On Friday, November 1st, the Rochester Chapter of US Lacrosse will install its 27th class. The event will take place at the Burgundy Basin Inn on Marsh Road in Pittsford with a social hour beginning at 6:00 pm.

The 2019 class includes four individuals and one team as follows in the press release from Craig Rybczynski for the Chapter.

JOHN NATTI

John Natti was a three-sport athlete at Geneva High School, lettering in football, swimming and lacrosse. During his senior year, he served as team captain for all three teams. In lacrosse, he was a four-year starter. The Panthers were in the Upstate Championship games in his junior and senior years. Natti attended Brockport State, where he played lacrosse as a starter for four years and served as team captain in his junior and senior years.

After college, he returned to his roots, teaching and coaching football, swimming, and lacrosse at his high school alma mater. He coached lacrosse for 25 years: as JV head coach, varsity assistant, and then 18 years as the varsity head coach with an overall record of 243-82. His teams captured seven league titles, three Section V Championships, and reached the Final Four in the State Championship twice. He was named Coach of the Year numerous times and has coached many All-League and All-Americans players.

Natti is a state and college level official for both swimming (47 years) and women’s lacrosse (20 years). The positive impact John had on his players is still notable today. Many players he has coached and shared the love of lacrosse with now serve as coaches at the high school, club, college and professional levels.

JIM PARIS

Jim Paris has been a strong supporter of lacrosse throughout his life, having played, coached, and served on various lacrosse boards. The Irondequoit, NY, native and former high school All-American and 1979 co-Player of the Year has played the game for over 50 years. The Irondequoit High School standout recorded 115 goals, 60 assists, and 208 ground balls in his high school career, while earning two all-county and all-tournament team selections.

Upon graduation, he took his game to the junior college level and suited up for State University of New York at Farmingdale. In 1981, he was on the starting attack unit for the national junior college champions. In the NJCAA Championship Game, he notched two goals and three assists in a dominating win over Nassau.

He then moved on to play collegiately at the University of Baltimore (UB) in 1982. That season, Baltimore finished with an 11-2 record, and future Hall of Fame coach Richie Meade earned Hero's Coach of the Year. In 2011, the 1982 team was inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame.

Paris has also played professionally in the indoor Can-Am Lacrosse League for the Rochester Greywolves. He even continues to play to this day and has logged over 25 years with the Tarzan lacrosse travel team.

Paris has continued to help grow the game in his hometown, serving as an Irondequoit youth travel team head coach and as a youth coach for eight years. He also ran the developmental program for six years for kids from kindergarten to sixth grade. Furthermore, he coached the youth Irondequoit players for eight years, which had a tremendous impact on the modified and high school lacrosse teams.

His coaching exploits have also included a stint as head modified coach for Webster Schroeder and a past youth Irondequoit Football coach. He is a past US Lacrosse head coach for the Greater Rochester U14 travel team as well. At the collegiate level, he previously worked as the head lacrosse coach at Monroe Community College, where he and his brother Andy, a standout player in his own right, brought the team back to collegiate play.

His contributions to lacrosse continued as he once served on the Board of Directors for the Rochester Lacrosse Foundation and Irondequoit Youth Lacrosse Club.

CARLY RITCHLIN

Carly Ritchlin enters the Hall of Fame for her success equally as a player and a coach. A 1997 Penfield High School grad, she helped her school win its first girls’ lacrosse Section V Championship. Ritchlin, who served as one of the team’s captains, was named All-County and Penfield girls’ lacrosse attacker of the Year.

A 2001 Cortland graduate, Ritchlin was a four-year letter-winner, a two-year starter, and captain during her senior campaign for the Red Dragons. She helped Cortland to an overall record of 53-16, three SUNYAC titles, and three NCAA Division III Tournament appearances during her four seasons. A two-time All-SUNYAC selection, she graduated with a school-record 33 assists during her senior season on her way to finishing third in career assists (66) and 17th in career points (118).

