Harvard University Men's Lacrosse

Gerry Byrne became Harvard's 18th head coach in program history when he was named The Frisbie Family Head Coach for Harvard Men's Lacrosse on July 1, 2019, and enters his seventh season in 2026. 2025 was a historic season for Harvard men’s lacrosse, as the team posted 10 wins including a 4-2 mark in Ivy League play, the best record in the conference since the 2016 season. The results helped Harvard earn a spot in the Ivy League tournament field for the first time in nine years and earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last four seasons. Under Coach Byrne and his staff, the Crimson rose to as high as No. 9 in the national polls during the 2025 season.   Harvard men’s lacrosse posted a number of impressive results during the campaign, including six wins over ranked opponents, the biggest win being the team’s 15-14 upset win over No. 6 Syracuse on the road, the first ever win for the Crimson against the Orange. As the defensive coordinator, Byrne helped the Harvard defense set a new program record with 175 caused turnovers. The offense turned in 208 goals on the year which went down as the fifth most in program history.   Six player earned All-Ivy League honors under Byrne and his staff during the 2025 season including Sam King, who made history by becoming the first Tewaaraton Award Finalist in program history. King’s 66 point season also netted him First Team All-America honors – the first since 1962 at Harvard – and the NEILA New England Player of the Year Award. King went on to be selected in the PLL College Draft, another first for the program. Byrne was also named the 2025 NEILA Coach of the Year after guiding the Crimson to a 2025 NEILA Championship as the top team in the region.   The 2024 season saw the Crimson earn eight victories during a successful campaign in which the program rose to as high as No. 12 in the national polls. Under Byrne, the Crimson jumped out to a historic 6-0 start, marking the first time since 1990 the team had reached the mark. The Crimson posted two wins over ranked opponents including victories against No. 18 Bryant and No. 13 Michigan.   Seven players earned All-Ivy League honors in 2024 while Sam King earned Second Team All-America honors, the first “teamer” for the program in nearly 10 years. Other highlights for Byrne’s Crimson included a third consecutive USILA Team GPA Award and 12 NEILA Academic Team selections. The Crimson secured five wins, including a massive upset win over the No. 4 Cornell Big Red during the 2023 season in Byrne's fourth season. Byrne coached up a defensive unit that finished among the best in the nation in a number of different categories. Under Byrne's mentorship, Harvard had the third-best ride in the nation, holding teams to a .789 clearing percentage. Additionally, the defense finished fourth in the nation with 10.5 caused turnovers per game while the man-down defense allowed only nine goals all season, and finished as the best man-down unit in the Ivy League. Byrne also coached five players who earned All-Ivy honors and two players who landed on All-New England teams after strong seasons in 2023.  Byrne's third year of leadership brought great success for the Crimson. For the first time since 2014, Harvard earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. En route to its postseason success, Byrne led the Crimson to an 8-5 overall record and 3-3 Ivy League mark. Of those eight victories, four were over ranked opponents. Harvard had a consistent presence in the national rankings, reaching its highest ranking of the season at No. 10. Byrne coached five All-Ivy League selections and three All-NEILA honorees, including Greg Campisi who was named an All-American by USILA, Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine. Under Byrne's leadership, Harvard concluded the season ranked third in the nation in caused turnovers per game (10.08), 18th in groundballs per game (33.62) and 32nd in points per game (19.54).  The Ivy League/Harvard canceled the entire 2021 season due to COVID-19. Three of Byrne's recruits from the Class of 2024 were named to Inside Lacrosse's Power 100 Incoming Freshmen Rankings list. In his first year at the helm, Byrne led the Crimson to a 2-2 overall record before the Ivy League/Harvard canceled the remainder of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Byrne coached six USILA Scholar All-America honorees and recorded one win over a ranked opponent with a 10-9 victory over No. 19 UMass in its season opener.  