University of Hartford Men's Lacrosse

Ryan Martin enters his 10th season as head coach of the Hartford men’s lacrosse team in 2026 after being named the 14th coach in program history on June 2nd, 2016.  Over his first nine seasons the program has earned a record of 40-51 with a career winning percentage of .440.  In 2025, the Hawks ended the year 10-7 with a record of 6-2 in the Conference of New England (CNE). Hartford earned the three seed in the conference tournament defeating the six seeded University of New England on April 26th before falling in the semifinals to Wentworth Institute of Technology. During the 2025 campaign the Hawks had seven CNE All-Conference selections including the Rookie of the Year Shaun Wright. Hartford also had a pair of United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Scholar All-Americans in Nick DiDomizio and Jake Ojert becoming the fourth and fifth in program history to earn the honor.  Prior to being named head coach, Martin spent the previous two seasons on the Hawks’ coaching staff as the program’s top assistant in 2015 and 2016. Joining the staff as the Hawks’ offensive coordinator and goalie coach prior to the start of the 2015 season, Martin was quickly promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2016. That season, he helped pilot the Hawks to a historic run in the America East Championship as the Hawks became the first No. 4 seed in America East history to win the conference championship and earn an NCAA Tournament berth.  Hartford finished with a 4-11 record in 2019, but ended the season strong with wins in three of its final five games. That season, Martin helped build the man-up offense into one of the best in the nation, as it finished the campaign ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division I in scoring percentage (.441) with 1.7 extra-man opportunities per game.    The Hawks have seen strong growth on both ends of the field since Martin joined the coaching staff. He was responsible for the growth of Dylan Jinks (’19), who graduated as one of the top scorers in Hartford program history. Registering his 100th career goal during his senior campaign, Jinks, who was the America East’s Rookie of the Year in 2016, finished his career ranked No. 6 in points (176), No. 10 in goals (103) and No. 5 in assists (73).   Under Martin’s watch, Ryan Vanderford graduated in 2018 as one of the top goalies in program history, ranking No. 3 all-time in saves, No. 7 in saves per game, No. 5 in goals-against average and No. 2 in career victories.   Two Hawks have taken their careers beyond college to the professional rankings since Martin’s arrival. The Atlanta Blaze of the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) drafted 2018 graduate Griffin Feiner, who closed out his career with the third-most goals in program history, in April of that year. Seven months later, the MLL’s Florida Launch selected faceoff specialist Dylan Protesto after he graduated as the program’s all-time leader in faceoff winning percentage. The 2016 season was one for the books for the Hawks men’s lacrosse program, as Hartford posted the second-most wins in program history (11-7) while becoming the first team in America East history to win the conference tournament title as a four seed. The Hawks knocked off top-seeded UAlbany — which was ranked fourth in the nation — in the semifinals before earning the program’s second berth to the NCAA Tournament with a 17-16 win over Vermont in the championship game two days later. Martin has been heavily involved in overseeing the team’s academics and community service outreach. Since his arrival, 14 Hawks have been named to the America East All-Academic Team, including seven under his tenure as head coach. Most recently, Martin had a department-best 25 of his student-athletes earn America East Academic Honor Roll status for achieving at least a 3.0 GPA, with 15 of those players receiving Commissioner’s Honor Roll distinction (3.5+ GPA).   In addition, Hartford has increased its footprint in the community through Team Impact, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement and the annual “Stache for Cash” fundraising initiative. Martin has been on the college coaching scene for more than 14 years, having spent four seasons as head coach at SUNY Oswego (2011-14). Prior to Oswego, he enjoyed a four-year stint as an assistant coach at Nazareth College (2007-10). Martin began his coaching career as an assistant at Hampden Sydney College in 2005 before landing at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2006, where he was named interim head coach. During his time at SUNY Oswego, Martin piloted the Lakers to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1996-97. Highlighting his stint at Nazareth were two Empire 8 Championships and NCAA Division III Tournament berths in 2007 and 2009. In addition, Martin coached eight USILA All-Americans, two Empire 8 Players of the Year and four to USILA Scholar All-America Team selections at Nazareth. He was also a finalist for the National Division III Assistant Coach of the Year in his final season with the Golden Flyers. A native of Amherst, Mass., Martin was a standout goalie at Ithaca College. In three seasons with the Bombers, he was twice named a USILA Division III All-American in 2002 and 2003. Martin was also a three-time Empire 8 All-Conference Team selection, earning Second Team accolades as a sophomore before enjoying first-team honors in his final two seasons (2002, 2003). In addition, he was recognized as the Empire 8 Player of the Year in 2002, leading Ithaca to the Final Four of the NCAA Division III Tournament that season. Martin graduated from Ithaca in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He went on to receive a master’s degree in business administration from Nazareth in 2010.

Sanna enters his sixth season on the Hartford men's lacrosse coaching staff in 2025. Kevin joined the staff in 2019 in a volunteer capacity before being elevated in 2021.  He most recently worked with 2Way Lacrosse, a strong club program based in Connecticut, where he served as an assistant director. A native of Pittsford, N.Y., Sanna was a standout defender for the Hawks from 2013-17. Captaining the team in each of his final two seasons, he started 55 of the 58 games in which he appeared. Sanna also etched his name into Hartford's record book, as his 33 caused turnovers are the eighth-most in program history.   Sanna's career at Hartford was highlighted by what is arguably one of the top defensive plays in program history. With 71 seconds remaining in regulation and the Hawks trailing by one goal to fourth-ranked UAlbany in the semifinals of the 2016 America East Tournament, Sanna forced a pivotal turnover that led to the game-tying goal with 28 seconds remaining.    The Hawks went on to stun the Great Danes in overtime, 11-10, before defeating Vermont, 17-16, to claim the program's second America East Championship.    Sanna excelled in the classroom as well during his time in a Hartford uniform. A three-time America East All-Academic Team member in 2015, 2016 and 2017, he capped off his career by earning the America East's Elite 18 Award and earning a spot on the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's (NEILA) Academic All-New England Team.   Sanna graduated from Hartford's Barney School of Business with a degree in marketing in 2016. He continued his schooling at Hartford, earning his MBA in 2017.

Tim Cimini enters his fourth season as a member of the University of Hartford mens lacrosse coaching staff, as he was recently elevated to assistant coach in August of 2016. A native of West Hartford, Conn. Cimini joined the Hawks in fall of 2015 by way of Trinity College, where he served as an assistant coach for the previous two seasons. During his stint as an assistant coach at Trinity, Cimini was the teams defensive coordinator. His responsibilities extended to all aspects of the program, both on and off the field. In addition, Cimini earned his Masters degree in history from Trinity. Prior to joining the coaching staff at Trinity, Cimini worked as the head coach of the Connecticut Cardinals Lacrosse Clubs Maroon Team and was an assistant mens lacrosse coach at Saint Leos University, an NCAA Division II program located in Saint Leo, Fla. Cimini also brings a decorated playing career with him to Hartford. A graduate of Springfield College, he was a team captain who earned All-New England ECAC First Team laurels in 2011 and 2012 while also receiving All-NEILA Team accolades in the latter year. He earned his bachelors degree from Springfield College in English and education. In addition, Cimini traveled abroad for six months following his graduation, traveling to England where he coached, promoted and played lacrosse. Specifically, he worked with the Rochdale Lacrosse Club in Manchester, England.