TROY, N.Y. - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) director of athletics Jim Knowlton has announced the addition of Gary DiNola, George Leveille and John Ryan as assistant coaches to the men's lacrosse staff. All three will aide head coach Jim Townsend, who is in the third year of his second stint at Rensselaer, on a part-time basis.

DiNola comes to RPI with a wealth of coaching knowledge in both lacrosse and basketball. He served as the head boys' lacrosse coach at Albany Academy from 1995-99, leading the Cadets to back-to-back undefeated league championships and Section II Class B titles in 1995 and 1996. He also coached the Empire State Games Adirondack Men's Lacrosse Team to the region's first medal in 2004.

DiNola also had outstanding success as a basketball coach at various schools in the Capital Region. He led Mont Pleasant High School to Big Ten and Section II titles and to the Eastern Regional and State Championships in 1987. He then joined the men's staff at the University of Albany, helping the Great Danes to four appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 1994. DiNola returned to high school coaching in 1994 and led Schenectady High to the 1998 New York State Class A Championship, setting the Section II record for wins in a season (28-0).

A 1974 graduate of Fairleigh Dickinson University, DiNola also studied at the University of Salerno, Italy; Wroxton College in Oxfordshire, England; Harvard University and Albany.

A lacrosse coach with numerous organizations throughout the Capital Region, Leveille worked most recently with the Adirondack Boys Team in the Empire State Games from 2003-04. He served as the head coach for the Albany Capitals Lacrosse Club, which he co-founded from 1990-01 and was a varsity assistant at Albany Academy in 1981 and again from 1996-99.

Leveille, who has twice been honored as the Albany Area Lacrosse Man of the Year, began his coaching career in 1979, spending two years as an assistant for the varsity lacrosse team at Guilderland High School. Additionally, he was a player/coach for the Mohawk Lacrosse Club All-Stars during two different stints. He currently serves as the director of the Albany Power Shootout, the Adirondack Boys Empire State Games team, and various club teams.

A 1975 graduate of Niagara University, Leveille is also the founder and organizer of the Lake Placid Summit Lacrosse Tournament.

Ryan, who also assists with strength & conditioning at Rensselaer, joins the men's lacrosse staff after playing for the Long Island Lizards in Major League Lacrosse (MLL) in 2008. He was also a member of the Ireland National Team last year.

A 2003 graduate of the United States Military Academy with a degree in systems engineering, Ryan was a two-sport athlete, playing both lacrosse and soccer. He was the 2003 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and Groundball Leader in lacrosse as a senior, helping the Black Knights to the NCAA Tournament. He was also chosen to play in the prestigious North-South Senior Game that season.

A graduate of Shenendehowa High School, Ryan served in the United States Army from 2003-08. A 2006 Bronze Star recipient, he served two tours of duty in Iraq as a platoon leader before being honorably discharged as a captain. He earned Army Master Fitness Trainer certification in 2003 and is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as a personal trainer.