Erie, Pa. - After a storied career at the helm for the Lakers, Men's Lacrosse Head Coach Chris Ryan sees his time come to an end, joining Mount St. Mary's for the 2024 season.

Ryan finished his 23rd season with Mercyhurst at the conclusion of the 2023 season. Over the course of his time, he has accumulated a record of 268-69 for a winning percentage of 79.5%. Ryan established himself early on in his tenure with a 9-3 record in his inaugural season before following with 22-straight winning campaigns, winning 10 or more games in 18 of those with 16 coming in 2023 for the second-most under Ryan's tutelage. Ryan added a national title to his long list of accomplishments in the 2011 season with the Laker's 9-8 win over Adelphi while reaching the national championship on three other occasions.

"When I arrived at Mercyhurst 10 years ago, Chris Ryan was one of the first coaches to welcome me to Erie," said Interim Athletic Director Andy Simon-Wambach. "While we are sad to see Chris go, we are grateful for his leadership of the Men's Lacrosse program for the last 24 years. We are committed to maintaining the standard he has set and look forward to the continued success of our lacrosse program."

Ryan and company come off of one of the best seasons in the program's history, going 16-3 over the course of the 2023 campaign while winning the GMAC Championship and making it to the NCAA DII National Championship. The Lakers outscored their opponents 292-168 over the course of the year while having a season-high winning streak of eight come in the later part of the season, beginning on April 19th and finishing with an 11-10 win over Le Moyne in the NCAA Semifinals.

The team racked up the awards with 11 All-GMAC honorees while earning the conference offensive player, defensive player, and specialist of the year awards. The Lakers did not stop there as they also had eight USILA All-Region and nine USILA All-American honorees, including the USILA Player of the Year in Shawn Doran to put a bow on a historic year for a storied program.

Mercyhurst has already begun a national search to hire the next men's lacrosse head coach.