Chris Ryan was named the sixth coach in men's lacrosse history in July 2023.
Ryan comes to Emmitsburg after a storied career with Mercyhurst University. At the helm of the Lakers' program since 2000, Ryan has led Mercyhurst to an impressive run over the past two decades. His teams went 268-69 and took home the Division II national championship in 2011, defeating Adelphi to take home the hardware. This past season, he helped lead the Lakers to the D-II national title game, using an upset of #1 Le Moyne in the semifinals to achieve the feat. Mercyhurst finished the year with a mark of 16-3, won its third Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship (GMAC) in four seasons, and advanced to its fourth straight NCAA Tournament.
Mercyhurst won nine conference championships in his tenure, winning titles in the NYAC, East Coast Conference, Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference and GMAC during Ryan's tenure. This helped the team punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament 12 times, making at least the semifinals on nine occasions.
In addition to his time on Mercyhurst's campus, he works on the staff of the Waterdogs, a Premier Lacrosse League squad.
A member of various committees during his coaching career, he serves at present on the USILA Division II All-American committee, holding the post since 2019. Further administrative accomplishments include representation for Division II to the USILA from 2006-11, and the NCAA Division II Regional Advisory Committee from 2006-08.
Originally from Rochester, New York, Ryan earned recruitment out of Irondequoit High School to Monroe Community College in the same city. After two seasons there, he competed for the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets out of Ashland, Virginia, graduating from the school in 1998.
THE RYAN FILE
| Season |
Record |
Confernce |
Notes |
| 2001 |
9-3 |
- |
|
| 2002 |
8-6 |
- |
|
| 2003 |
11-3 |
- |
NCAA Semifinals |
| 2004 |
11-2 |
- |
NCAA Semifinals |
| 2005 |
11-3 |
- |
|
| 2006 |
12-3 |
- |
NCAA Semifinals |
| 2007 |
13-2 |
- |
NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2008 |
9-4 |
- |
|
| 2009 |
11-3 |
4-2 |
|
| 2010 |
13-1 |
9-1 |
|
| 2011 |
14-2 |
8-2 |
NCAA D-II Champions |
| 2012 |
13-1 |
10-0 |
NCAA Semifinals |
| 2013 |
18-1 |
7-0 |
NCAA Runner-Up |
| 2014 |
12-4 |
6-1 |
NCAA Quarterfinals |
| 2015 |
8-6 |
5-2 |
ECAC Semifinals |
| 2016 |
15-3 |
7-1 |
NCAA Opening Round |
| 2017 |
12-3 |
6-0 |
GMAC Tournament |
| 2018 |
11-5 |
5-2 |
GMAC Tournament |
| 2019 |
13-4 |
5-1 |
GMAC Champions, NCAA Opening Round |
| 2020 |
5-0 |
|
Ranked No. 2 in the country (COVID-19 shortened year) |
| 2021 |
12-2 |
6-0 |
NCAA Semifinals, G-MAC Regular Season and Tournament Champ |
| 2022 |
11-5 |
6-0 |
NCAA Opening Round |
| 2023 |
16-3 |
6-1 |
NCAA National Champion Runner-Up |
| Total |
268-69 |
90-13 |
at Mercyhurst |
| 2024 |
1-14 |
1-8 |
|
| 2025 |
4-10 |
2-6 |
|
| Total |
5-24 |
3-14 |
at Mount St. Mary's |
| Career |
273-93 |
93-27 |