Byrne’s leadership drastically improved the Harvard defense in 2020, which saw Harvard’s goals against average (GAA) improve from 14.78 to 11.25 GAA, moving from 71st in Division I to 37th. Under Byrne’s tutelage, Harvard’s man down defense improved from 41st in the nation, to fourth, giving up just one goal in four games. Byrne arrived in Cambridge from Notre Dame where he was an assistant coach for 16 seasons, covering two stints. His first stop in South Bend, Indiana, was from 1989-91, before returning in 2007. In between, Byrne served as head coach at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire, from 2003-06. Byrne helped the Fighting Irish to 14 NCAA tournament appearances (including 13 straight), 11 conference titles (regular season and tournament), and an overall record of 170-78 (.685). More impressive was the impact Notre Dame, which earned one of eight national seeds in 11 of the last 12 years, had once in the NCAA field as it reached the quarterfinal round or later on 10 different occasions, twice earning a spot in the finals (2010, 2014). Over his final 13 seasons at Notre Dame, Byrne helped tutor 62 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) All-Americans, with 15 of those selections earning first-team honors, and 13 USILA Scholar All-Americans. During Byrne's tenure, UND was also awarded the USILA Kelly Award (most outstanding goalie in NCAA Division I) twice and the USILA Schmeisser Award (top defensive player) three times. Byrne's work did not go unnoticed as he was named the 2011 Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association National Assistant Coach of the Year and was on the top coaching staff at the conference level three times, winning the coaching-staff-of-the-year award in the Great Western Lacrosse League twice (2007, 2009) and once in the Big EAST (2012). Under Byrne's watch, Notre Dame was one of the top defensive teams in the country. The Fighting Irish finished among the top five nationally in scoring defense seven times in the last 13 seasons, producing the nation's stingiest group in 2009 and 2012. The 2012 club also boasted the best man-down defense in Division I. In his final season in South Bend, Notre Dame finished the 2019 campaign ranked 14th in scoring defense and ninth in clearing percentage. Additionally, Byrne helped the Fighting Irish hold its opponents to seven goals or fewer in 50.2 percent of their games (103-of-205) since the start of the 2007 campaign and limited its foes to four goals or less on 19 occasions. While at Saint Anselm College, Byrne guided the Hawks to 16 victories with the 2005 squad setting the program record for lowest GAA, face-off winning percentage and ground balls in a season. Byrne played lacrosse collegiately at UMass Amherst, graduating cum laude in 1986, with a degree in economics. A two-year starter and an All-New England defenseman as a senior, Byrne helped the Minutemen to the 1986 NCAA quarterfinals. From Amherst, Byrne went on to enjoy a successful playing career. He was a four-time All-United States Club Lacrosse Association member and invited to the U.S. National Team tryouts three times (1989, 1997, 2001). Byrne, who earned his master's degree from Notre Dame, also collected All-Lake Placid Classic honors 11 times and was a nine-time All-Vail Shootout performer. In 1991, he was drafted by the New York Saints of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and played for the franchise in 1992. Byrne was later selected by the Rochester Knighthawks of the NLL and helped them to the 1997 championship. Three years later, Byrne came out of retirement after the Boston Cannons drafted him and ultimately led the team to consecutive MLL Final Four appearances. Byrne in 1999 was inducted into the New England Chapter of the United States Lacrosse Hall of Fame and was named the 2001 New Hampshire High School Coach of the Year while directing Souhegan High School. Outside of lacrosse, Byrne made his presence felt in other aspects of athletics, serving as managing director at Kiltegan Marketing Group, which is an integrated sports marketing services company. He was also the director of marketing at Cybex International and Brine, a major manufacturer of lacrosse equipment. He additionally owns the Premier Players Lacrosse Camps and founded the Texas Top-99. A native of Levittown, New York, Byrne was an All-Long Island Catholic League lacrosse player at Chaminade High. He is married to Dr. Tracy Byrne and the couple has three children, Rory, Pierre and Brandon.

