University of Bridgeport’s director of athletics, Anthony Vitti, has announced the hiring of Ryan McAleavey as the new head coach of the Purple Knights’ men’s lacrosse program. McAleavey will take over a UB squad that just completed its third season as a varsity program in 2025.
“I am thrilled to welcome Ryan McAleavey as our new head men’s lacrosse coach,” said Vitti. “After a thorough search, I am confident that Ryan is the best fit for our program. His vision, leadership, and commitment to developing student-athletes align perfectly with our goals. In his eight years as the head coach at Florida Tech, he built a program from scratch into a top-15 program. We are excited for the future of UB Men’s Lacrosse under Ryan’s direction.”
McAleavey brings to Bridgeport a significant amount of Division II experience and success after a sensational tenure at Florida Tech from 2010-2018. Playing in one of the best leagues in the country (Sunshine State Conference), McAleavey piloted the program from its infancy to achieving a regular spot in the national rankings. In fact, during McAleavey’s last season at Florida Tech in 2018, the Panthers went 9-6 overall and 6-1 in SSC play while ranking as high as No. 9 in the nation in the Nike/US Lacrosse Poll and No. 13 in the USILA Coaches Poll.
“I would like to thank Jay Moran, Anthony Vitti, and the rest of the committee for selecting me as the next head men’s lacrosse coach at University of Bridgeport,” said McAleavey. “I am truly excited to be back up north and extremely excited to coach these young men at UB. There is a lot of talent on this team, and I cannot wait to get to campus to help with the continued development of these student-athletes!”
McAleavey’s final campaign at Florida Tech in 2018 also featured a school-record eight straight wins, including consecutive one-goal victories over fifth-ranked Tampa and 10th-ranked Mount Olive. The Panthers ended up becoming the first team in SSC history to reach six conference wins in a single season.
Coach Mac’s FIT squads also earned final rankings of 12th in the country in 2015 and 19th in the nation in 2017. They advanced all the way to the conference championship game in both of those seasons as well. McAleavey was also voted as the 2013 Deep South Conference Coach of the Year.
On an individual basis, the Panthers had three All-Americans, 15 first-team All-Conference players, 12 second-team All-Conference honorees and nine All-Freshman players from 2012-2018. Grant Hughes served as one of those All-Americans who then became the Panthers’ first selection in the MLL draft when he was taken by the Florida Launch in 2017.
Most recently for McAleavey, he served as assistant coach at Webber International University in Babson Park, Fla. from 2020-2022 and then head boy’s lacrosse coach at Newsome High School in Lithia, Fla. over the past three years.
Prior to starting his coaching career, McAleavey was a stellar attackman who scored 190 career goals at Dowling College from 1996-1999. He was named an honorable mention All-American following a junior season in which he tallied 75 points on 60 goals and 15 assists.
McAleavey finished second in the country in goals per game in 1998 and was still Dowling’s all-time leader in both career points and total goals scored when the college closed in 2016.
For more information about UB’s men’s lacrosse program, including recruitment opportunities, please contact head coach Ryan McAleavey at ryanmcale@bridgeport.edu
To learn more about UB Athletics, visit www.UBKnights.com or follow UB Athletics on Facebook (UBPurpleKnights), X (@UBPurpleKnights), and Instagram (@UBPurpleKnights).
Jim Sheehan was named UB’s assistant athletic director for athletic communications on January 2, 2024. He joined UB with extensive experience in collegiate athletics, most recently serving as assistant athletic director for communications at Pace University, where he managed media relations, social media, live streaming, and the athletics website for 15 programs. He previously held communications roles at the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as the primary media contact for 12 Division I teams and the Eastern College Athletic Conference. A Connecticut native, Sheehan holds a master’s degree in communications from Sacred Heart University and a bachelor’s degree in Coaching and Sports Administration from the University of Connecticut.