2026 Coaches Conference - Sat, January 10, 2026
(Click Here To Register)
The BR coaches conference is a great opportunity for area boys’ and girls' coaches (HS, MS and Youth) to come together and improve their lacrosse knowledge. We have some of the best college and club coaches who will share their knowledge, experience and expertise to better help you prepare for the upcoming season. We expect that there will be 20+ separate sessions (3 or 4 per hour) during the course of the day.
Cost / Registration
- $100 a coach. Bring 5 or more coaches and get $10 off per coach ($90 a coach).
- A full lunch buffet is included in the registration fee
- Caesar Salad, Italian Sausage and Peppers, Chicken Romano, Grilled and Breaded Eggplant, Tomato Penne, Garlic Bread, Antipasto.
- Tiramisu.
- Coffee, Decaf, Water, Iced Tea, Soda Pop
- A full lunch buffet is included in the registration fee
- To register one (1) coach or ten (10) coaches please click on the link below
- 2026 Coaches Conference Registration Link (Live)
- If you don't have an account with Burning River you / some one in your group will have to create one so that you can register
- Hotel rooms for out of town guest
- We have negotiated a price of $139 a night (2 Queen Beds) for our out of town guests.
- To take advantage of this deal please call reservations at 330-405-4488 or book at www.hilton.com.
- Guests making such reservations must identify themselves as members of our group by using reservation code "Burn" by Dec 16, 2025.
Coaches Conference Information
- Dates: Saturday, January 10, 2026
- Time: 8:30 am to 5 pm
- Location: Hilton Garden Inn, 8971 Wilcox Drive, Twinsburg, OH 44087
- Schedule:
- 8:30 am - Round 1 (3 to 4 presentations)
- 9:40 am - Round 2 (3 to 4 presentations)
- 10:50 am - Round 3 (3 to 4 presentations)
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- 12 / noon - Keynote Speaker / Buffet Lunch (Included with registration)
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- 1:30 pm - Round 4 (3 to 4 presentations)
- 2:40 pm - Round 5 (3 to 4 presentations)
- 3:50 pm - Round 6 (3 to 4 presentations)
2026 Presenters
- Anthony Ameo, True Lacrosse - Faceoffs A to Z
- Emma Evanko, True IN Girls Director - TBD
- Liz Ford, College of Wooster / True Lacrosse - TBD
- Jason Griffith, Hiram University HC, Men's Lacrosse- Fast or Last - Drills to create Fast Paced Offensive Play
- B.J. Jenkins, Gilmour Academy / True Lacrosse - Youth Goalies Basics: finding the right players
- P. J. Kavanagh, True Lacrosse - Youth and MS Lacrosse
- Paige Messersmith, OWU HC, Women's Lacrosse - Winning the Possession Game- Draw Control Strategies and Tactics
- Dr. Vanessa Shannon, Sports Psycholgist - TBD
- Adam Stewart, Capital HC, Men's Lacrosse - TBD
- Anthony Tatro, Baldwin Wallace HC, Men's Lacrosse- TBD
- Tony Toth, NOLOA (Ref Assoc) - TBD
- Woody Calleri, True Lacrosse - Youth and MS Lacrosse
2026 Presentation Schedule
Details On 2026 Presenters
Anthony Ameo – True Lacrosse
Coach Anthony Ameo has been with True Lacrosse / Burning River for over 10 years as a player and now a coach. During the year, Coach Ameo coaches face-off personnel at Hudson High School and runs face-off clinics at True Lacrosse, and he will coach for True Ohio and True Cleveland during the summer. Hailing from Northeast Ohio, Coach Ameo played at St. Ignatius before matriculating at The Ohio State University. As a prep athlete, Coach Ameo dominated the X winning 73% of his face-offs his senior year on his way to a 3rd straight state finals appearance and All-America honors, and at OSU he was an Academic All-Big 10 and OSU Scholar Athlete.
Jason Griffith - Head Coach Hiram College
Griffith enters his second season as head coach of the Hiram lacrosse program in 2025, having joined the Terriers after serving four seasons as head coach at Kenston High School. In his first season at the helm in 2024, Griffith led the Terriers to record-setting victories over La Roche (27-1) and Mount St. Joseph (29-3), as well as key home non-conference wins over Bethany and Hilbert. During Griffith's time at Kenston (2019-2023), the program won two Western Reserve Conference titles and achieved the No. 3 seed for the region multiple times.
