Emory & Henry College’s Vice President for Athletics, Dr. Anne Crutchfield, ’89, announced that Tom Flynn was hired as the first head women’s lacrosse coach for the program. Flynn joined the E&H staff in January and immediately began recruiting and preparing for the inaugural season in spring 2024. The Wasps will compete as South Atlantic Conference (SAC) members.
“We could not be more excited to welcome women’s lacrosse,” said Crutchfield. “Lacrosse is currently one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, and interest in our region has increased exponentially. Given the SAC’s reputation as one of the premier lacrosse conferences in NCAA Division II, now is the time for Emory & Henry to add lacrosse to our list of athletics offerings.”
Flynn arrived from Montreat College in western North Carolina, where he spent the past three seasons. He inherited a team that had won just two games in its first four years of existence and propelled the Cavaliers to 17 wins in his final two seasons, including a 12-7 mark in 2022 and a berth in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals. He has previously written about the sport of lacrosse for the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Forbes.
“Tom Flynn is certainly the right coach to build Emory & Henry’s new women’s lacrosse program,” Crutchfield added. “Tom is highly respected both on and off the lacrosse field. His competitive success at Montreat and his ability to recruit high-caliber student-athletes made him the obvious choice to lead this new program.”
In addition to setting the program record for wins last year, Flynn coached the AAC Player of the Year and NAIA First-Team All-American, Kate Gauntlett, who led all levels of college lacrosse with 114 goals scored. Additionally, the Cavaliers saw Mina Hicks named AAC Freshman of the Year as part of four spots on the all-league teams. For his efforts, his colleagues selected Flynn as the league’s Coach of the Year.
“I’m very excited to lead the women’s lacrosse team at Emory & Henry,” said Flynn. “With its excellent academics, facilities and the support network we have for student-athletes here on campus, we’ll create a great opportunity for players to succeed in the classroom and on the field.”
In February of 2022, Emory & Henry announced plans to build a Multi-Sport Complex along the I-81 corridor, which is set to serve as the home to the soccer, lacrosse, and track & field programs.
On May 6, 2023, Emory & Henry celebrated its 175th commencement ceremony and the Class of 2023. Squire Miller Henry, a former porter and furnace stoker for the College, was among those celebrated, but with an honorary posthumous Doctorate of Divinity.
In February, the College opened its first on-campus thrift store located on the lower level of the Memorial Chapel. The community celebrated the new E&H Thrift Store with a ribbon cutting, and students in attendance had the opportunity to shop afterward. Provided for Emory & Henry students, the E&H Thrift Store is unlike any other shopping experience. The store does not accept money for the exchange of clothing. Instead, students can choose to “pay” for items in one of four ways: volunteer to work a shift at the store; donate a gently used item; share a social media post about the store; or fill out a quick survey at check out. The store was made possible by the Appalachian Center for Civic Life.