US Lacrosse on Wednesday announced Yale men’s lacrosse coach and 2018 national champion Andy Shay as a featured speaker for boys’ lacrosse coaches at the 2019 US Lacrosse Convention (LaxCon), set for Jan. 11-13 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
Shay has built the Bulldogs into a consistently excellent program during his 15-year tenure as head coach, culminating in their first NCAA championship and a school-record 17 wins last season. The Ivy League and the Eastern College Athletic Conference named Shay their coach of the year. The specific day and time of Shay’s LaxCon session will be announced later.
“Being a coach represents a critical role in the lives of young people, and as coaches we need to continue to develop our craft in order to have a positive influence on our athletes,” Shay said. “Whether it’s new Xs and Os of lacrosse or best practices in other aspects of coaching, the US Lacrosse Convention represents a great learning opportunity for lacrosse coaches at all levels. I’m looking forward to speaking at the event.”
Shay sports a 138-85 record with the Bulldogs, and their .700 winning percentage during the last nine seasons represents the best such stretch in program history. Included in Yale’s rise to the top under Shay are five Ivy League tournament championships, three Ivy League regular-season titles and six trips to the NCAA tournament.
Prior to Yale, Shay served as an assistant coach at UMass and Delaware. He played collegiately at Le Moyne, where he was an All-Empire League defenseman as a senior and a two-time team captain.
“Many high school and youth coaches don’t just coach teams; they build programs,” Kim Rogers, director of events at US Lacrosse, said. “Andy Shay represents one of the sport’s best program builders, and I’m sure his comments will resonate with attendees. We’re thrilled and grateful that he will speak at LaxCon.”
LaxCon represents lacrosse’s largest educational event and trade show, drawing upwards of 7,000 each year to learn the game, network with others in the community and then develop the sport locally upon returning home. Members of US Lacrosse save $40 on registration, which is expected to open to the public shortly after Labor Day.
