From a young age, Jon Lombardo can remember how much he admired all of his coaches through his days of playing hockey, baseball, and lacrosse growing up with his siblings in New Jersey.
“I had amazing coaches from youth leagues all the way through college. My coaches were always my heroes and had the greatest impact on my life through my love of sports,” Lombardo said.
Lombardo earned his bachelor’s of science degree in elementary education with a history minor from Lynchburg College in Virginia where he also played on the varsity men’s lacrosse team and served as a team captain for two years.
“Once I selected lacrosse at the collegiate level, I decided to play at Lynchburg College for coaches Steve Koudelka and Chris Perzinski,” Lombardo said. “All through college, my summer job was coaching youth lacrosse for my high school coach and mentor, Chris Sanderson. It is during those summers, I realized I wanted to become an educator and a coach because of the amazing people I had looked up to.”
On July 15, St. Mary’s Ryken High School announced the hiring of Lombardo to serve as head boys lacrosse coach and assistant athletic director.
“The most intriguing thing about the job at St. Mary’s Ryken to me was the reputation of the school and the tradition of lacrosse excellence built by coach John Sothoron. I got to know coach Sothoron’s son, Jay, through collegiate coaching and I knew the identity and culture that John Sothoron built here,” Lombardo said. “His teams were always blue collar, tough and competed in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference at a high level. Given that fact and the area, this was an easy choice for me and my family. I just want to express my gratitude to Dr. Rick Wood, dean Joe Wysokinski and Duane Atherton for believing in the vision and mission I have for the boys lacrosse program here.”
Lombardo noted how welcoming the St. Mary’s Ryken community was when he was hired, and he is excited for a new chapter and a fresh start with the program.
“The community at St. Mary’s Ryken was so welcoming and expressed a desire to not only honor the tradition of St. Mary’s Ryken lacrosse, but write a new chapter in our story,” Lombardo said. “With the new leadership, vision and excitement on campus right now, it was something I had to be a part of. This will be my first head coaching job and my first job at the high school level after spending the last seven years coaching at the collegiate level.”
Last year’s Knights boys lacrosse team finished the year with a 12-7 overall record and Lombardo has one main goal in mind in his first year this upcoming spring leading the team.
“My first and main goal in year one with the boys lacrosse program is to establish a culture of ownership. I want my young men to understand they represent two things: most importantly their families and also St. Mary’s Ryken,” Lombardo said. “To do something in our program will be to do so with such ownership and pride that you are putting your family name and the name of St. Mary’s Ryken on your actions. How you do something is far more important than what you do.
“Another goal is to establish a culture that will drive our young men to compete at the highest level on the lacrosse field, but also serve them in their foundation of who they are as people long after they graduate. In order to do this, my staff and I will build authentic relationships with the boys and challenge each other to be better everyday. This is how we will build a program to compete for the WCAC championship.”
Atherton, St. Mary’s Ryken’s athletic director, is thrilled to have Lombardo on board as a coach and his assistant.
“We are thrilled to have coach Lombardo join our athletic department and the St. Mary’s Ryken community,” Atherton said. “He brings extensive defensive and offensive coaching experience from the college level and overall lacrosse acumen to our lacrosse community. I am confident he will lead the team with an honorable and competitive culture and respect the tradition of St. Mary’s Ryken lacrosse.”
As assistant athletic director, Lombardo will help lead each athlete on the school’s 40 athletic teams to success on and off the field.
“As the assistant AD, I am so lucky to be a part of a school that believes in the value of learning and growth through athletics. The brand new Donnie Williams Center is a premier athletic facility in all of high school athletics. Atherton is full of energy, and the administration at St. Mary’s Ryken, including Joe Wysokinski and Dr. Rick Wood speak about being ‘40 Strong’,” Lombardo said. “That phrase represents the power of all our athletic teams, but more importantly shows the commitment to the student-athlete experience and investment in the development of our students. To be a part of that growth, not just in lacrosse, but in all sports is an honor. I am so excited to serve our students.”
Twitter: @johnniswander2