Coach Neil Hutchinson enters his fourth season as the Offensive Coordinator with the Crimson in 2023. Focusing on individual player development, Hutchinson has a proven track record of success at his previous stops with Notre Dame, UMBC and Towson.  2025 was a historic season for Harvard men’s lacrosse, as the team posted 10 wins including a 4-2 mark in Ivy League play, the best record in conference action since the 2016 season. The results helped Harvard earn a spot in the Ivy League tournament field for the first time in nine years and earn an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last four seasons. With Coach Hutchinson’s help, the Crimson rose to as high as No. 9 in the national polls during the 2025 season.   Harvard men’s lacrosse posted a number of impressive results during the campaign, including six wins over ranked opponents, the biggest win being the team’s 15-14 upset win over No. 6 Syracuse on the road, the first ever win for the Crimson against the Orange. As the offensive coordinator, Hutchinson helped the Harvard offense turn in 208 goals on the year which went down as the fifth most in program history. A historic offensive season saw the Crimson score 13.87 goals (6th most in the nation) and post a man-up percentage of .500 (6th best nationally) while shooting the ball at a 32.4 percent clip (4th highest in the NCAA). In Coach Hutchinson’s offensive scheme Sam King (66 points), Jack Speidell (59 points) and Teddy Malone (49 points) became the first Harvard trio to reach 40 points each since 1996.   Six players earned All-Ivy League honors under Hutchinson and the rest of the Harvard staff during the 2025 season including Sam King, who made history by becoming the first Tewaaraton Award Finalist in program history. King’s 66-point season also netted him First Team All-America honors – the first since 1962 at Harvard – and the NEILA New England Player of the Year Award. King went on to be selected in the PLL College Draft, another first for the program.   The 2024 season saw the Crimson earn eight victories during a successful campaign in which the program rose to as high as No. 12 in the national polls. With Hutchinson’s help, the Crimson jumped out to a historic 6-0 start, marking the first time since 1990 the team had reached the mark. The Crimson posted two wins over ranked opponents including victories against No. 18 Bryant and No. 13 Michigan. Seven players earned All-Ivy League honors in 2024 while Sam King earned Second Team All-America honors, the first “teamer” for the program in nearly 10 years. During the 2023 season, Hutchinson led an offensive attack that was among the best in the Ivy League. Three players - Sam King, Owen Gaffney and Andrew Perry - earned All-Ivy League honors under his mentorship. Hutchinson worked closely with the man-up unit that was ranked as the best in the nation for a good portion of the season.  Huthcinson was a key part of the revival that the Harvard Men's Lacrosse program saw in 2022. Under his guidance the Crimson scored the most goals (171) since the 2015 season, which paced the team to an 8-5 record that helped them secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. Miles Botkiss and Sam King were rewarded with All-Ivy selections with Hutchinson's help and Austin Madronic '22 was drafted top-10 in the National Lacrosse League draft after a stellar seniro season in Hutchinson's offensive scheme.    During a shortened 2020 season due to COVID-19, multiple offensive players were on pace to set career highs in both goals and assists, with several players close to eclipsing those highs in only four games. Averaging nearly 12 goals per game, the Crimson offense scored on 36 percent of its shots, good for ninth at the Division I level.    Hutchinson joins the Crimson following a successful stint at Notre Dame. Working primarily with the midfielders and face-off specialists, Hutchinson helped guide Bryan Costabile (now with the PLL Atlas) to career highs in both goals and assists. Costabile was also the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, as well as a First Team All-American.   At previous stops with UMBC and Towson, Hutchinson’s impact was felt on the offensive end of the field. Hutchinson also served a role in the development of current PLL Cannon’s attackman Ryan Drenner during his time at Towson.

