Former two-time team captain and Second Team All-MAAC defender Ryan Horsch was added to the Monmouth Men's Lacrosse staff as an assistant coach prior to the 2016 season and begins his second year in 2017.
In 2016 Monmouth reached the MAAC semifinals for the second consecutive season. The Hawks set a new high of seven wins, including a perfect 6-0 record on the road. Monmouth won its first overtime game in program history, a 14-13 triumph at Siena, a victory which sent the team to the postseason on the final day of the regular season.
Individually, five Hawks earned All-MAAC accolades, highlighted by First-Team defender Andrew Grajewski. Cooper Glass secured All-MAAC second team accolades, while Eamon Campbell, Griffin Figel and Gordon Phillips were All-Rookie picks.In the classroom, Monmouth excelled as well, placing 18 student-athletes on the MAAC All-Academic Team.
Horsch, a member of Monmouth's first-ever men's lacrosse team when it was established in 2013, was named a team captain in his first year with the program as a junior and served as a team captain as a senior as well. A 2015 Second Team All-MAAC defender, Horsch is one of just three Hawks to start all 27 games in the program's history to-date, joining fellow defenders Andrew Grajewski and Ryan Atkinson.
"After playing with these guys for two years you grow with them, they become family. You want to see them succeed and be part of their success," stated Horsch. "I have been able to do that by playing side by side with them, but this year I will be doing it from the sideline," Horsch said at the time of his hiring.
Horsch added, "I want to be on the field with these guys but I can't so coaching is the next best thing. It is definitely interesting being on the other side of things, seeing how Coach Fisher, Geison and McCutcheon prepare throughout the week to make sure our guys are ready. That is a process I want to be part of. Monmouth Lacrosse has become my family, and I want to see the program succeed and help it reach its goals."
“As a captain of our team during our first two seasons, Ryan was an invaluable leader of our team and was instrumental in helping us reach the conference tournament in only our second year," stated Fisher.
Horsch, who scored two goals and added an assist in his career, was the team leader in groundballs and caused turnovers in both 2014 and 2015, and helped lead the Hawks to the MAAC Championship semifinals as a senior.
FIsher added, "Ryan was a smart and passionate player during his time with us and acted as an extension of the coaching staff during his senior year. We are excited to have him join our staff this year.”
Monmouth finished 2015 with a 6-8 overall record, which included a victory over Rutgers University, and went 3-3 in the MAAC. The Hawks, who played in five one-goal games, finished fourth in the NCAA in scoring defense, allowing 7.64 goals per game (the NCAA leader was national champion runner-up Maryland [7.05]). In addition, the Blue & White ranked eighth in man-down defense (.717) and 18th in saves per game (11.86), while senior goalkeeper Garrett Conaway led the nation in save percentage and ranked third in goals-against-average.
