The official athletics site of Gwynedd Mercy University.

Dana Lindstrom was appointed the assistant director of athletics for internal operations in October of 2021. In that role, Lindstrom oversees 12 of Gwynedd Mercy University’s 17 intercollegiate athletic programs (men’s soccer, women’s soccer, field hockey, men’s cross-country, women’s cross country, men’s indoor track and field, women’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track and field, women’s outdoor track and field, baseball, softball, and men’s lacrosse) and coordinates travel for all while scheduling dates, times, officials, site administrators, and athletics communications personnel for all home contests. In addition, Lindstrom supervises all game day activities and policies, including as the University’s Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designee. He currently serves on the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Men’s Lacrosse Playing Rules Committee as well as served as the Atlantic East Conference (AEC) Administrator for men’s lacrosse.
 
Lindstrom finished his 14th season as the head coach of the Gwynedd Mercy University men’s lacrosse with the completion of the 2021 season. Lindstrom came to the University to start the men's lacrosse program during the 2007-2008 academic year and recruited 251 student-athletes from 11 states throughout his tenure. In 13 seasons of competition with Lindstrom at the helm, the Griffins compiled an overall record of 101-78, conference record of 50-26, qualified for the conference playoffs all 13 years, and made five conference championship game appearances in 2010, 2012, 2016, 2018, and 2019. Lindstrom was honored by his fellow coaches during the 2010 season as the Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Coach of the Year. The program has been honored to have 207 student-athletes named to the CSAC/AEC All-Academic team and won the conference award for having the highest GPA among the men’s lacrosse programs in 2015, 2016, and 2019. In 2020, Lindstrom was awarded the Tender Courage award for outstanding service to the mission and values of Gwynedd Mercy University. This award is given to one staff member annually.

Under his tutelage, 91 student-athletes received CSAC/AEC All-Conference honors, four - Nick Coan ’12, Zach Richter ’12, Shawn Ryan ’19, and Marc Bushong ’17 – received Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Men's Lacrosse Team recognition. The Latter was selected as the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Men’s Lacrosse Performer of the Year in 2016 and 2017. He earned United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Academic All-American status and the CSAC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2017. He is the only Griffin to be a four-time CSAC First-Team selection, doing so while earning the 2014 CSAC Rookie of the Year honor and the 2017 CSAC Defensive Player of the Year title.
 
Tony McCraw ’16 became the first Griffin to be named an USILA All-American, earning the honor as a junior (2015). McCraw also became the program’s first student-athlete to receive the CSAC Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Year title, doing so while collecting his second USILA All-American and All-ECAC selections in 2016. Jake Dzierzgowski was honored as the AEC Rookie of the Year in 2019.
 
In 2009, Lindstrom surpassed any expectation of a first-year program, guiding Gwynedd Mercy University to a 7-9 overall record and a 2-4 league standing that qualified them for the CSAC postseason play and a semifinals appearance. 

The 2010 season saw the continued growth of the program as the Griffins ended their season with an 10-5 overall record and won its first CSAC postseason contest with a 9-7 semifinal triumph over Marywood University (May 4). The victory was followed by a CSAC Championship showdown with 10-time reigning champions, Cabrini University. Unfortunately, the Griffins came up short against the Cavaliers - who were ranked in the Top-10 in the country at the time. During that season the Red and Gold defense was ranked among the Top-20 Nationally in goals-against average (7.52 GAA). 
 
In 2012, Lindstrom led the Griffins to the CSAC Championship for the second time in four years. The Griffins compiled a record of 10-6 and ranked 28th in the country in man-up scoring, 35th in man-down defense, and in the top third of DIII in scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, win percentage, assists per game, and points per game. The 2012 season saw the program graduate its first class, which consisted of Ryan Bracalenti ’12, Benjamin Brown ’12, Michael Henry ’12, Jon-Eric Lane ’12, Robert Lutts ’12, Craig Trueblood ’12, Coan, and Richter. These eight young men were part of the inaugural team in 2009 and helped put the Griffin lacrosse program on the map.

The 2015 season was the best to date for the Griffins despite an increase in their strength of schedule. With a record of 11-5, they set a program record for wins in a season, besting the previous record of 10 wins in 2010 and 2012. At the end of the season, the Griffins found themselves ranked 12th in clearing percentage (.873; 248-for-284), 19th in scoring margin (+88; 191-103), 26th in faceoff win percentage (.607; 207-of-341), and 50th in scoring offense (11.94 goals/game). All stood as program records for a single season.

The 2018 season saw the Griffins set program records in multiple categories. It was the first time in program history that the Griffins gave up less than 100 goals in a season, and the defense finished ranked fourth overall in the NCAA in scoring defense at 6.36 goals allowed per game. The man down unit finished with a kill rate of 83% which ranked 14th overall in all of NCAA, and the face-off unit had a 61% success rate which ranked them 33rd overall in NCAA. The 10-4 record set the program record for winning percentage at 71%, and the four losses was an all-time low.
 
2019 saw Gwynedd Mercy University finish 10-6 overall (2-4 AEC) and return to the AEC championship game for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, the Griffins lost to the eventual NCAA DIII National Champion Cabrini University for the second season in a row.

Before Lindstrom became the head coach of the Griffins, he spent several seasons as an assistant coach at King's College. While at King’s, he was the Monarchs defensive coordinator and was heavily involved in the day-to-day operations of the program as well as recruiting potential student-athletes to the Monarchs program.

Prior to King's, Lindstrom served as the head boy's lacrosse coach at The Pennington School in New Jersey from 2003-2005. In 2004, he led the team to the New Jersey State Tournament Prep B semi-finals before guiding the squad to a Prep B finals appearance in 2005. He also spent the 2002 year at Pennington as an assistant coach before assuming the head job the following season. While at The Pennington School, Lindstrom additionally served as an assistant coach for the ice hockey and football teams.

Lindstrom is a graduate of Orchard Park High School in New York where he was an All-Western New York goaltender in 1993. During the 1993 season, he led the Quakers to the New York State Class A Quarterfinals and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Exceptional Senior All-Star Game as a member of the South team. Lindstrom continued his playing career at Elmira College, where he graduated from in 1997.  

	Overall		Conference
Year	W	L	W	L	Notes
2009	7	9	2	4	First Season/CSAC Playoffs
2010	10	5	4	2	CSAC Finalists
2011	6	9	4	2	CSAC Playoffs
2012	10	6	5	2	CSAC Finalists
2013	8	6	4	2	CSAC Playoffs
2014	8	6	4	2	CSAC Playoffs
2015	11	5	5	2	CSAC Playoffs
2016	10	5	6	1	CSAC Finalists
2017	6	8	4	3	CSAC Playoffs
2018	10	4	6	1	CSAC Finalists
2019	10	6	4	2	AEC Finalists
2020	3	3	0	0	Season halted due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021	2	6	2	3	AEC Playoffs (#5)
Totals	101	78 (.564)	50	26 (.658)