CRESTVIEW HILLS - Thomas More University President Joseph Chillo and Athletic Director Terry Connor announced Sean McGinnis and Pat Thatcher as the new men's and women's lacrosse coaches June 29.
Most recently, McGinnis was head coach at Moeller High School with Thatcher leading the girls' program at Anderson. McGinnis resigned at Moeller a little over a month ago.
McGinnis compiled an overall record of 94-53, second in all-time wins while at Moeller. In his tenure, he coached numerous All-Ohio athletes and five All-Americans.
The veteran coach earned his bachelor of science in sports medicine and communication from Ashland University and his master of education in sports management and exercise science from Cleveland State University.
He comes to Thomas More after an eight-year stint at Moeller in which he led the men's lacrosse team to the Ohio Division I state championship in 2017.
During his time with the Crusaders, he helped grow the program from 55 players to 80 by the end of his tenure. McGinnis's program carried a 3.5 GPA and saw more than 25 athletes reach the collegiate level.
"I'm grateful and excited to build a program from the start that meets the mission of our school and athletic department," McGinnis said. "Starting the program at an athletic-rich university with an outstanding tradition of academics will give Tristate area high school students an opportunity to stay close to home to continue their academics and athletic pursuits."
McGinnis's goal is to attract the best local talent in the Greater Cincinnati area and help grow the game of lacrosse in the Northern Kentucky region. He wants to be viable in the community with learning service opportunities.
"We want to establish a culture of winning, serving, and leadership over the next few years," McGinnis said.
Pat Thatcher earned his bachelor's degree in recreation and fitness from Northern Kentucky and his master of special education from Mount St. Joseph.
Thatcher was the director of Fellowship of Christian Athletes Lacrosse since 2012 in which he grew and established the club lacrosse ministry in Southwest Ohio. Thatcher also worked as the athletic performance coach for Anderson High School from 2004-2020.
"The opportunity to become the first full-time women's lacrosse coach at Thomas More is exciting and humbling at the same time," Thatcher said. "I am looking forward to strengthening and developing the women's lacrosse program to help put Thomas More lacrosse on the map. I want to build a strong leadership culture that will consist of a close-knit team that develops into a family, building on what is already a strong community here at Thomas More."
Thatcher looks forward to becoming a more competitive NAIA program by adding numbers and gaining more lacrosse experience.
Thomas More women's lacrosse will resume play in the spring of 2022 while the men's program will spend their first year at a club level.
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