University of Hartford

West Hartford, CT 06117

Connecticut Northeast

Private Small Developing team

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Jen Nardi

Jen Nardi enters her first season as head coach of the Hartford women's lacrosse team in 2022. Becoming the second coach in the young four-year history of the program in September 2021, Nardi joins the Hawks from Manhattanville College, where she served as head coach of the Valiants for four seasons from 2018-21.

Nardi compiled 21 wins during her time at Manhattanvile. Her career was highlighted by a 2018 campaign that saw the Valiants score a school-record 258 goals and finish in a three-way tie for first place in the competitive MAC Freedom.

Each of Nardi's final two seasons at Manhattanville in 2020 and 2021 were shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Valiants were off to a great start in 2020 prior to the shutdown, though, as they started off the campaign with a 4-1 record after averaging 17.2 goals per game and holding opponents to just 8.6 scores per contest.

Prior to landing at Manhattanville, Nardi was the head coach at Smith College from 2012-14. In her first season in 2012, she led the Pioneers to the finals of the ECAC New England Region Championship for the first time in program history. In addition, she was named Smith's Coach of the Year after finishing that season with a 10-9 record, the most wins in a single season in program history.

Nardi coached at the club level before taking over as Executive Director of Brooklyn Crescents Lacrosse in January of 2016. She spent two years managing all logistics of the program, which features more than 600 youth athletes of all ages.

Nardi brings a wealth of experience at the Division I level to Hartford, previously spending time as an assistant coach at the University of Vermont, the University of Massachusetts, Long Island University and the University of California. She also served as the interim head coach at Colby College in 2007, where she helped lead the team to an 8-7 record and a Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament berth.

Nardi enjoyed an illustrious collegiate career at UMass. A goalie from 1998-01, she graduated as the program's all-time leader in saves and finished with a stellar 7.91 goals-against average and .624 save percentage over 55 career games.

An Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Northeast Region First Team selection as a junior in 2000, Nardi helped pilot the Minutewomen to an Atlantic 10 Championship after she led all NCAA Division I goalies in both goals-against average (6.75) and save percentage (.644). The year before, she shattered the school record after posting a .700 save percentage.

Graduating from UMass in 2001 with a degree in hospitality and tourism management, Nardi went on to earn her master's degree in sport management from Southern New Hampshire University in 2013.

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Elizabeth Morrison

Elizabeth Morrison begins her first year as a member of the Hartford women's lacrosse team's coaching staff in 2021-22. A native of Stonington, Conn., Morrison joined the Hawks as an assistant coach in September of 2021.

Morrison comes to Hartford by way of Trinity College, where she was an assistant coach for both the women's lacrosse and field hockey teams for three seasons, from 2018-21. While working with both teams, she assisted with the day-to-day operations of the programs while helping to develop 11 All-Conference, eight All-Region and four All-American honorees.

In addition to coaching at the collegiate level, Morrison also coaches with her former club team, Nor'Easter Lacrosse, based out of New Haven, Conn. She is also a CrossFit Level 1 trainer at CrossFit Hartford.

Prior to beginning her collegiate coaching career at Trinity, Morrison was a standout two-sport athlete at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ), where she played three seasons of field hockey (2015-17) and was a four-year member of the women's lacrosse team (2015-18).

Morrison enjoyed a decorated career on the lacrosse field for TCNJ, graduating as the program's single-season and all-time record holder in ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers. Anchoring the Division's lowest scoring defense each of her four years, she became the first — and only — player in Division III women's lacrosse history to earn four All-American honors from the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA).

In addition, Morrison was the only player across all three divisions to earn National Defender of the Year honors in non-consecutive years (2016, 2018). She was also the only Division III player to be named to the prestigious Tewarraton Award Watch List in 2018.

A two-time Longstreth/NFHCA Division III South Atlantic All-Region selection and a two-time NJAC All-Conference performer in field hockey in 2016 and 2017, Morrison capped off her career by earning NJAC Attacker of the Year and All-American honors as a senior after pacing the Lions' offense with 41 points on 16 goals and nine assists.

Leading the Lions to 53 wins during her three seasons with the field hockey team, Morrison tallied 102 career points.

As a student-athlete and an assistant coach, Morrison brings an abundance of experience at the Division III level. She led TCNJ to four NCAA Division III Final Four appearances as a player, and worked for a national-level program during her time at Trinity.

Morrison graduated from TCNJ in 2018 with a degree in biology. She went on to earn her Master's degree in public policy from Trinity.

