Ryan MacSpadyen Comes Full Circle as Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach
Former Student-Athlete
Ryan MacSpadyen Comes Full Circle as Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach
Ryan MacSpadyen, ’19, M.S. ’21, is something of a men’s lacrosse legend at Mercy University. His time as a student-athlete was marked by blazing performances on the field along with honors and awards for scholarship.
Now the Mercy alumnus has come full circle. MacSpadyen recently completed his second season as head coach of the Mercy Men’s Lacrosse Team. His journey from lacrosse wunderkind to head coach and assistant director of athletics at his alma mater reflects his passion for the sport, his commitment to the next generation of student-athletes and his desire to give back to the institution that played a pivotal role in shaping his character and his career trajectory.
Raised in Toronto, Ontario, a Canadian province where “everyone played hockey all winter and lacrosse, or ‘road hockey,’ all summer,” MacSpadyen remembers
his dad cutting down one of his own full-size hockey sticks so the boy could begin playing both sports at the age of 5. As a teenager, MacSpadyen played in a junior league, where his coach, Joe Corace, happened to be the former college roommate of Mercy’s legendary coach Jordan Levine. Levine spoke highly of Mercy, with its leafy green campus less than an hour from New York City.
“Growing up in Toronto, I always enjoyed the liveliness of being near a city,” MacSpadyen recalled. “The combination of a small campus near a big city really appealed to me.” MacSpadyen felt the spark of a new goal. With Levine’s encouragement, he enrolled at Mercy on a lacrosse scholarship, drawn in by the strong academic programs and promising lacrosse culture. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 2019 and a master’s in 2021, MacSpadyen was drafted by the National Lacrosse League’s Georgia Swarm, another first for Mercy’s Lacrosse program.
Yet MacSpadyen never strayed far from his goal to mentor the next generation of athletes. His journey led him back to Mercy, where he was hired as an assistant men’s lacrosse coach while earning his master’s degree. Working with his revered mentor Levine for two seasons prepared him for the next step: When Levine left Mercy, MacSpadyen was tapped to succeed him as head coach.
True to form, he saw it as an opportunity to give back the guidance and support he had experienced. MacSpadyen dedicated himself to fostering a culture of excellence that reflected the values he’d absorbed. In his first year as head coach, he led the Mavericks to their fourth straight East Coast Conference (ECC) Championship, netting him honors as ECC Coach of the Year. This year, the team made it to the NCAA Division II Men’s Lacrosse Championship Quarterfinals.
MacSpadyen credits his Mercy education for providing him with the foundation to succeed both on and off the field. He credits the invaluable guidance from mentors — professors as well as coaches. “Simple concepts, like working hard, doing the right thing when nobody’s watching — they drilled that into us,” MacSpadyen said. “At Mercy I learned the right way to respond when things don’t go your way. That has molded me into what I am today.”;
Beyond the wins and losses, MacSpadyen prioritizes the well-rounded development of his players, encouraging them to excel academically, personally and athletically. His philosophy applies just as well to performance on the field as in the classroom — and in life. “Whether you win or lose, the lessons you learn from each season in the sport are applicable to real life,” he said. “It’s the same with being a student. You don’t know how much of your education will help you until you enter the workforce and start pulling out those lessons that apply to your life situation.”
He added, “It’s the best part of being a student-athlete: You are learning more than you realize.”