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Rollins College

Winter Park, FL 32789
Florida Southeast
Private Small Developing team
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Dennis Short

Head Coach since: 2007-08

Rollins Record: 191-65 (through 2023)


Short has been the leader of Rollins women's lacrosse since its first year in 2008. He continues to build one of the most successful programs across all of Division II. In his 16 years at the helm, Short has produced 27 IWLCA All-Americans, 45 IWLCA All-Region players, 47 All-SSC selections, one IWLCA Defender of the Year, four IWLCA South Region Players of the Year, and two Final Four appearances. Short was named the 2015 SSC Coach of the Year and led the Tars to become the first SSC Champions in the tournament held in 2015.


The two-time Inside Lacrosse Coach of the Year successfully led the inaugural team in 2008 through an series of firsts, writing history along the way for the program, school, and state of Florida as Rollins became the first ever collegiate institution in the state to offer both varsity men's and women's lacrosse. In 2009, Short continued to produce success as he introduced a team that exploded into the national rankings and finished with an overall record of 12-3, just narrowly missing out on a bid to a post-season appearance. In 2010 the team went 9-5 and finished 13-4 in 2011, finishing the season ranked No. 8 in the country. Rollins made their first NCAA Semifinal appearance in 2012, then followed that with another semifinal run in 2013. The tars success continued with NCAA tournament berths in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, and 2023. Short also led Rollins to the first ever SSC Tournament Title in 2015.


Short's program has also been recognized as a top fundraiser in Orlando from 2012-14 for St. Jude's Hospital, raising over $46,000, and is actively engaged in various community service organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Will to Live, and The Great Cycle Challenge. In addition, the women's lacrosse program has sustained a team GPA of 3.4 or higher every season since 2014 under Short.


Upon joining the Rollins community back in the team's inception in March of 2007, Short brought 16 years of coaching experience to Rollins, including 10 years at the Division I level.


Prior to moving to Central Florida, Short was head women's lacrosse coach at the University at Albany (N.Y.) for four years and was the program's first ever full-time coach.


Short led the Great Danes to three straight America East Conference Tournament appearances and coached 11 all-conference players.


He also produced 28 All-America East All-Academic selections, two America East Women's Lacrosse Scholar Athlete of the year recipients and one Chancellor's Scholar Athlete.


Prior to Albany, Short was first assistant at The Ohio State University for six seasons and helped the program transition from club to NCAA Division I status. He coached both offense and goalkeepers for the Buckeyes, who were ranked among the nation's top 10 in scoring offense in 1999 and 2000.


A native of Chalfont, Pa., Short was an assistant at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. from 1993-95. In his final season with the program, the nationally-ranked Bears reached the NCAA Division III quarterfinals.


Short has presented 18 times at the US Lacrosse National Convention, the largest educational opportunity for coaches in the country. He has served on the Executive Committee for the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association, a mentor coach with the IWLCA, a member of the DII All America committee, the US Lacrosse Women's Division National Tournament Director, USWLA Midwest District President, Chair of the IWLCA's Growth and Coach of the Year Committees, was the Co-Director of the Albany Elite Lacrosse Club.


Short is a 1993 graduate of Ursinus where he earned a B.A. in history with a minor in English. He is married to wife Chrissy Short, former Women's Tennis Coach at the University of Albany and her alma mater The Ohio State University and the current Recruiting Coordinator for the Tars. They have a son Bodhi, and reside in Winter Park, Florida.

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Tom Kienle

Assistant Coach since: 2008


Named 2009-10 and 2011-12 IWLCA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year, Kienle has helped Rollins jump from a new program to one of the premier lacrosse program's in all of Division II.


A Long Island native, Kienle traveled to Columbus, Ohio to join the Ohio State Buckeyes in 1988, and in 1992 he moved to Orlando, Florida where he received his B.A. in Healthcare Administration and his M.A. Degree in Educational Leadership.


In 1993 Kienle started the varsity boys' lacrosse program at Lake Howell High School. Four years later, he started the girls' varsity program. For the next twelve years Kienle's teams won many district and conference championships, while many of his players received All American honors and continued their lacrosse careers at the collegiate level.


Kienle has also been involved in many camps and youth lacrosse organizations across the state. He is currently a part time physical education teacher at a local elementary school while coaching full time at Rollins.


Kienle and his wife, Rita, live in Orlando with their three children, daughters Taylor, Paige and son Thomas.

