. Bergman led the Cardinals on a program-record 20-game winning streak in his final season, which helped break school records for wins and conference wins. Wesleyan won the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament title for just the second time in school history as Bergman led the league with a 9.45 goals against mark while posting a .550 save percentage. Wesleyan held 15 of its 22 opponents to a single-digit goal total.

Bergman had helped Wesleyan to 10 wins in his junior season and earned All-NESCAC honors for the first of two successive campaigns.

Bergman was a team captain at Wesleyan and also earned All-Academic honors from the NESCAC on three occasions. He played in 48 collegiate games, spending over 2,200 minutes in the cage.

Bergman also spent two seasons playing in the Israel Premier Lacrosse League. He earned league MVP honors and was a two-time All-IPLL First Team selection. Following his playing days, Bergman served as the Commissioner of the league, which featured players from seven different countries.

A native of Meida, Pa., Bergman earned a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Wesleyan in 2017. He proceeded to earn a Master of Arts in Public Policy in conflict resolution and mediation from Tel Aviv University in 2018.