Coach Ryan Licht
Ryan Licht of Branchburg has been named Immaculata High School’s new Boys Lacrosse Coach, replacing Coach Tom Mott who established the program and retired from the position after a 20-year stint.
Licht brings an outstanding portfolio of professional lacrosse playing experience, as well coaching nearly 10 years on the high school level. A star player at Bridgewater-Raritan High School, Nassau Community College, and Fairleigh Dickinson University, Licht was the team captain in college and won a National Championship and numerous awards. Licht, a native of Ireland, has been a member of the Irish National Team since 2003. He served as Captain for 8 years and his team has won the Celtic Cup in 2005, won a European Championship in 2012, and played in four different World Games, which is a record in itself. In addition, in the 2014 World Games located in Denver Colorado, Licht was an Honorable Mention All World Defenseman, as well as a member of the All Europe Team three times, and a First Team Celtic Cup and Gold Medalist in 2005.
Drafted in 2014 by the Denver Outlaws in the Major Lacrosse League, Licht played for them, as well as the New Jersey Pride and San Francisco Dragons. For the National Lacrosse League, Licht has played with the Philadelphia Wings, Boston Blazers and Anaheim Storm. He was also drafted twice in two other Indoor Professional Lacrosse Leagues, by the Jacksonville Bullies and Rhode Island King Fish. In addition to being an elite field player, through hard work and commitment, Licht flourished in the indoor game, a sport that has been dominated by Canadians.
Licht served as a Coach for Creekside High School in Florida, Assistant Lacrosse Coach at Somerville High School, Coaches for Resolute Force Lacrosse Club and Coach’s his own boys’ Lacrosse team, the Branchburg Barrage.
“I am so thrilled to have an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Coach Tom Mott, who built this program and established a legacy of championship teams and players who excelled at college lacrosse. Add to that, the storied traditions of Immaculata athletics over the last 50 plus years and you can see why any coach would be honored to be part of this program.
“A kindergarten teacher by profession, I view coaching as an extension of my role in the classroom. In my life, family, faith, and schooling come first. I ‘preach’ hitting the books to my players, because that is essential for success. Of course, I have great passion for lacrosse and I will be teaching skills and strategies every day on the field. Ultimately, my role is to encourage my players to do their best and never lose focus on the end goal: being a man with strong values, education, and a positive approach to life. Of course, we plan to have fun and win a lot of games.”
Athletic Director Tom Gambino feels the addition of Ryan Licht to the coaching staff is the perfect next step in the Boys Lacrosse Program. “We were blessed with Coach Mott’s leadership for years; he built Boys Lacrosse from the ground up and we are very proud of his teams’ accomplishments. With Coach Licht’s experience as a player, kindergarten teacher and coach, he will bring our program to the next level and we are very excited to have him as a Spartan.”