Wojcik was tabbed as the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Coach of the Year. During his six seasons at the helm of the Crimson, Wojcik has directed Harvard to a 47-44 overall record, including a pair of 10-win campaigns and 15 wins against ranked opponents. Five individuals have collected a total of eight USILA All-America accoloades, while 31 have been named All-Ivy League. Harvard posted a 7-7 record in 2015 while playing the ninth toughest schedule in the nation. The Crimson faced off against seven programs ranked in the national polls, and picked up three victories versus top-20 opponents. Six individuals received All-Ivy recognition, with five individuals garnering All-New England honors. Wojcik led the Crimson to a 6-8 overall record in 2013 after against playing the ninth toughest schedule in the nation, including games against seven ranked opponents throughout the course of the season. Wojcik saw five players earned All-New England and All-Ivy League honors highlighted by Devin Dwyers NEILA Rookie of the Year selection. In his first season on the Harvard sideline, Wojcik guided the Crimson to a 10-6 overall record, marking the most wins for the program since 1998. Harvard, which earned a spot in the Ivy League tournament final, finished tied for third in the Ancient Eight with a 3-3 mark and earned four all-conference selections, led by Dean Gibbons and Kevin Vaughan who were named to the All-Ivy first team. During the 2012 campaign, Wojcik led Harvard to as high as a No. 14 national ranking, and the Crimson began Ivy League play 2-0 for the first time since 1998. Harvard finished the season 5-2 at home and saw three players earn All-Ivy honors, most notably Jeff Cohen and Kevin Vaughan who were tabbed to the All-Ancient Eight first team. Wojcik, who was an All-American in lacrosse and All-Ivy League selection in soccer for the Crimson before serving as an assistant coach, returned to Cambridge after a two-year stint as the top assistant coach at Penn from 2009-10.  In addition to serving as offensive coordinator with the Quakers, Wojcik worked as the teams recruiting coordinator and was able to recruit an outstanding class that included two Under Armour All-Americans. During the 2010 season, Wojcik helped Penn earn five All-Ivy League selections, the most for the program since 2004.  The Quakers averaged 10.2 goals per game, the highest average at Penn in 10 years, and the teams extra-man offense ranked first in the Ivy League and third in the nation at 53 percent. Prior to his stint at Penn, Wojcik was the offensive coordinator at Bowdoin College in 2008, aiding in the Polar Bears run to their first NCAA tournament appearance, finishing the season ranked No. 20 nationally and 12-7 overall. Bowdoins offense ranked first in the New England Small College Athletic Conference that spring. Previously, he spent five seasons as an assistant coach in Cambridge under former head coach Scott Anderson.  As the programs offensive coordinator in 2006, Wojcik oversaw an offense that helped the Crimson earn its first NCAA Championship berth since 1996.  Wojcik also spent three years as the teams recruiting coordinator from 2005-07 and was the offensive coordinator from 2006-07. As a two-sport standout with the Crimson, Wojcik earned lacrosse All-America honors in 1996, captaining Harvard to the NCAA tournament.  He led the Crimson to a 15-12 victory against Hofstra in the first round of the tournament before the team fell to Virginia in the national quarterfinals.  He completed his career with 134 points on 89 goals and 45 assists, placing him first among midfielders and 15th overall on the programs all-time scoring list. In addition to his honors on the lacrosse field, Wojcik served as captain of the Harvard soccer team, earning two All-Ivy League honors and leading the team to an Ivy League title and an NCAA tournament appearance in the fall of 1994.  Prior to graduation, Wojcik was named the winner of Harvards Bingham Award, presented to the top male student-athlete in the senior class. In 2008, Wojcik was a featured speaker at the Intercollegiate Mens Lacrosse Coaches Association convention in 2008 for developing offensive personnel and in 2009 for shooting.  A member of the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the Westfield (N.J.) High School Athletics Hall of Fame, Wojcik graduated from Harvard with a bachelors degree in economics.  He also earned a masters of education in secondary education/social studies from Boston College in 2007. Wojcik and his wife, Kathryn, have three children, Jack, Clare and Emily. IN DIVISION I ATHLETICS