Baldwinsville native Ryan Lynn is getting his chance to coach women’s lacrosse at the NCAA Division I level.
Lynn, who was assistant coach at LeMoyne College the last two seasons, was named the head coach at St. Bonaventure University in Olean earlier this fall.
Aside from his LeMoyne duties, Lynn reinforced his Central New York ties by working with Doug Rowe, the long-time Baldwinsville girls lacrosse head coach, with the Central New York Elite Lacrosse Club.
After graduating from the University at Buffalo in 2004, Lynn earned a master’s degree in student personnel information at Buffalo State College, completing that degree work in 2008.
Meanwhile, from 2006 to ’09 Lynn served as an assistant coach at Buffalo State in both lacrosse and women’s basketball, adding to the workload.
Then, in the fall of 2009, Lynn returned to Central New York to assist LeMoyne’s new head coach, Beth Hewitt (a Liverpool native), as the Dolphins moved from Division I to Division II. He would ben an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, finding players close to home and as far away as Denver.
The move paid off, as LeMoyne made the 2011 NCAA national semifinals, rose to a national no. 2 ranking and led the nation in scoring defense, just 5.06 goals allowed per game. It also has now given Lynn a chance to be a head coach for the first time.
St. Bonaventure went 6-9 a season ago. The Bonnies’ 2012 roster features eight Central New York natives, including Baker High School graduate Taylor Ventre.