Seven Inductees Announced for NJCAA Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame
Charlotte, NC – The NJCAA has announced seven honorees to be inducted into the NJCAA Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Six student-athletes and one coach have been selected to join the 2026 class. Read below for more on Jim Griffiths, Kevin Goedeke, Neil Hutchinson, Dan Brennan, Travis Begay, Travis Crane, and Lee Williams.
Jim Griffiths | Coach | Anne Arundel (MD)
Jim Griffiths has served in multiple coaching roles at Anne Arundel Community College, contributing across several programs including women's soccer, women's lacrosse, and cross country. Over the course of his tenure, he has been recognized for both team success and academic achievement within NJCAA athletics.
In women's lacrosse, Griffiths guided Anne Arundel teams to national prominence, including NJCAA National Championships in 2006 and 2007. His teams also finished as national runners-up in 2004, 2005, and 2011, and placed third nationally in 2010. His coaching success in the sport was further recognized with NJCAA National Coach of the Year honors in 2006 and 2007, as well as multiple Region and District Coach of the Year awards spanning 2004–2007 and again in 2010–2011. Griffiths coached 56 NJCAA women's lacrosse All-America honorees and the 2018 Betty Jo Graber Athlete of the Year, Sofia Michael, which is awarded to the NJCAA female student-athlete of the year.
In addition to competitive success, Griffiths' programs were recognized for academic achievement. He coached NJCAA All-Academic teams in cross country (2008–2010), soccer (2008–2010), and lacrosse (2009–2011), with his lacrosse teams earning distinction for posting the top team GPA in the nation during multiple seasons.
Kevin Goedeke | Student-Athlete | CCBC Essex (MD)
Kevin Goedeke competed for CCBC Essex for two seasons, earning first team All-America status in consecutive years (2006 & 2007) and leading the Knights to the NJCAA national tournament. Goedeke went on to play at UMBC, earning two trips to the NCAA tournament through America East Tournament Championships in both 2008 and 2009. In 2009, Goedeke was named All-America East First Team for Defense. In the same season, Goedeke was named to the conference All-Academic team.
Neil Hutchinson | Student-Athlete | CCBC Essex (MD)
Neil Hutchinson competed for CCBC Essex for two seasons before moving on to play at Towson in 2012. Hutchinson established himself as one of the top junior college players in the country. In 2011, he earned NJCAA Second Team All-America honors, followed by a standout 2012 season in which he was named Maryland JUCO Offensive Player of the Year and NJCAA Midfielder of the Year. That same year, he also earned NJCAA First Team All-America recognition and was selected to the NJCAA All-Tournament Team for the second time in his career.
Following his playing career, Hutchinson transitioned into coaching at the Division I level. He has served as an assistant coach at multiple prominent programs, including the University of Notre Dame, UMBC, and Towson University, and is currently the Associate Head Coach at Harvard University.
Dan Brennan | Student-Athlete | Herkimer (NY)
Dan Brennan competed for Herkimer for two seasons, both in which ended with national titles for the Generals. Brennan recorded an assist in the 1994 national championship game. As a sophomore in 1995, Brennan scored three goals in the national title game to help the Generals avenge a regular season loss to Essex that ended Herkimer's 59-game winning streak and earn the Generals' fourth consecutive title. Brennan was named to the NJCAA All-America First Team in 1995. In both seasons with Herkimer, Brennan received NJCAA All-Academic honors.
Travis Begay | Student-Athlete | CCBC Essex (MD)
Travis Begay served as captain for CCBC Essex in both the 2004 and 2005 seasons. In his freshman campaign, Begay guided the team to a 19-0 record and a national championship. In 2005, Begay earned NJCAA First Team All-America accolades in the defensive position. Begay continued his career playing for UMBC and in his senior season earned All-America East Conference honors. After earning a bid into the NCAA Tournament, Begay guided the Retrievers to an upset of seventh-seeded Maryland in the first round.
Travis Crane | Student-Athlete | CCBC Essex (MD)
Travis Crane began his collegiate career at UMBC in 2009 before later transferring to CCBC Essex in 2011. With the Knights, Crane posted 42 points (26 goals, 16 assists) along with 52 ground balls in a single season. His performance earned him NJCAA First Team All-America honors, Maryland Junior College Midfielder of the Year, as well as First Team All-Region and First Team Maryland JUCO recognition.
Crane then transferred to Penn State, where he played two seasons as a short-stick defensive midfielder. During his time with the Nittany Lions, he recorded three goals, 27 ground balls, and 15 caused turnovers. He served as a team co-captain in his senior season, helped lead Penn State to an NCAA Tournament appearance, and was selected as an Academic All-Big Ten honoree. He was also chosen for the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game.
Following his playing career, Crane moved into coaching, beginning with volunteer and developmental roles, including FCA Maryland and Calvert Hall. He later joined the Ohio State University men's lacrosse program, where he was hired as Defensive Coach in 2018 and promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2021.
Lee Williams | Student-Athlete | Herkimer (NY)
Lee Williams competed for the Generals for the 1993 and 1994 seasons, winning national titles in each. Wiliams was part of a class at Herkimer that did not lose a single game across their two seasons with the Generals. He was named to the All-Tournament Team in 1993. Williams earned NJCAA All-America First Team status in the 1994 season before going on to play at Towson State University.
