Lexington, Ky. - Terry Justice, the first and sole head coach in Transylvania men's lacrosse program history, has announced his retirement as Transylvania men's lacrosse head coach.

Justice, a Kentucky Lacrosse hall-of-famer and a pioneer of the sport in Kentucky, retires from his head coaching position after serving the last 10 years as the architect of the Transylvania men's lacrosse program.

Justice retires with an overall head coaching record of 93 wins against 45 losses and a 39-3 record in regular season conference play over six full seasons.

Justice leaves Transylvania after guiding the Pioneers to four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including their inaugural appearance in 2017.

"Terry Justice has set the foundation for men's lacrosse at Transylvania for success," stated Vice President for Athletics, Dr. Holly Sheilley. "I am so proud of what Terry has done with this program and the young men who have played on his teams. There is no doubt that he will be missed, but his legacy will live on through this program. We have been blessed to have him as our coach and we wish him the best as he heads into a much deserved retirement."

"This program has a special place in my heart beginning with the first group of guys that took a leap of faith in me in 2012," shared Justice. "I always enjoyed coaching and having the opportunity to start a college program was a dream come true to me. I'm thankful for every player I got to coach here, and also the chance to work with some incredible coaches at Transylvania. I'll miss the game days but most of all, the give and take of every day and getting to know all my student-athletes and being a part of each other's lives."

Associate Head Coach Logan Otto, who has spent the last eight years on the Transylvania men's lacrosse staff alongside Justice, has been named the interim head coach of Transylvania men's lacrosse. A search to select the next permanent head coach will begin immediately.

A staple of the lacrosse community in Kentucky since the 1970s, Justice was tabbed to build the brand new Transylvania men's lacrosse program in 2011. Joining Transylvania from another local championship program in Lexington Catholic High School, Justice spent his first year at Transylvania recruiting and immediately fielded a 9-5 squad in the inaugural 2013 spring season. By his third season, Justice guided the Pioneers to the program's first conference championship, winning the 2015 Ohio River Lacrosse Conference title over St. Vincent.  

In their first season of eligibility, Justice guided the Pioneers to their debut NCAA Tournament berth in 2017, beginning a string of four consecutive NCAA Tournament postseason appearances. During his tenure at Transylvania, Justice's teams have never experienced a losing season, quickly emerging as an annual contender in the Division III men's lacrosse landscape. Justice's Pioneers have become renown for peaking during the championship stretch as the Pioneers captured six consecutive conference tournament championships in his final six full seasons as head coach.

Along with establishing a tradition of championship success, Justice has produced teams that have excelled on a national scale; the Pioneers led the nation in clears in 2016 and finished fifth in the country in scoring margin during the 2019 campaign. Over his final three seasons at Transy, Justice developed the first two IWLCA All-Region winners in program history in midfielder Trenten Toivonen and attackman Trenton Sneed. Justice claimed three conference coach of the year awards at Transylvania while steering the Pioneers to a record 14-win season in 2019 and its best overall season in 2021 with a 13-3 overall record. 

In addition to his head coaching duties at Transylvania, Justice diversified his expertise as an indelible member of Transylvania University and the Kentucky lacrosse landscape. Justice was also an Assistant Athletic Director at Transylvania, a member of the NCAA Division III men's lacrosse committee, and was inducted into the Kentucky Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2015.

While Justice collected an abundance of awards, wins, championships, and nationwide acclaim from his peers over his illustrious career, his ultimate impact upon the game will likely be regarded through the growth of the sport in the state of Kentucky, the students he taught and coached at Transylvania and throughout the state at all levels, and the styles and philosophy he infused into the sport over five decades. Terry Justice retires as a lacrosse institution in Kentucky.    

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