Chris Swanenburg was introduced November 3, 2005 as the first-ever men's lacrosse coach at Christopher Newport University. He arrives at CNU after three years at Marymount University and with 15 years of college coaching experience. Over his career, Swanenburg has proven to be among the most successful coaches in the country at building and improving programs.
Prior to Marymount, Swanenburg spent the previous two seasons as the top assistant at NCAA Division I playoff participant Stony Brook University. There he handled the majority of recruiting and scouting duties in addition to serving as the Seawolves' defensive coordinator and goalie coach. During his first season, the 2001 campaign, the Seawolves improved on consecutive five-win seasons to 7-7 and were ranked as high as #21 nationally. In 2002, Stony Brook matched its' ranking from 2001 while recording a 10-7 record and winning the America East Championship and earning the school's first-ever trip to the NCAA Division I Tournament. The Seawolves defense finished 10th nationally in goals against average and set a school mark by allowing no more than 11 goals during any regular season contest.
Before joining Stony Brook, Swanenburg served as the head coach at Division I Radford University for seven seasons. He resigned from his position with the Highlanders following the school's decision to discontinue sponsoring men's lacrosse. While at Radford, Swanenburg made a name for himself as a tireless worker with a knack for developing players to their full potential. Four of his former Radford players have gone on to successful professional playing careers, with two of them, Blaine Manning and Lewis Ratcliff, having been named to the 2005 National Lacrosse League All-Star Game.
Under his guidance, the program Radford improved from 50th to 30th in the nation and was recognized in a study by US Lacrosse and LaxPower as one of the most improved teams in Division I. Swanenburg left Radford as the winningest coach in school history and as the only one to post a winning season at the Division I level.
A native of Monkton, Md., Swanenburg is a 1990 graduate of Yale University, where he earned All-Ivy and All-New England honors as a goalie. During his career, the Bulldogs won three consecutive Ivy League titles and appeared in two NCAA Division I Tournaments, advancing to the Final Four his senior season. He finished his Yale career having recorded the third highest single-season save percentage in school history and ranks among the school's all-time leaders in career saves and save percentage.
Following graduation, Swanenburg began his coaching career as an assistant at Goucher College. He played an instrumental role in developing the Gophers' club program to Division III status before moving onto Radford.
Swanenburg and his wife Amy, are the parents of two children, Alexandra and Matthew.
