The Changing Face of Spring Sports
Men's Lacrosse to be New Varsity Sport, Scott Rynne to Coach Team,
Tim Briggs Becomes New Crusader Baseball Head Coach
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) - Men's lacrosse will become the 22nd varsity sport (11 men's, 11 women's) at Susquehanna University in the spring of 2000 and former Williams College player and head coach of the Lacrosse Club team at Claremont (Calif.) College Scott Rynne will be the head coach of that program. Rynne will also serve as an assistant coach with the Crusader football team.
In addition to a new spring sport, the baseball team will have a new head coach as Tim Briggs has been promoted to that position after serving as an assistant coach the past two seasons. Briggs promotion was facilitated by a reconfiguration of the Crusader coaching staff with Rynne's position bringing another full-time coach to the staff.
Rich Mease had been the Susquehanna head baseball coach the past two seasons and compiled a 30-32 record (.484), including a 21-10 mark in his first season in the position. Mease also served as an assistant coach for two seasons in 1995 and '96, helping Susquehanna earn its first Middle Atlantic Conference baseball championship and win its first NCAA Division III Championship Tournament game while going 25-12-2 in 1995.
MEN'S LACROSSE/SCOTT RYNNE
The decision to add men's lacrosse as a varsity sport was made because of general student enthusiasm and university recruitment goals.
"There's been a lot of student interest on campus in lacrosse. It's a growing sport nationally, particularly here in the East," said Susquehanna Director of Athletics Don Harnum. "I also think adding men's lacrosse will help Susquehanna meet its goal of 1,800 students by the year 2004."
The men's lacrosse program will compete on a club level this spring with six to eight games according to Harnum, and will join the MAC during its first varsity campaign the following year. The team will play its home games on the athletic field behind the Admissions House.
Susquehanna added women's lacrosse as a varsity sport in 1990. The team recorded its first winning season in 1998 while advancing to the MAC Championship Match before finishing 9-7 l in the first season under head coach Gina Lucido.
"Every campus that has men's lacrosse has seen the program become the spectator sport of the spring. I believe the addition of this program will bring a new level of excitement to our spring sports schedule," said Harnum.
Rynne played lacrosse and football throughout his combined eight years at both Lincoln-Sudbury High School in the suburbs of Boston, Mass., and Williams College. At Williams, he was a member of two undefeated football teams (1989 and '90), helping the program post a combined record of 26-5-1 during his career. A starting offensive lineman, Rynne earned the Belvedere Brooks Memorial Award as the team's Most Valuable Player as a senior, also earning all-league and All-New England honors.
Following graduation from Williams with a bachelor of arts degree in history in 1991, he became a history teacher at The Salisbury School in Salisbury, Conn., also serving as head football coach and assistant lacrosse coach between 1991 and '95. Rynne turned the football program around, taking it from being a traditional losing team to a Western New England playoff appearance in 1995.
He left Salisbury in 1995 to become the football offensive line coach and offensive coordinator at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, as well as the head coach of the Lacrosse Club at Claremont College. His lacrosse team finished first in its league the past two years. He helped the Pomona-Pitzer football team record its first winning season in 25 years during his first season there. The squad was 6-2 in 1998.
"Scott comes to us with exactly the qualifications we were seeking. He has an excellent background as both a player and coach in both football and lacrosse," said Harnum. "He's very excited about the opportunity to develop his own varsity program."
"I think the greatest thing about building a new program at a school like this is creating something that matches the school. At Susquehanna, there is already a great athletic tradition, great academic program, and a great location from a recruiting standpoint - so there's already a match before it's (men's lacrosse) has even begun," said Rynne. "The location here is perfect for men's lacrosse since we'll be looking to recruit players from New England, New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia - and we are located in the hub of the wheel, so to speak.
"Football has also been a big part of my life as an athlete and a coach and I think the football program Coach Briggs runs here at Susquehanna is a great model for me to use for my lacrosse program. I'm certainly going to try and recruit some great football/lacrosse athletes, since lacrosse appeals to many of the same players but offers a different way to succeed."
TIM BRIGGS
Briggs recently completed his third football season since joining his older brother and head coach Steve Briggs as Susquehanna's defensive coordinator. He's been the Crusader assistant baseball coach the last two seasons, helping the 1997 team go 21-10.
The younger Briggs brought an impressive resume to Selinsgrove, serving the previous seven seasons on the staff at NCAA Division II American International College - with the last three as defensive coordinator. While serving as AIC's defensive coordinator, Briggs worked with the team's outside linebackers.
He earned his master's degree in education from American International in 1992. He earned his bachelor's degree from Western New England College in Springfield, Mass., in 1988. At WNEC, he earned three varsity letters as a defensive tackle, serving as a co-captain in 1987.
Prior to WNEC, he was both a football and baseball starter at Lee (Mass.) High School before graduating in 1984, also playing American Legion baseball in the summers.
"All the players seem to be real positive and upbeat about this season. We're going to go out and work on the little things and hopefully get better," said Briggs.
"Tim (Briggs) has served an apprenticeship as a baseball coach the past two years which has prepared him for this position. He's an enthusiastic and knowledgable coach who knows how to work with young people," said Harnum.
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