Meet our Coaches!
2022 Team Coaches:
Coach Ryan Hilyer - Defense - Coach Hilyer comes to us from nearby Bethany College out of Bethany, WV to join our High School staff this summer. He has spent the last six years as the Head Coach of the Bison lacrosse team, and recently won the SAAC Bison Award for Coach of the Year across all athletics. Prior to his time at Bethany, he served as an assistant coach at Thiel College as the Defensive Coordinator. He also introduced Natural Lacrosse Club to WV in recent years, and currently plays in the IBLA for the Pittsburgh Gnomes (box lacrosse).
Coach Ajay Hamer - Offense - Coach Hamer is a native to Moon Township, PA where he played his High School years, followed briefly after at La Roche College. He has since spent time as an assistant coach at Trinity High School in Washington, PA as well as other summer club teams. He takes on the role as one of the lead offensive coaches with our High School groups.
2023 Team Coaches:
Coach Mike McBride -Face Off - Coach McBride comes to the 79ers with 30 years of coaching and playing experience. He recently accepted the Head Coaching position at Trinity HS, continues to coach Peters Township Youth Lacrosse, and has spent recent years as the Head Coach for both La Roche College and Peters Township High School. While at PTHS, Coach McBride won a school-record 59 games in five seasons and also guided his team to the WPIAL playoffs every year, after a four year drought. In 2013, he was named the Division I Western Pennsylvania Coach of the Year after finishing with a 15-2 record. He graduated from Wheeling Jesuit University in 2006, where he was a four-year starter and two-time captain, and was also a four-time, first-team All State performer at Hilliard Darby High School just outside of Columbus, Ohio. He currently lives in the South Hills with his wife Rachel and their three boys Chase, Corey and Conor.
Coach Cam Millar - Offense - Coach Millar comes to us currently attending NCAA DII Alderson Broaddus playing midfield for the Battlers. He is a native of Richmond, Ontario in Canada, where he grew up playing box lacrosse. He serves as an offensive coach for our High School group this summer.
Coach Tanner Delorme - Offense - Coach Delorme also comes to us currently attending Alderson Broaddus University as a midfielder for the Battlers. He is a native of Ottawa, Ontario in Canada, where he also grew up playing box lacrosse. He serves as an offensive coach primarily implementing two-man game mechanics to our High School groups.
2024 Team Coaches:
Coach Darrin Niemeyer - Defense - Coach Niemeyer is a Canon Mac native with over ten years of lacrosse coaching experience at both the youth and high school levels. Darrin was a four year varsity player and two year captain at Canon Mac as well as first team All-League in 2007. Upon graduation, he went on to play box lacrosse for the Pittsburgh Octane before coming back to Canon Mac as the Assistant Head Coach and leading Canon Mac to their first WPIAL championship game in 2015. He has also spent time as the Assistant Head Coach at Chartiers Valley High School, and worked with their defense and goalies.
Coach Chris Groesch - Goalies - Coach Groesch picked up the game his Senior year at Baldwin HS in 2004, where his team went undefeated and won the WPSLA D3 championship. He stayed with the game while attending Penn State Behrend where he got the opportunity to play all positions over his four seasons, winning the Rookie of the Year as a Freshman and team MVP a year later, before taking over as the President of the lacrosse team. He continued post-collegiately with the local Pittsburgh Lacrosse Club, where he played in the Midwest Cities league, traveling from Chicago to DC for competition, and he plans on continuing into Masters division competition, where he gets a chance to be a “young gun” again.
As a coach, he started in 2008 with Erie Cathedral Prep, and has spent time with Baldwin HS and Chartiers Valley HS in assistant roles. He later became the Head Coach at Fairview HS, where he took a third year program with two wins ever, to a 12-5 season. Following that he spent four years as the Head Coach at Trinity HS where he more than doubled their participation, took them to their first winning season in a decade, and first playoff berth since the adoption of the WPIAL governance. He has spent the past few seasons with Bethel Park HS as a Varsity assistant dealing with specialists (face-offs and goalies), and has taken on the role of Youth Team and Development Coordinator. He joins the 79ers after spending time with clubs such as Trilogy, True, Bridges, and Apex Lacrosse.
Coach Groesch now resides in Fallowfield Township with his wife. He teaches Social Studies at the ACLD Tillotson School and enjoys painting, gardening, and playing guitar in his spare time.
2025 Team Coaches:
Coach Chris Bise - Goalies - Chris is a New Hampshire native, transplanted to Pittsburgh 20 years ago, and has been helping Canon Mac Youth Lacrosse for past few years. He formerly attended Boston University, where he played both goaltender and midfield for the club lacrosse team. In addition to lacrosse, Chris has coached hockey at the Junior level and is a Masters level coach with USA hockey. Professionally, Chris is an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh, in the Department of Physical Therapy. When not coaching lacrosse, Chris can be found doing something outside with his 2 children and wife, Anita.
Coach James Lemessurier - Offense/Defense - Coach Lemessurier comes to us from Bethel Park Youth Lacrosse where he serves as their 14U Head Coach and board Vice President. Originally from the Upstate New York area, he attended Syracuse University where he won two NCAA DI National Championships in the 90's. He serves as an offensive and defensive assistant to our Middle School groups.
Coach Richie Leeds - Offense - Coach Leeds comes to us from Canon-Mac Youth Lacrosse where he serves as their 14U Head Coach. He played four years at Canon-MacMillan as an attackman, and he brings that experience to our Middle School ages for his fourth year with the club.
2026 Team Coaches:
Coach Dom Lazzini -Offense - Coach Lazzini comes to us from NCAA DIII Mount Union in Ohio, where he plays attack for the Raiders. A native of South Fayette, he enjoyed a storied four years where he captained the Lions three years, was a two-time Offensive MVP, as well as a member of the National Honor Society and spent four years at the highest Honor Roll in school. He has previously spent time coaching summer clubs and South Fayette youth.
