Chris Lewis

Chris Lewis became the third head coach in Rollins men's lacrosse history on June 26, 2015 after serving as the Interim Head Coach for the final two months of the 2015 season.

Lewis led Rollins into uncharted territory in 2023, guiding the Tars to a 15-2 overall record, the program's first-ever SSC Regular Season title and first-ever SSC Tournament crown, as well as the first NCAA postseason contest in program history. Rollins went 13-1 in the regular season, including a perfect 7-0 in conference games, before knocking off Saint Leo and Florida Southern to capture the conference tournament title. The Tars received the top seed in the South Region of the NCAA II Championship and hosted Lenoir-Rhyne in the program's first NCAA postseason game, falling to the Bears, 14-8.

2023 saw a litany of postseason honors bestowed upon the Tars, with 10 players earning All-SSC honors, highlighted by Lewis being named the league's Coach of the Year for the first time, along with Shahé Katchadurian claiming SSC Player of the Year accolades. In addition, seven Tars were named All-Region by the USILA, three of whom went on to earn USILA All-American status, including Katchadurian, who was named USILA Goalie of the Year.

The 2022 season was one of the best in Tars' history as the team finished 12-3 overall. A whopping seven Tars were named All-SSC, with an additional four making All-Region. The accolades continued to pour in as three Tars - Justin Isenhour, Bailey Pringle, and Finn Jent - were named USILA All-Americans.

Lewis brought the Tars to new heights in 2021. Rollins tallied a new program best in winning percentage as they went 7-3, and finished the season ranked No. 19 in the nation. Senior attackman Ryan Dunn was named the SSC Men's Lacrosse Player of the Year, and went on to garner All-American recognition.

Despite a shortened season in 2020 Rollins added Jackson Colling to the program's list of accomplished student-athletes, when, under Lewis' guidance, he was named a USILA Scholar All-American.

In 2019 Lewis coached eight All-Conference selections, the most in program history. The Tars also earned their first All-American, as Evan Schimek was named an USILA Honorable Mention All-American defender. Greg Taicher was also named the SSC Male Scholar Athlete of the Year, following a Second Team All-Conference performance.

In 2016, the Tars finished the year ranked #18 in the NCAA Division II national poll. During the season, the team was ranked as high as #17. The Tars also set a new benchmark in conference play when they advanced to the Sunshine State Conference Championship for the first time in Program history.

Lewis led the team to victories over 3 nationally ranked opponents: Lindenwood (10), Indianapolis (18), and Saint Leo (17), respectively. The 2016 Team improved in nearly every statistical category from the previous year, but most importantly improved its overall record to 10-6, producing a winning record for the first time in program history.

A 1988 graduate of SUNY Oswego, Lewis brings more than a decade of coaching experience in both football and lacrosse to the Rollins sideline. Lewis will also help extensively with the recruiting, scouting, and game planning activities. He immediately hit the recruiting trail spending time coaching and evaluating athletes in Maryland, New York, and New England prior to arriving in Winter Park at the start of the fall semester.

Prior to his work with the Tars, Coach Lewis was named the head assistant coach for the Northeast Ten Conference-powerhouse Merrimack College Warriors before the start of the 2008 season. He was assigned to work on the defensive side of the ball and quickly brought the unit to rank as one of the top defensive and man-down squads in Division II. That same year, the Warriors were the top team in Division II in man-down defense, with a kill rate of 89 percent. Additionally, the unit rose in the national rank for scoring defense from 10^th to seventh, cutting 1.6 goals per game off their previous mark.

In 2009, Merrimack's defense rose to fourth in the country as the team rode a strong overall team game into the Division II Final four, the first time the Warriors had competed in post season play.

During the 2009 and 2010 campaigns, Merrimack ranked in the top-5 in scoring defense, while in 2011, the Warriors defense held opponents to 7.6 goals per game. In his four seasons at Merrimack, the Warriors finished in the national top-10 in scoring defense.

During Lewis' tenure at Merrimack College, the defensive players collected numerous postseason awards. Over a four-year span, there were a total of 10 All-Northeast Ten Conference awards. Goaltender Cory Spinale was a two-time All-American, winning the Division II Goalie of the Year award at the conclusion of the 2010 season. Additionally, the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) honored multiple Merrimack defenders as All-New England selections. The newly-named Rollins assistant coach was also named the head coach for the victorious East team in the 2010 NEILA All-Star game.