After her playing days, Ritchlin spent one season as the part-time head women's lacrosse coach at RIT in 2003. With the Tigers, she gained experience in all facets of coaching an intercollegiate program, including recruiting, fitness training, contest/practice management and scouting. She guided the Tigers to a 5-6 record and saw three players named to the Empire-8 All-Conference team.

Ritchlin then began her first season with the Geneseo women's lacrosse program. Over the past 16 seasons, she has established herself as the winningest coach in the 20-year history of the program, entering the 2019 campaign with a 189-80 (.700) mark. Ritchlin also ranks among the winningest coaches in the nation, both active and all-time. Prior to the season, Ritchlin was tied for 17th in NCAA Division III history in winning percentage while also sitting 19th among active Division III coaches in career wins and 21st in career winning percentage.

In 2013, Ritchlin was named the SUNYAC Coach of the Year after guiding the Knights to a 13-6 record and their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Receiving an at-large bid following a runner-up showing in the SUNYAC Tournament, the Knights upset host Susquehanna (Pa.), 15-7, before falling to Bowdoin (Maine), 10-6, in the second round.

Geneseo finished its 2019 season with a 14-5 record, went undefeated in conference 9-0, beating nationally ranked Brockport and Cortland. As the top seed, Geneseo hosted the SUNYAC Championship Game.

BEN WINEBURG

Ben Wineburg is a 1996 graduate of Nazareth College, where he was a two-time All-American goalie. Wineburg led the Golden Flyers to a 1996 national championship, earning MVP of the national championship game while leading Nazareth to an 11-10 overtime win over Washington College.

The Auburn, NY, native was also named the Division III Player of the Year. In 1996, he compiled a 7.59 goals-against average to rank eighth nationally. His school-record save percentage of .693 was fifth nationally. Wineburg was captain of Nazareth's national championship team and played in the North/South Division III All-Star Game. As both a junior and senior, he was the team's Defensive MVP.

Wineburg set numerous records while at Nazareth, recording the most saves in one season (237 in 1996), the best career save percentage (.674) and the best career goals-against average (8.38).

In 1997, he moved into the coaching ranks, serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater 1997. That campaign yielded Nazareth its third NCAA crown. Wineburg returned in 1998 to assist Nazareth head coach Scott Nelson. In 1999, he moved on to work as a graduate assistant at Alfred University. He returned to Nazareth as an assistant in the 2000 season when the Golden Flyers lost in the national semifinals to Middlebury College to finish with a record of 13-1.

In 2001, Wineburg restarted The College at Brockport men’s lacrosse program. During his tenure, he has coached 25 All-SUNYAC selections, including first-team selection and conference rookie of the Year, David Shield, in 2007. The Golden Eagles have had at least one all-conference selection each year since 2004 when Ben Bullock started the streak with a Second Team selection.

1972 HOBART TEAM

The 1972 Hobart lacrosse squad becomes the sixth team inducted into the Greater Rochester Chapter of U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Already enshrined in 2007 as a Hobart Team of Distinction, the Statesmen won the college’s first national championship. The 1972 team finished the year with a 17-1 record, establishing the program record for wins. They completed an incredible season by knocking off Washington (Md.) College 15-12 to win the title. The matchup was a preview of things to come as the two foes would meet seven times in the championship game with the Statesmen prevailing each time.

Eight members of the 1972 team have been enshrined in the Hobart Athletics Hall of Fame: Don Aleksiewicz, Dave Creighton, Jeremy Foley, Rick Gilbert, B.J. O'Hara, Bob Raleigh, head coach Jerry Schmidt and assistant coach Dave Urick.

The 27th Annual US Lacrosse, Greater Rochester Chapter, Hall of Fame Dinner will take place on Friday, November 1st at the Burgundy Basin Inn at 1361 Marsh Road in Pittsford.

The cost is $40 per person in advance or $50 at the door. The social hour begins at 6:00 p.m. with the welcome and dinner scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

To make reservations, please go to the registration page.