Oberlin College Athletics

Ryan Polak was named head men's lacrosse coach in February of 2021 and had a historic first season in 2022.

Polak led Oberlin to a school-best 12 wins against just five losses, while guiding the Yeomen into the North Coast Athletic Tournament for the first time in school history. Oberlin, which went 6-3 in the NCAC, had five players earn postseason recognition. Michael Muldoon headlined the contingency as a second-team honoree at midfield, while Tom Decker, Max Cha, Kiernan Stone, and Connor Quinn each earned honorable-mention accolades.

The Yeomen cashed in a league-best 1.75 man-up goals per game in 2022 and also led the league with 10.5 caused turnovers per game. 

He followed up his rookie year as head coach with more success in 2023 as the Yeomen made a return trip to the NCAC Tournament, finishing the year 8-8 and 4-4 in league play. He coached Michael Muldoon and Kiernan Stone to United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Honorable-Mention All-American status and set a program record with seven athletes earning All-NCAC honors.

While the 2024 season was the program’s first missed NCAC tournament under Polak, he and the Yeomen overcame numerous critical injuries to finish the season with a more than respectable 10-6 record while going 4-4 in conference play. 

Continuing his production of all-NCAC honorees, sophomore Solomon Brennan and freshman standout Colin Taylor both took home second-team honors, while sophomore captain Jacob Starcke was tabbed as an honorable mention. An offensive-minded coach at heart, Polak’s offense finished with the second-best man-up offense in the NCAC and eleventh-best in all of division three.

Prior to his Oberlin tenure, Polak served as the lead assistant coach at Kenyon College for three seasons where he was the Lords' offensive - and recruiting coordinator.  Polak was instrumental in making the Lords a perennial force within the North Coast Athletic Conference with two conference tournament appearances (2018-19) and a 5-1 start in 2020 before the season was cut short due to COVID-19.

In 2019, Polak's high-powered offense ranked third in the NCAC in goals per game with 14.29 as they posted 243 tallies and 131 assists, 57 which came out of the stick of Nick Vitale to rank second in the league. When the season came to an abrupt halt, Kenyon's Will Robbin's was fifth in the conference in points with 18 (13 g, 5 a). 

Polak mentored nine All-NCAC selections during his time with the Owls and helped the team achieve a record of 25-13 overall and 11-5 in the NCAC.

Prior to coming to Gambier, he was the director for True Lacrosse Idaho and also worked as the head lacrosse coach at Bishop Kelly High School in Boise, Idaho.

Polak got his start in coaching as a college counseling intern and assistant lacrosse coach at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio in 2015 and 2016.

A 2014 graduate of Washington College (MD), Polak helped the Shoremen make three NCAA Tournament appearances as a midfielder and attackman. As a senior, he guided WC to a Centennial Conference Championship in 2014 and an appearance in NCAA DIII semifinals.

Polak earned a bachelor's degree in business management from WC and completed a master's of science in sport coaching from West Virginia University in December of 2020. 

He is married to assistant softball coach Lauren Dockrill and together they have one daughter.