COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Ursinus Director of Athletics Erin Stroble announced Monday the hiring of Ryan Burke as the new head Ursinus Men's Lacrosse Head Coach.
 
 
Burke comes to Ursinus after spending a season as an assistant coach on the Babson Men's Lacrosse team. He helped lead the Beavers to their third straight New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship and advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
 
"We are excited to welcome Ryan to lead our men's lacrosse program," Stroble said. "His passion for coaching lacrosse and his focus on the holistic development of student-athletes make him an excellent leader for our UC Men's Lacrosse program and we look forward to welcoming him to Collegeville."
 
 
Burke went to Babson following a two-year stint as the first head men's lacrosse coach in program history at Division II William Jewell University in Liberty, Mo. After being hired in May 2022, he recruited 30 first-year players and led the Cardinals to a 7-8 record in their inaugural 2024 season.
 
 
Prior to becoming the head coach at William Jewell, Burke spent two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Montevallo in Alabama. While running the offense and working with the goalies and face-off unit, he helped the Falcons capture a pair of Peach Belt Conference championships in addition to ranking among the top 30 in Division II in both scoring offense and scoring defense in 2021 and 2022.
 
 
He replaces Corey Shaffer, who spent the past three seasons as the Ursinus Head Men's Lacrosse Coach.
 
 
"I am deeply honored to accept the position of Head Men's Lacrosse Coach at Ursinus College," Burke said. "I knew from the moment I stepped on campus it was a perfect fit, the energy, the people and the sense of purpose here are truly special I want to thank the search committee for the opportunity to lead this proud program. My goals are to build a team defined by hard work, discipline, and integrity, while making a meaningful impact on the greater Ursinus community. I'm excited to get start and to work with our student-athletes, alumni, and supporters to continue pushing this program forward."
 
 
A 2014 graduate of Saint Leo University, Burke was a four-year midfielder for the men's lacrosse team and served as captain during his senior season. He finished second in assists (10) and third in points (27) during his final campaign and produced 30 goals and 20 assists to go along with 37 caused turnovers and 28 ground balls in 50 career games for the Lions.
 
 
Burke began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater in 2014 and promoted to a full-time role as the offensive coordinator prior to the 2017 season. The Lions ranked fourth in Division II in scoring offense in that year and then advanced to NCAA Tournament national championship game for the first time in school history in 2018.
 
 
A native of Virginia Beach, Va., Burke also served as a volunteer assistant coach at Division I Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., where he assisted with the defense, goalies and face-off unit.
 
 
Along with his criminal justice degree, Burke also earned his master's degree in sports business from Saint Leo in 2017.