Contact: Taiah Gallisath, Associate Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5302
 
Nov. 12, 2025 – North Central College Senior Director of Athletics, Jim Miller '86 has announced the hiring of Brendan Kearney as the next head coach of the Cardinals men's lacrosse program. Kearney becomes just the second head coach in program history.
 
"We are excited to welcome Coach Kearney to North Central," Miller said. "He did an outstanding job at Lewis as associate head coach and defensive coordinator. His ability to recruit student-athletes from areas such as Minnesota, California, Texas, and Colorado, regions where we've had success in other sports, will help us continue to expand our recruiting reach while maintaining a strong Chicago-area presence."
 
"Coach Kearney brings tremendous energy and is highly respected for his work in player development," Miller added. "We were impressed with his short- and long-term vision for the program and how he plans to build on the foundation laid by former Head Coach Jay Farrell. We believe he can help us stay competitive at the conference level on a consistent basis."
 
Kearney comes to North Central from Division II Lewis University, where he most recently served as the Flyers' associate head coach and defensive coordinator. He joined the Lewis staff in 2018 as a recruiting coordinator, defensive assistant, and goalie coach while pursuing his master's degree in school counseling. He was instrumental in bringing in the Flyers' first three recruiting classes in program history and helped guide the team to its first NCAA Elite Eight appearance in 2024.
 
After earning his master's degree, Kearney spent one season at Division I Marquette University as the director of lacrosse operations before returning to Lewis for the last three seasons. He also served as director of the MKE Lacrosse Program, a charitable urban youth lacrosse program for Milwaukee city schools, and as director of 12/23 Club Lacrosse.
 
Kearney played four years of club lacrosse at Holy Cross College, where he was named player-coach during his second season.
 
"It's truly an honor to be named head coach for North Central men's lacrosse," Kearney said. "North Central has a proud tradition of athletic success across so many sports, and I'm excited to contribute to that success. What really excites me is the opportunity to work closely with our student-athletes to help them grow not just as lacrosse players, but as well-rounded young men. Between the strength of our academic reputation, our incredible location, and the foundation that's already been built in this program, I'm ready to get to work to lead this program to the next level."
 
"My vision is to build a championship-level program by raising the standard in how we practice, compete, and represent ourselves in our community," he added. "We want to be a team that plays with toughness, stays connected, and takes pride in doing things above the standard that we set. More importantly, this program will be about developing great teammates, great people, and successful leaders in their communities. There is a strong foundation here, and I'm excited to help us elevate with structure, high standards, and continued development of our student athletes."
 
The North Central men's lacrosse program was established in 2015, with its inaugural season in 2017. Since then, the Cardinals have made the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament in each of the past five seasons, earned an NCAA Tournament berth in 2022, and produced 34 all-conference honorees and five All-America selections.
 
Kearney will officially begin his coaching duties on Monday, Nov. 17, as the Cardinals prepare to open the 2026 season on Saturday, Feb. 21, at Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill.