![\"Coach](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/3H9A8520-profile-600x745-1.jpg\")
Coach Carly Ritchlin<\/p><\/div>\n
Carly Ritchlin became head coach for women\u2019s lacrosse in August 2021, leading a roster of 30 athletes. \u201cI\u2019m excited to build a program around such strong women,\u201d she says. \u201cMy focus is on developing a foundation for success\u2014building a team culture, motivating the players, and being a positive influence in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the course of her 20-year coaching career, including 18 at nearby SUNY Geneseo, Ritchlin has stacked up more than 200 victories. She ranks among the top 20 active coaches in Division III in career wins.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to continuing the growth of our program and our players, on and off the field,\u201d she says. \u201cRochester is so full of opportunity, and I am impressed with its commitment to students, academics, and athletics.\u201d<\/p>\n
Eyeing opportunity<\/strong><\/h3>\nRitchlin is motivated by the potential she sees, the passion of the team, and the way the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ community has welcomed her. Joining the Rochester Athletics coaching staff was a bit of a surprise to her. The former head lacrosse coach, Sue Behme, told Ritchlin of her plans to take another job and invited her to campus, thinking that this could be a great fit for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe showed me all of the tremendous resources, including how the team gets the support of an assistant, a strength and conditioning coach, a sports psychologist, and a nutritionist,\u201d says Ritchlin. \u201cI was energized, and something clicked in me. I believed in what I saw happening here and knew I could add value and be successful here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Getting in the game<\/strong><\/h3>\nRitchlin has always loved sports. In high school, she played both soccer and lacrosse. A knee injury took her out of one soccer season and prompted her to focus on lacrosse. As a 2001 Cortland graduate, Ritchlin was a four-year letter-winner, a two-year starter, and captain during her senior campaign for the Red Dragons. She majored in exercise science and aspired to become a strength conditioning coach at a Division I school.<\/p>\n
An internship at RIT changed that. She worked with several teams, designing strength programs and developing agility workouts. Administration noticed her and offered her a part-time lacrosse coaching position. Ritchlin loved it. They then asked her to take on the head coach position for the spring season. \u201cThat job set me on the course of my career,\u201d she says. \u201cIt gave me the experience to get the Geneseo coaching position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enjoying the wins<\/strong><\/h3>\nWinning, to Ritchlin, comes in all forms, big and small. For instance, it comes when making connections with the team. \u201cIn one of our first workouts, I think I surprised the team with how enthusiastically I jumped into the motivational speaker role,\u201d says Ritchlin. \u201cThey fed off of it, and still do. I like to tell them that they have another gear in them\u2014they just need to find it and cultivate it. We all do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her favorite part of the job? The relationships. \u201cWhen I was 24 and coaching, my favorite part was winning,\u201d she says. \u201cBut now, at 44, it\u2019s about having a positive impact on these women. I take that seriously. If you take lacrosse out of the equation, I want them to leave here after four years as better people. If I can help them hone their strengths and great qualities while challenging them in the process, we\u2019re all better off, as a team and as people.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#e7e7e7″ css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
Personal: <\/span><\/b>Lives in Penfield with her husband, Scott; 15-year-old daughter, Mia; and 12-year old son, Ryan<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFavorite activities (outside of coaching): <\/span><\/b>I attend as many of my kids sporting events as possible. Ryan is a travel baseball player and Mia is on an Olympic development soccer team. I am also obsessed with landscaping, and I love golf.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBiggest challenge you\u2019ve overcome and how you did it: <\/span><\/b>I lost both my parents when they were young. My dad was 56 and my mom was 60. I draw on the amazing childhood they gave me and my three sisters. I think having gone through such loss helps me appreciate my family, my friends, and my lacrosse community even more. <\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOne think you\u2019ve wanted to do but never have: <\/span><\/b>Jump out of an airplane\u2014that would be amazing. <\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSomething you can\u2019t live without: <\/span><\/b>Music. It filled the house growing up and today I love all genres. Right now, I\u2019m really into Tina Turner. My daughter is starting to sing along to her, too.<\/span><\/p>\n
Ritchlin has always loved sports. In high school, she played both soccer and lacrosse. A knee injury took her out of one soccer season and prompted her to focus on lacrosse. As a 2001 Cortland graduate, Ritchlin was a four-year letter-winner, a two-year starter, and captain during her senior campaign for the Red Dragons. She majored in exercise science and aspired to become a strength conditioning coach at a Division I school.<\/p>\n
An internship at RIT changed that. She worked with several teams, designing strength programs and developing agility workouts. Administration noticed her and offered her a part-time lacrosse coaching position. Ritchlin loved it. They then asked her to take on the head coach position for the spring season. \u201cThat job set me on the course of my career,\u201d she says. \u201cIt gave me the experience to get the Geneseo coaching position.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enjoying the wins<\/strong><\/h3>\nWinning, to Ritchlin, comes in all forms, big and small. For instance, it comes when making connections with the team. \u201cIn one of our first workouts, I think I surprised the team with how enthusiastically I jumped into the motivational speaker role,\u201d says Ritchlin. \u201cThey fed off of it, and still do. I like to tell them that they have another gear in them\u2014they just need to find it and cultivate it. We all do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her favorite part of the job? The relationships. \u201cWhen I was 24 and coaching, my favorite part was winning,\u201d she says. \u201cBut now, at 44, it\u2019s about having a positive impact on these women. I take that seriously. If you take lacrosse out of the equation, I want them to leave here after four years as better people. If I can help them hone their strengths and great qualities while challenging them in the process, we\u2019re all better off, as a team and as people.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#e7e7e7″ css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n
Personal: <\/span><\/b>Lives in Penfield with her husband, Scott; 15-year-old daughter, Mia; and 12-year old son, Ryan<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFavorite activities (outside of coaching): <\/span><\/b>I attend as many of my kids sporting events as possible. Ryan is a travel baseball player and Mia is on an Olympic development soccer team. I am also obsessed with landscaping, and I love golf.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBiggest challenge you\u2019ve overcome and how you did it: <\/span><\/b>I lost both my parents when they were young. My dad was 56 and my mom was 60. I draw on the amazing childhood they gave me and my three sisters. I think having gone through such loss helps me appreciate my family, my friends, and my lacrosse community even more. <\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOne think you\u2019ve wanted to do but never have: <\/span><\/b>Jump out of an airplane\u2014that would be amazing. <\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSomething you can\u2019t live without: <\/span><\/b>Music. It filled the house growing up and today I love all genres. Right now, I\u2019m really into Tina Turner. My daughter is starting to sing along to her, too.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Favorite activities (outside of coaching): <\/span><\/b>I attend as many of my kids sporting events as possible. Ryan is a travel baseball player and Mia is on an Olympic development soccer team. I am also obsessed with landscaping, and I love golf.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Biggest challenge you\u2019ve overcome and how you did it: <\/span><\/b>I lost both my parents when they were young. My dad was 56 and my mom was 60. I draw on the amazing childhood they gave me and my three sisters. I think having gone through such loss helps me appreciate my family, my friends, and my lacrosse community even more. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One think you\u2019ve wanted to do but never have: <\/span><\/b>Jump out of an airplane\u2014that would be amazing. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Something you can\u2019t live without: <\/span><\/b>Music. It filled the house growing up and today I love all genres. Right now, I\u2019m really into Tina Turner. My daughter is starting to sing along to her, too.<\/span><\/p>\n