Coach Rocco Ruscitto -Offense - Coach Ruscitto returns for his third year with our club, and has recently taken on a position with Upper St. Clair Youth Lacrosse assisting their 14U A and B teams. He previously played four years at Baldwin HS before attending Washington & Jefferson College as an attackman for the Presidents.
Coach Mark Bowers -Defense - A Canon Mac alum, Coach Bowers has over 10yrs of Playing, Coaching, and Referee experience. He is a former starting defenseman at W&J as well as Head Coach of Canon Mac's 12U team. He is a current assistant coach and Defensive Coordinator at Chartiers Valley High School. Past accomplishments include being a 4 yr starter in high school, 2015 WPIAL Div 1 runner up, and member of multiple club teams including PSL, LB, and Pittsburgh Lacrosse. Mark is a Political Science major with plans to go to law school upon graduation.
2027 Team Coaches:
Coach Kevin Dowd - Offense/Defense - Coach Dowd spent his high school years in the Syracuse N.Y. area where he competed in lacrosse, cross country and track and field at Liverpool H.S. He set multiple school and sectional records as a member of the 4x800 relay, and at the time of his graduation his 800 meter time was the second fastest in school history. He later attended the State University of Fredonia where he specialized in 800 and 1500 meters for their track team all four years, and was a co-captain his Senior year. Post collegiate activity brought Kevin back to his lacrosse roots, as he now coaches in the Canon Mac youth program, and is USLacrosse Level 1 certified. Kevin brings to the program a diversity of athletic development learned from his background not just in lacrosse but that of a collegiate runner. He currently lives in Southpointe with his son Brady and daughter Bella.
Coach Tom Roule - Offense/Defense - Coach Roule comes to us from Bethel Park Youth lacrosse where he is the 12U Head Coach. A native to the Baldwin-Whitehall School District, he has spent his time running the former Pittsburgh Lacrosse Club, as well as the Pittsburgh Octane box lacrosse club, serving as a defenseman and goalie respectively.
Coach Jeremiah Johnson - Defense - Jeremiah is an Eastern Ohio native, transplanted to Pittsburgh 10 years ago. He grew up playing basketball and football and one season of NCAA Division III football. After coaching youth flag football, baseball and basketball, his passion for lacrosse began five years ago after his oldest son decided to "try it out". After making a career change to allow spending more time with his family, he has been helping coach Canon Mac Youth Lacrosse for the past few years, and is currently a USLacrosse Level 1 Certified Coach. Jeremiah lives in Canonsburg with his wife Missy and their three boys Zach, Luke, and Zeke.
2028 Team Coaches:
Coach Conner Niemeyer - Offense - Coach Niemeyer comes to us as a current attackman at Washington & Jefferson College, after playing four years at Canon-Mac High School and spending time on the Robert Morris and La Roche teams at the collegiate ranks. He returns for his third year with the club and will serve as the primary offensive coach at the youngest ranks.
Coach Liam O'Neill - Goalies - Coach O'Neill comes to us from Colby College in New England area where he plays goalie. Formerly a four year player at Peters Township High School, Coach O'Neill returns for the summer to assist our goalies at the youngest age groups, as well as working with our media outlets.
Coach Aaron Skiles - Defense - Coach Skiles comes to us from Peters Township Youth, where he is a 14U and 12U assistant coach. He is a former defenseman for Peters Township High School, and primarily serves as our youth defensive coordinator at the youngest levels. He comes from a long family lineage of lacrosse players and coaches, as his older brother and father have both spent time in developing the youth programs in Peters Township over the past decade.
10U Team Coaches:
Coach Michael Fisher - Michael grew up in eastern Pennsylvania and played multiple sports through high school. He was a Division I co-ed cheerleader at Temple University and played club rugby as an adult. He was an American Council on Exercise (ACE) certified personal trainer for 8 years. He has been coaching since 21 years of age, starting as a strength and stunt coach for high school cheerleading and now coaching youth baseball, basketball, and lacrosse. Coach Fisher is currently a USLacrosse Level 1 certified coach with Canon Mac's youth program (both 10U and 12U), where all three of his children play. Michael lives in Canonsburg with his wife Carrie, sons Andy and Jake, and daughter Molly.
Coach Dan Truesdell - Coach Truesdell comes to us from the Canon-Mac Youth Lacrosse group, where he serves as a 10U coach. With a background in football and other athletics, he is currently focusing on becoming USA Lacrosse Level 1 certified by the end of this summer.
Coach Steve Magan - Coach Magan comes to us from Peters Township Youth where he serves as a 10U coach.
Coach Jerry Frazee - Coach Frazee comes to us from Canon-Mac Youth as well as Trinity Girls Youth. He has spent the past three years with our club helping out both offensive and defensive groups.
Academy Coaches:
Coach Nate Mauro - Coach Mauro joins us for his third year with the club, hailing from Canon-Mac Youth where he helps with the 10U and 8U programs. He played his High School days at Peters Township, as an attack and midfielder for the Indians.
Coach Alex Haney - Coach Haney comes to us from South Fayette, where he recently wrapped up his four year career as an LSM and Defenseman. He will attend Wittenberg University this coming fall where he will join the Tigers NCAA DIII lacrosse team.
Coach Dimitri Gonzalez - Coach Gonzalez also comes to us from South Fayette, where he recently wrapped up his four year career as an attackman for the Lions. Like Coach Haney, Coach Gonzalez will also switch over from being a Lion to a Tiger when he joins the Wittenberg Men's Lacrosse team this coming season.