Head women’s cross country coach John Lynch has been selected as the Liberty League Coach of the Year, the conference has announced.

John Lynch

John Lynch

Lynch led the Engineers to the Liberty League championship, their first in 14 years, as Rensselaer placed five runners in the top 12 in compiling 34 team points. Three student-athletes were named to the All-Liberty League First Team and three others earned Second Team. Rensselaer was also the league’s top team at the NCAA Atlantic Regional, placing third in the field of 37 teams, which earned it an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Championship. At the national championship, RPI placed ninth, which was the highest-ever finish in the history of the program. Sophomore Jaime Lord finished 15th individually, earning All-America honors.

In Rensselaer’s five other meets this fall, the team was victorious once, winning the 24-school Inter-Regional Border Battle hosted by Rowan University in New Jersey, and second twice. It also had a third-place finish and a fourth-place finish.

The Engineers, who are made up of six seniors, seven juniors, four sophomores, and three freshmen, had eight selected to the Liberty League All-Academic team.

Lynch, who also coaches the men’s cross country team and assists with the women’s and men’s track & field teams, joined the Rensselaer staff in 2011. The women’s cross country team has finished in the top three in the league championship meet every year, while also improving annually in the Atlantic Regional. Rensselaer was also represented at the NCAA Championship with an individual qualifier in 2013 (Grace Tilton).

A native of Clifton Park, N.Y., Lynch coached the SUNY Plattsburgh cross country programs for six seasons prior to coming to Troy, including the last three as the director of track & field and cross country. While leading the Cardinals, he coached 24 NCAA All-Americans, 38 automatic and provisional qualifiers, 59 all-conference honorees, and 20 league champions in cross country and track.