B.J. Jenkins – True Lacrosse
With a wealth of knowledge and experience, Coach B.J. Jenkins in an invaluable member of the True Lacrosse staff. Currently the Head Coach at Gilmour Academy, Coach Jenkins has myriad college coaching experiences ranging from Division I to Division III. Most recently the Head Coach at Hiram College, Coach Jenkins has also coached at Shenandoah University, Lafayette College and Lehigh University. In 2001, Coach Jenkins played in the Master’s Division for Team USA in Perth Australia advancing to the championship game, and the Long Island native attended SUNY Cobleskill before finishing his up an All-Conference career at Cortland State.
P.J. Kavanagh – True Lacrosse
Coach P.J. Kavanagh brings to the True Lacrosse program coaching experience from youth lacrosse to the professional ranks. Growing up in Syracuse, NY, Coach Kavanagh played both high school and college lacrosse in the Central New York Region. Following his playing career, Coach Kavanagh first coached high school lacrosse at several programs before moving into the college ranks. In addition, Coach Kavanagh coached in the professional ranks for the Bridgeport Barrage and Ohio Machine of Major League Lacrosse. Currently an Assistant Coach at Hoover High School, Coach Kavanagh works with several True Lacrosse teams during the summer.
Paige Messersmith - Head Coach Ohio Wesleyan University
Coach Messersmith joins the slate of speakers for our coach’s convention. She is in her fifth season as head women's lacrosse coach at Ohio Wesleyan University.Last year, the Battling Bishops went 11-6, including a 4-2 record in the North Coast Athletic Conference, good for a third-place finish in the final conference standings, and made their first NCAC tournament appearance since the 2010 season. Prior to her time at OWU, Paige was an assist. coach at Dickinson College, PA and Catholic University, DC.
Dr. Vanessa Shannon - Sports Psycholgist
Dr. Vanessa Shannon is the Director of Mental Performance for University of Louisville Athletics and Norton Sports Health. As a former NCAA Division 1 volleyball player, she understands the challenges associated with balancing performance in the classroom and performance in sport. Prior to Louisville, Dr. Shannon spent two years at IMG Academy where she served as a mental conditioning coach, coordinated psychological test preparation for the NFL Combine Training Program, and served as a Vision Training Coach for the Major League Baseball Off-Season Training Program. Dr. Shannon began her career in academia where she spent 3 years as Department Chair of Exercise and Sport Sciences at Tennessee Wesleyan University and 5 years as a faculty member in the Sport and Exercise Psychology Program at West Virginia University. She holds a PhD in Applied Sport Psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, a MS in Exercise Psychology from Kansas State University, and BAs in Health and Human Performance and Psychology from Rice University.
Adam Stewart - Head Coach Capital University
Adam Stewart was a lacrosse coach at his alma mater Denison University spending a combined 10 seasons on the staff. He now enters his first season as the head coach of Capital men's lacrosse in 2024-25. This will be his second stint with the program after serving as the Offensive Coordinator in 2023. At Denison, Stewart served for nine seasons in two separate stints and helped guide the program to new heights. In his tenure, he coached 13 All-Americans, six NCAC Players of the Year, and the only two 100+ point scorers in program history. Under his assistance, the 2017 team qualified for the National Final Four. Stewart's offenses have consistently been recognized around the country as ranking in the Top-10 (of more than 200 programs) in scoring offense, shooting percentage, extra-man percentage, turnovers per game, assists per game, and scoring margin. Off the field, Stewart had worked closely with leadership development coach Pat Touhey to develop an improved team culture and overall team well-being.
Woody Calleri: Director True Lacrosse
Having coached for over 30 years, Coach Calleri brings experience and passion for the game of lacrosse to Northeast Ohio. Coach Calleri’s experience ranges from the youth level to the international level, and every level in between. As the first coach in Northeast Ohio to win a national recruiting championship and a box lacrosse championship, Coach Calleri has mentored over 300 players sending them to over 100 colleges and universities, including 2 MLL Champion, 4 Pro Players, 2 Team USA players, 9 NCAA National Champions, 1 USILA Player Of The Year, 26 Ohio Position Player Of The Year, 216 All Ohio, 63 All Americans and 31 Academic All Americans. Burning River is the measuring stick for club lacrosse programs in Ohio and across the country.