Staff Directory

Jack Kearney

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:

Jack Kearney joined Dan Chemotti's staff in August of 2024 as an assistnat coach. Kearney came to Richmond from NJIT and works closely with the goalies, faceoff athletes, wing unit and defense.

In Kearney's second season at Richmond in 2026, he helped guide the Spiders to a 14–2 overall record, a perfect 6–0 mark in Atlantic 10 play, and a second consecutive Atlantic 10 regular-season championship. Richmond secured its third conference tournament title in four years with an 8–6 victory over Saint Joseph's and earned the first NCAA Tournament seed and home game in program history. The Spiders reached No. 1 in all three national polls for the first time in program history, becoming the first team in Richmond Athletics history to earn a No. 1 national ranking at the highest level of collegiate competition, and spent much of the season ranked among the nation's top five programs.

Richmond opened the year with a program-record 9–0 start and defeated three nationally ranked opponents, including No. 5 Cornell, No. 13 Virginia and No. 13 Georgetown. The Spiders only losses of the season came to eventual Final Four teams in Duke and national runner up Notre Dame.

Richmond finished third nationally in points per game (25.0), fourth in scoring margin (+7.40), fourth in scoring offense (15.47 goals per game), fifth in winning percentage (.882), and eighth in shot percentage (.340). Defensively, the Spiders ranked third in scoring defense (8.44) and fourth in caused turnovers per game (10.44), giving Richmond one of the most balanced statistical profiles in college lacrosse.

With Kearney’s help, goalie Connor Knight earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 and Honorable Mention All-America honors after posting one of the top statistical seasons in the country. He recorded a 8.355 goals-against average, the best in the Atlantic 10 and fifth-best nationally (sixth-best in a single season in program history). Knight’s 14 wins were tied for the most ever by a Spider in a single season. He also totaled 160 saves, the fourth-most in a single season in program history, while allowing 128 goals and posting a .556 save percentage, the second-best mark in the A-10 and 10th-best in the NCAA (seventh-best all-time at Richmond).

Under Kearney’s guidance, freshman faceoff athlete Vincent Gaylord was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and earned Second Team All-Atlantic 10 honors. He won 150 of 268 faceoffs (.559), the fifth-most faceoff wins in a single season in Richmond history. Gaylord helped Richmond lead the Atlantic 10 and rank ninth nationally in ground balls per game (34.81), while also ranking second in the conference and 28th nationally in faceoff win percentage (.559), the second-highest mark by a freshman in league history. He was also tabbed 22nd on Inside Lacrosse’s 2026 Freshman Impact Rankings.

In 2025, Kearney helped lead the Spiders to its best season to date. The Spiders posted a record-breaking 14–3 overall mark, including a perfect 5–0 run through Atlantic 10 play to claim their first-ever A-10 regular-season title and a second conference tournament championship in three years. Richmond earned its first NCAA Tournament victory, upsetting No. 8 North Carolina, 13–10, in Chapel Hill in a defining moment for the program. The Spiders ranked as high as No. 5 in the national polls, the highest ranking in program history, and joined only two-time defending champion Notre Dame as the only 2025 NCAA Tournament teams ranked in the top 10 nationally in both scoring offense and defense. Under Kearney's leadership, faceoff specialist Jared Chenoy went 107-for-188 (.667) on faceoffs during the season, finishing his career second all-time at Richmond in faceoff win percentage (.517, 646-for-1,249). He also played a key role in the success of goalie Zach Vigue, who was named Atlantic 10 Goalie of the Year and earned All-America honors. Vigue became Richmond’s all-time saves leader and recorded 14 wins as a starter in 2025—the most ever by a Spider goalie.

Kearney came to Robins Stadium following two seasons as an assistant at NJIT. While with the Highlanders, Kearney helped lead the team to a 7-0 start to begin the 2024 season. He helped turn around a NJIT team that prior to last season, had only won 10 games in its first nine seasons of existence. During 2024, Kearney helped the Highlanders double their program record for wins in a season (previously 3, set in his first season on staff in 2023), pick up the nation’s longest win streak (8 games including the 2023 finale), receive votes in the Inside Lacrosse and USILA Top 20 polls for three consecutive weeks and help land defenseman Hank Bethel on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.

Prior to his time in Newark, Kearney served as Bryant’s volunteer assistant and goalie coach for two seasons. In the same time Kearney was on staff, the Bulldogs reached two NEC tournaments, winning it all in 2021 and advancing to the NCAA tournament. In 2021, he coached goalie Luke Caracciolo to 2021 NEC tournament MVP status and was named First Team All-New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA).

Kearney’s first collegiate coaching job came in 2018 at his alma mater, Post, where he was an assistant and served as defensive coordinator. Kearney graduated from Post in 2017 with a degree in criminal justice. He played long-stick midfield for the Eagles and is Post’s career record holder with 55 games played and 60 caused turnovers. He is second all-time with 137 ground balls, posting 47 alone in 2014 en route to being named Second Team All-NEILA. He is one of just two Poet players to ever receive the honor.