Lyndonville, VT - Vermont State University Lyndon has named Jacob Ranttila as its new Head Men's Lacrosse Coach.  Ranttila, succeeds Doug Steele, who stepped down last summer.

Ranttila comes to Lyndon from NCAA Division II Davis & Elkins College in Elkins, WV.  Prior to that, he served as an assistant at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, MA.  At MCLA, he was the defensive coordinator and was heavily involved in recruiting.

A 2022 graduate of Bethany College in Bethany, WV, Rantilla was an attackman on the Bison lacrosse team.  He scored 11 goals and added six assists in his senior season, as he helped lead the Bison to the most wins in program history.  In addition to playing on the Bethany men's team, Ranttila also served as a student assistant with the Bison women's lacrosse team.

Ranttila is excited to rebuild the Lyndon program.  "I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to transform the culture of this team and rejuvenate the passion for lacrosse here.  This is the opportunity of a lifetime time and I could not be more excited for this opportunity."

VTSU Lyndon Athletic Director Chris Gilmore believes that Ranttila is the right person to rebuild the Hornet program.  "Jacob comes to us with experience at both Division II and Division III.  He is a lifelong student of the game and his experiences as a college lacrosse player make him the right person to lead our program moving forward.  Jacob brings an unbridled enthusiasm which came through to our staff throughout the interview process.  We at Lyndon athletics are excited to have him join our staff and look forward to helping him build the future of Lyndon Lacrosse."

Lee Testor, who hired Ranttila as his assistant at Davis & Elkins, also feels that Ranttila will do a great job at Lyndon.  "Very excited for Coach Jake to have this great opportunity with VTSU Lyndon.  He has both a strong work ethic, understanding of the game, and is wise beyond his years.  He will set a great example for the boys on how to become great young men."

Ranttila is a graduate of Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington, VT, where he was a member of the lacrosse and track & field teams.  He has been active coaching youth lacrosse with Indoor Action Sports, Mount Anthony Youth Association and Catamounts Lacrosse Club.

Rantilla will make his debut on March 12th, when the Hornets open their season at Anna Maria College.