Kelly Ryan was named the Averett University women’s lacrosse head coach in June 2016.
After a year of recruiting, Ryan coached the Cougars in the spring of 2018 as the program made its return to Averett. The Cougars set the then-program records with 10 overall wins and four conference wins with Ryan at the helm. She produced four all-conference performers as the team multiple individual single-season records. That success grew in 2019 as Averett broke the program records with 14 overall wins and nine conference victories on their way to an appearance in the USA South Conference Tournament championship game. Ryan helped produce four all-conference selections and four all-tournament selections during the 2019 campaign. Ryan's third season at the helm was halted after only six contests. In her fourth season, Ryan guided the Cougars to a 6-6 overall record with a 4-2 mark in conference play, helping the Cougars make the USA South East Division finals. She produced a pair of all-conference selections as the team broke several individual and conference records.
Ryan came to Averett after serving as an assistant coach at Division II University of Tampa from 2014-16. Prior to that, she was an assistant for one season at Southwestern University, where she helped establish the university’s women’s lacrosse program from 2013-14, and also coached two seasons as a graduate assistant at Frostburg State University from 2011-2013.
A native of Long Island, New York, Ryan played four seasons at Catholic University, which won four consecutive Landmark Conference championships between 2008-11 and made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including the Elite 8 in 2008. A midfielder, Ryan earned Landmark All-Conference Second Team honors in 2010.
In addition to her coaching stops at the collegiate level, Ryan has also coached club teams or instructed clinics in Florida, Texas, New York and Virginia. She also served as an assistant cross country coach at Southwestern.
Ryan earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education in 2011 from Catholic and received her master’s degree in education with a concentration in special education from Frostburg State in 2013.
| KELLY RYAN'S YEAR-BY-YEAR COACHING RESULTS |
| Season |
Overall |
USA South |
Finish |
Postseason |
| 2018 |
10-8 |
4-5 |
6th |
USA South Conference Tournament quarterfinals |
| 2019 |
14-5 |
9-2 |
3rd |
USA South Conference Tournament finals |
| 2020 |
1-5 |
1-1 |
n/a |
Season halted early (COVID-19) |
| 2021 |
6-6 |
4-2 |
2nd East |
USA South Conference East Division finals |
| Totals |
31-24
(.564) |
18-10
(.643)
|
|
|
| COACHING HIGHLIGHTS |
• 1 CoSIDA Academic All-America selection
• 3 VaSID All-State selections
• 10 USA South All-Conference selections
• 4 USA South All-Tournament Team performers
• 1 Yeardley Reynolds Love Unsung Hero Award finalist
• Set program single-season records for overall wins and conference wins in 2019 |
*Last updated on 5/25/2021
