Albany, NY – The Sage Colleges has selected Ryan Lanigan (Ronkonkoma, NY) as its first head coach of the Gators' new men's lacrosse program. Lanigan will coach his first game for Sage in the spring of 2019 when the team competes as a member of the Empire 8.
Lanigan arrives at Sage after spending the last two seasons at Misericordia University (Dallas, PA) and helped to guide the Cougars to the NCAA Division III Tournament in 2017 after an impressive 7-0 showing in the Freedom Conference. A 2014 graduate of Lebanon Valley College, Lanigan became the first USILA All-American in the program's history after garnering a spot on the third team as a senior long stick midfielder as a senior.
"I am extremely grateful and excited to be the first-ever Head Men's Lacrosse Coach at The Sage Colleges," noted Lanigan of his selection. "I would like to thank Dani Drews, Sandy Augstein-Collins, Allison Coleman and the members of the search committee for this incredible opportunity to mold a lacrosse program from the beginning. Sage is a community committed to empowering students to develop both personally and professionally. This institution is the perfect fit for me as we transition into the competitive Empire 8 Conference. I look forward to building this team with hard-working gentlemen that want to succeed in the classroom and on the field," added Lanigan.
Director of Athletics, Sandy Augstein-Collins said of Ryan, "Sage is delighted to welcome Ryan to our newly created men's lacrosse program coaching position." She added, "We are looking forward to the growth of the program under Ryan's direction as we begin competing in the Empire 8 in the spring of 2019. Ryan has experienced a start up program from the student-athlete side and therefore, brings a unique perspective that will benefit our student-athletes and our program immediately."
Prior to joining the coaching staff at Misericordia, Lanigan was an assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Assumption College. During his only season, the team set a program record with nine wins and qualified for the North East-10 Conference Playoffs for the second time in program history.
As a college student-athlete, he was a defensive leader for the Lebanon Valley College Dutchmen throughout his career, which spanned from 2011-2014. The defender led the Dutchmen in ground balls and caused turnovers his final two years in the Blue and White, picking up 101 ground balls and causing 56 turnovers and holds the career mark for most ground balls (356) and caused turnovers (208). A USILA All-American, the first in the program's history, and an All-Commonwealth Conference First Team selection, Lanigan was a team captain his junior and senior seasons with the Dutchmen and set an LVC single-game modern program record with seven caused turnovers last season at Albright in the ECAC Mid-Atlantic semifinals. Lanigan and the Dutchmen fought their way into the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Tournament in 2014, finishing the regular season with an overall record of 7-7.
Lanigan added, "I would like to thank mentors John Haus, Keith Loftis, and James Ricardo for everything they have taught me not only as a coach, but as a person." He continued, "I would also like to thank my family for their constant love and support. Finally, I want to thank every student-athlete, who has played hard for me because I would not be here without your efforts."
Earlier this spring The Sage Colleges announced that it will be adding two new varsity teams to its athletics program. Endorsed by President Susan Scrimshaw and Sage's Board of Trustees, the Gators will compete in field hockey and men's lacrosse beginning with the 2018-2019 academic year. The new teams elevate the total number of Sage's varsity offerings to 17.