Ryan McCarthy became the Director of Athletics and APEX Facilities at Lehman College in March 2022.
In his first three years at Lehman, the Lightning won multiple championships, appearing in six, garnered three all-Americans, and earned numerous individual and team academic awards. In that time, he solidified corporate sponsorships and NIL partnerships, obtained a New York State grant for facility and sport upgrades, added full-time positions, re-launched APEX fitness center membership sales and facility rentals, and enhanced the offerings of the College’s 160,000 square-foot facility. In Spring 2025, Lehman Athletics was the product feature stories gaining over 185,000,000 views by mass media outlets including ABC, NBC, CBS, NPR, and The New York Times.
McCarthy joined Lehman from Bronx Community College, where he led and supported the completion of major projects, including renovations to Ohio Field, enhancements to Alumni Gym, and the rebuilding of Alumni Gym Pool. In his tenure, students earned local and national accolades for performances on the field and in the classroom, and teams earned victories over Top 10 nationally ranked teams and conference titles.
Academically, four BCC Broncos teams were represented on the 2020 NJCAA All-Academic Teams, and an impressive 22 percent of student-athletes earned a 3.25 or greater GPA in Fall 2020. On a per-sport basis, Bronx student-athletes earned the greatest representation of all CUNYAC community colleges on 2019-20 Region XV and NJCAA All-Academic Teams, and most recently on the Fall 2021 CUNYAC Honor Roll.
McCarthy was also named President of the CUNYAC Community College Athletic Directors in 2020 after a two-year tenure as Vice President in 2018. He served on numerous NJCAA Region XV committees and is presently the women's basketball chair.
He joined the Broncos from Pratt Institute, where he transformed the Cannoneers athletics department over his five years as Associate Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, culminating in the institution rejoining NCAA Division III.
In his first two years at Pratt, athletics participation increased over 50 percent. From 2012 to 2017, participation increased 136 percent as McCarthy spearheaded the additions of women's basketball, men's volleyball, and men's and women's soccer varsity programs, also doubling roster sizes and participation opportunities for cross country and track programs. A sports information director, assistant athletics director, and facilities manager were among the administrative positions added to the department during his tenure.
He contracted with PrestoSports to serve as the Cannoneers web service provider, supported facility enhancements, upgraded the department's marketing, game scheduling, and compliance procedures, and instituted department-wide recruiting efforts. His arrival marked the launch of live video and live stats for home games and social media platforms in conjunction with the Cannoneers rebranding and expansion of the department to 14 varsity teams.
McCarthy came to Pratt from Lesley University, where he excelled as Sports Information Director for the Lynx 16 varsity sports. Within his first two years at the Cambridge, Mass. institution, he launched initiatives such as live video and live stats and oversaw the redesign of Lesley's athletics website. His work saw Lynx student-athletes and programs become the subjects of feature articles in the Boston Globe and New York Post and numerous regional publications. He served as the publicist for five teams that earned NCAA Tournament berths and hosted New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Championship Tournaments for four sports.
Prior to Lesley, he served as sports information director/director of athletics operations at Pine Manor College in Chestnut Hill, Mass. from 2008-10. In addition to directing communications, and public relations, he oversaw the department’s indoor and outdoor facilities, game management, scheduling, and contracts.
From 2007-08, McCarthy served as a graduate assistant at Medaille College. He worked with the institution's 13 varsity sports, representing the Mavs as traveling publicist for the first two rounds of the 2008 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament. He meanwhile worked as a learning strategist in the Office of Athlete Academic Services at the University at Buffalo, mentoring the Bulls Division I student-athletes in several areas critical to academic success.
From 2013-20, McCarthy served as an in-game electronic statistician for basketball at Madison Square Garden. Since 2013, he has been an in-game statistician at Barclays Center, for over six years as a member of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets stats team. For four years, he was the official scorer for the Brooklyn Cyclones, a Minor League Baseball affiliate of the New York Mets.
McCarthy received his B.A. from St. Bonaventure University's Jandoli School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He earned his M.S. in Student Personnel Administration from Buffalo State University.