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Chrissy Short

Recruiting Coordinator - Please contact Chrissy Short for recruiting purposes

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Chris Lewis

Head Coach since: 2015-16


Rollins Record: 73-40 (through 2022-23)


Chris Lewis became the third head coach in Rollins men's lacrosse history on June 26, 2015 after serving as the Interim Head Coach for the final two months of the 2015 season.


Lewis led Rollins into uncharted territory in 2023, guiding the Tars to a 15-2 overall record, the program's first-ever SSC Regular Season title and first-ever SSC Tournament crown, as well as the first NCAA postseason contest in program history. Rollins went 13-1 in the regular season, including a perfect 7-0 in conference games, before knocking off Saint Leo and Florida Southern to capture the conference tournament title. The Tars received the top seed in the South Region of the NCAA II Championship and hosted Lenoir-Rhyne in the program's first NCAA postseason game, falling to the Bears, 14-8.


2023 saw a litany of postseason honors bestowed upon the Tars, with 10 players earning All-SSC honors, highlighted by Lewis being named the league's Coach of the Year for the first time, along with Shahé Katchadurian claiming SSC Player of the Year accolades. In addition, seven Tars were named All-Region by the USILA, three of whom went on to earn USILA All-American status, including Katchadurian, who was named USILA Goalie of the Year.


The 2022 season was one of the best in Tars' history as the team finished 12-3 overall. A whopping seven Tars were named All-SSC, with an additional four making All-Region. The accolades continued to pour in as three Tars - Justin Isenhour, Bailey Pringle, and Finn Jent - were named USILA All-Americans.


Lewis brought the Tars to new heights in 2021. Rollins tallied a new program best in winning percentage as they went 7-3, and finished the season ranked No. 19 in the nation. Senior attackman Ryan Dunn was named the SSC Men's Lacrosse Player of the Year, and went on to garner All-American recognition.


Despite a shortened season in 2020 Rollins added Jackson Colling to the program's list of accomplished student-athletes, when, under Lewis' guidance, he was named a USILA Scholar All-American.


In 2019 Lewis coached eight All-Conference selections, the most in program history. The Tars also earned their first All-American, as Evan Schimek was named an USILA Honorable Mention All-American defender. Greg Taicher was also named the SSC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, following a Second Team All-Conference performance.


In 2016, the Tars finished the year ranked #18 in the NCAA Division II national poll. During the season, the team was ranked as high as #17. The Tars also set a new benchmark in conference play when they advanced to the Sunshine State Conference Championship for the first time in Program history.


Lewis led the team to victories over 3 nationally ranked opponents: Lindenwood (10), Indianapolis (18), and Saint Leo (17), respectively. The 2016 Team improved in nearly every statistical category from the previous year, but most importantly improved its overall record to 10-6, producing a winning record for the first time in program history.


A 1988 graduate of SUNY Oswego, Lewis brings more than a decade of coaching experience in both football and lacrosse to the Rollins sideline. Lewis will also help extensively with the recruiting, scouting, and game planning activities. He immediately hit the recruiting trail spending time coaching and evaluating athletes in Maryland, New York, and New England prior to arriving in Winter Park at the start of the fall semester.


Prior to his work with the Tars, Coach Lewis was named the head assistant coach for the Northeast Ten Conference-powerhouse Merrimack College Warriors before the start of the 2008 season. He was assigned to work on the defensive side of the ball and quickly brought the unit to rank as one of the top defensive and man-down squads in Division II. That same year, the Warriors were the top team in Division II in man-down defense, with a kill rate of 89 percent. Additionally, the unit rose in the national rank for scoring defense from 10th to seventh, cutting 1.6 goals per game off their previous mark.


In 2009, Merrimack's defense rose to fourth in the country as the team rode a strong overall team game into the Division II Final four, the first time the Warriors had competed in post season play.


During the 2009 and 2010 campaigns, Merrimack ranked in the top-5 in scoring defense, while in 2011, the Warriors defense held opponents to 7.6 goals per game. In his four seasons at Merrimack, the Warriors finished in the national top-10 in scoring defense.


During Lewis' tenure at Merrimack College, the defensive players collected numerous postseason awards. Over a four-year span, there were a total of 10 All-Northeast Ten Conference awards. Goaltender Cory Spinale was a two-time All-American, winning the Division II Goalie of the Year award at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Additionally, the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) honored multiple Merrimack defenders as All-New England selections. The newly-named Rollins assistant coach was also named the head coach for the victorious East team in the 2010 NEILA All-Star game.

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