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Ryan Martin

Ryan Martin enters his sixth season as head coach of the Hartford men’s lacrosse team in 2023. Named the 14th coach in program history on June 2, 2016, Martin spent the previous two seasons on the Hawks’ coaching staff as the program’s top assistant in 2015 and 2016.

Joining the staff as the Hawks’ offensive coordinator and goalie coach prior to the start of the 2015 season, Martin was quickly promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2016. That season, he helped pilot the Hawks to a historic run in the America East Championship as the Hawks became the first No. 4 seed in America East history to win the conference championship and earn an NCAA Tournament berth.

Hartford finished with a 4-11 record in 2019, but ended the season strong with wins in three of its final five games. That season, Martin helped build the man-up offense into one of the best in the nation, as it finished the campaign ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division I in scoring percentage (.441) with 1.7 extra-man opportunities per game.

The Hawks have seen strong growth on both ends of the field since Martin joined the coaching staff. He was responsible for the growth of Dylan Jinks (’19), who graduated as one of the top scorers in Hartford program history. Registering his 100th career goal during his senior campaign, Jinks, who was the America East’s Rookie of the Year in 2016, finished his career ranked No. 6 in points (176), No. 10 in goals (103) and No. 5 in assists (73).

Under Martin’s watch, Ryan Vanderford graduated in 2018 as one of the top goalies in program history, ranking No. 3 all-time in saves, No. 7 in saves per game, No. 5 in goals-against average and No. 2 in career victories.

A total of 17 players have gone on to earn All-Conference distinction from the America East since Martin was named head coach, including three First Team, five Second Team, two All-Rookie and seven All-Academic Team members.

In addition, two Hawks have taken their careers beyond college to the professional rankings since Martin’s arrival. The Atlanta Blaze of the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) drafted 2018 graduate Griffin Feiner, who closed out his career with the third-most goals in program history, in April of that year. Seven months later, the MLL’s Florida Launch selected faceoff specialist Dylan Protesto after he graduated as the program’s all-time leader in faceoff winning percentage.

The 2016 season was one for the books for the Hawks men’s lacrosse program, as Hartford posted the second-most wins in program history (11-7) while becoming the first team in America East history to win the conference tournament title as a four seed. The Hawks knocked off top-seeded UAlbany — which was ranked fourth in the nation — in the semifinals before earning the program’s second berth to the NCAA Tournament with a 17-16 win over Vermont in the championship game two days later.

Martin has been heavily involved in overseeing the team’s academics and community service outreach. Since his arrival, 14 Hawks have been named to the America East All-Academic Team, including seven under his tenure as head coach. Most recently, Martin had a department-best 25 of his student-athletes earn America East Academic Honor Roll status for achieving at least a 3.0 GPA, with 15 of those players receiving Commissioner’s Honor Roll distinction (3.5+ GPA).

This past season, Jinks became just the third Hawk in program history to be named a Scholar All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA)/Warrior and New Balance. He joined Chris Duffy (2017) and Tate Klidonas (2014) in earning the prestigious award.

In addition, Hartford has increased its footprint in the community through Team Impact, Habitat for Humanity, Junior Achievement and the annual “Stache for Cash” fundraising initiative.

Martin has been on the college coaching scene for more than 14 years, having spent four seasons as head coach at SUNY Oswego (2011-14). Prior to Oswego, he enjoyed a four-year stint as an assistant coach at Nazareth College (2007-10). Martin began his coaching career as an assistant at Hampden Sydney College in 2005 before landing at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2006, where he was named interim head coach.

During his time at SUNY Oswego, Martin piloted the Lakers to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1996-97. Highlighting his stint at Nazareth were two Empire 8 Championships and NCAA Division III Tournament berths in 2007 and 2009. In addition, Martin coached eight USILA All-Americans, two Empire 8 Players of the Year and four to USILA Scholar All-America Team selections at Nazareth. He was also a finalist for the National Division III Assistant Coach of the Year in his final season with the Golden Flyers.

A native of Amherst, Mass., Martin was a standout goalie at Ithaca College. In three seasons with the Bombers, he was twice named a USILA Division III All-American in 2002 and 2003. Martin was also a three-time Empire 8 All-Conference Team selection, earning Second Team accolades as a sophomore before enjoying first-team honors in his final two seasons (2002, 2003). In addition, he was recognized as the Empire 8 Player of the Year in 2002, leading Ithaca to the Final Four of the NCAA Division III Tournament that season.

Martin graduated from Ithaca in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He went on to receive a master’s degree in business administration from Nazareth in 2010.