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
- Registration closes on Monday, December 15, 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)
n2026 Presenters
(Girl's Lax In Green, Boys in Red, Overall/Youth in Black)
- Lindy Brobeck, Lake Erie HC - Individual Offense to Team Offense
- Liz Ford, College of Wooster HC / True Lacrosse - Women's Lax Roundtable (Drills, Q&A, Practice Planning, etc)
- Paige Messersmith, OWU HC, - Winning the Possession Game- Draw Control Strategies and Tactics
- Malory Nadrah, Oberlin HC, Indiviudal Defense to Team Defense
- Anthony Ameo, True Lacrosse - Faceoffs A to Z
- Jason Griffith, Hiram University HC - Fast or Last - Drills to create Fast Paced Offensive Play
- Jay Owen, Wittenberg HC - Practice Planning
- Doug Salter, Walsh University HC – Clearing
- Adam Stewart, Capital HC, - Developing The Individual Defenseman
- Anthony Tatro, Baldwin Wallace HC, - Developing Leadership
- Woody Calleri, True Lacrosse - Boys Lacrosse Roundtable
- John Collis,Cleveland Sports Institute and Parisi Speed School, The Lacrosse Performance Playbook: A Step-by-Step Plan to Build Faster, Stronger, More Resilient Athletes
- B.J. Jenkins, Gilmour Academy / True Lacrosse - Youth Goalies Basics: finding the right players
- P. J. Kavanagh, True Lacrosse - Offensive Drills, Sets, and Philosophy for MS/ Youth players.
- Robert Randall, Nazareth, Nazareth Team Culture
- Dr. Vanessa Shannon, Mental Performance Consultant - Coaching and Teaching Resilience
- Jeff Csank, NOLOA (Ref Assoc) - Boys Rules 101
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.
Lindy Brobeck – Lake Erie College
Coach Brobeck is entering her second season as the head coach of the Storm women's lacrosse program in 2026. Lindy came to Lake Erie after serving as the assistant coach at John Carroll in 2024. During her lone season with the Blue Streaks, Brobeck helped to steer JCU back to the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Tournament. Before her coaching career began, she was a 4-year letter winner at Marietta College, Brobeck played attack for the Pioneers. She played in 50 games across her career. She compiled 23 goals and 15 assists for a total of 38 points, along with 30 groundballs and 6 draw controls.
John S. Collis, PhD, CSCS is an Exercise Physiologist and Sports
Performance Coach with 35+ years of experience developing athletes from 7th grade through championship season. As Owner of the Cleveland Sports Institute and its Parisi Speed School, he has trained state champions, NCAA champions, and professional and Olympic-trial athletes using year-round, coach-friendly performance models.
Liz Ford - Head Coach College Of Wooster / True Cleveland
Elizabeth Ford is the Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach and Senior Woman Administrator at The College of Wooster, where she leads one of the top NCAA Division III programs with sustained success and strong competitive results. She has guided the Fighting Scots to multiple North Coast Athletic Conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances while maintaining high performance standards. Ford’s teams have consistently achieved double-digit win seasons, and her leadership earned her regional coaching honors and induction into the Ohio Lacrosse Hall of Fame
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.
Malory Nadrah - Head Coach Oberlin
Malory Nadrah enters her second season as the head coach of the women's lacrosse program during the 2025-26 year. During her inaugural season with Oberlin, Nadrah led the Crimson and Gold to an 8-9 overall record and 1-5 in conference play, producing two All-North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Second-Team honorees. Nadrah comes to Oberlin after serving as the inaugural head coach of the Marietta women’s lacrosse program for seven years. While at Marietta, the Pioneers made two Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) tournament appearances, including a program-best 4th-place finish in 2023. Under Nadrah’s leadership, the Pioneers amassed 11 All-OAC honorees and an OAC Player of the Year in 2023. A three-year captain of the Frostburg State women’s lacrosse team, Nadrah was the 2011 Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Rookie of the Year as well as a four-time All-CAC selection and four-time CAC All-Academic honoree.
Jay Owen - Head Coach Wittenberg
Jay Owen has served as the head coach of Wittenberg University’s men’s lacrosse program since August 2013 and also holds responsibilities as an assistant director of athletics. A Salisbury University alumnus, Owen played on two NCAA Division III national championship teams before beginning a 15-season assistant coaching career at Salisbury, where he helped multiple title-winning squads. Under his leadership at Wittenberg, he has been named NCAC Coach of the Year and coached numerous All-NCAC honorees and academically recognized student-athletes.
Robert Randall – Nazareth College
Rob Randall is the longtime Head Coach of the Nazareth College men’s lacrosse program, leading the Golden Flyers since 2001 and becoming one of the most successful coaches in NCAA Division III lacrosse. A Rochester, New York native and Nazareth alum, he played lacrosse as a student before returning to build the program into a consistent conference contender. Under his leadership, Nazareth has reached numerous Empire 8 title games and NCAA Tournament appearances, including a run to the national championship game.
Randall has been honored multiple times as Empire 8 Coach of the Year and was inducted into the NJCAA Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
David Salter – Head Coach Walsh University
David Salter was named Head Coach of Walsh Men’s Lacrosse in 2023 and has quickly elevated the program. He led the Cavaliers to their first-ever G-MAC playoff win and, in 2025, their first conference championship game appearance, while tying the program record for wins and setting a best 6–3 conference and 10–8 overall mark. Previously, he spent seven years as an assistant at Mercyhurst North East, Piedmont, and Lander, contributing to conference titles and NCAA appearances. A Maryland native, he played at Howard Community College and Belmont Abbey and holds degrees from Belmont Abbey and Mercyhurst University.
Dr. Vanessa Shannon - Mental Performance Consultant
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.
Tony Tatro – Head Coach Baldwin Wallace
Tony Tatro is the Head Men’s Lacrosse Coach at Baldwin Wallace University, entering his fourth season leading the Yellow Jackets in NCAA Division III competition. Under his direction, BW has achieved dominant Ohio Athletic Conference regular-season success and multiple conference championships. He has coached and developed numerous All-Conference and All-Region players while emphasizing both athletic and academic excellence. A native of Akron, Ohio, he played collegiate lacrosse and brings extensive experience in player development and program building to BW’s lacrosse community.
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.