Kean University

Entering his 21st Season as Head Coach of the Kean University Men’s lacrosse program, Shelley Sheiner has guided the Cougars to much success over his tenure. Kean has qualified for the postseason in 17 of his 20 seasons at the helm and Coach Sheiner has won 211 games as head of the Cougar program.

Coach Sheiner Highlights

NCAA Tournament Appearance - 2008, 2021

Colonial States Athletic Conference Championship - 2021

Skyline Conference Championship – 2008

ECAC Metro Region Championship – 2010

ECAC Tournament Appearances – 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2018

Conference Tournament Appearances (Skyline & CSAC, CLC) – 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023

Winningest Coach in Program History

Skyline Conference Coach of the Year – 2008

Became the Winningest Coach in program history against Salve Regina on Mar. 25th, 2023

Earned his 200th Career victory against Bryn Athyn on April 23rd, 2022

Earned his 100^th Career Victory against Birmingham Southern College on March 15^th, 2013

10 All-Americans

Six Scholar All-Americans

Nine All-Region Selections

92 All-Conference Selections

Two Conference Player of the Year Selections

One Defensive Player of the Year Selection

Three Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year Selections

Two Conference Rookie of the Year Selections

In 2023, Sheiner guided Kean to 11 wins and a spot in the CLC semifinals. During the season, Sheiner became the winningest coach in program history with a 16-11 defeat of Salve Regina on Mar. 25th.

In 2022, Sheiner guided Kean to 10 wins and 13 CSAC All-Conference selections. Nick Thorne was named Rookie of the Year, while Brady Moore, Matt Palmieri, Thomas Francy, Anthony Porter, Tommy Pellegrino and Joey McNulty were all first team selections. In addition, Sheiner earned his 200th career victory with a 26-3 defeat of Bryn Athyn on Senior Day. 

In 2021, Sheiner guided the Cougars to 10 wins, a conference championship and just the second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Matt Palmieri, Brady Moore and Thomas Francy were named USILA All-Americans. Moore and Palmieri were among eight CSAC All-Conference selections, as Palmieri was named the CSAC Defensive Player of the Year. 

In 2019, Sheiner collected 11 wins and the Cougars made their 14th straight playoff appearance. Seven players were named all-conference, while senior Mike Snellen was named to the All-ECAC first team and he earned USILA All-American status.

Coach Sheiner’s teams have earned 10 or more victories in 14 out of his 20 seasons. Sheiner has a .637 win percentage, the second highest in Kean Lacrosse history. It is the highest win percentage among coaches who have led the program for more than one season of lacrosse at Kean.

The 2013 & 2014 Cougars broke the program's all-time single season wins total in back-to-back years; in 2013 Kean won 15 games and then the team won 16 in 2014. The prior record was 14 wins, which was accomplished in three different years (1993, 2008, and 2010). Two of those seasons were under Coach Sheiner’s guidance. During the 2013 season, Coach Sheiner reached the 100-win mark with a 10-9 victory over Birmingham Southern College on March 15.

In 2010 the Cougars captured their first ECAC championship in over a decade with an 11-7 win over rival Richard Stockton in the Division III Mid-Atlantic Men’s Lacrosse Championship. In 2008, the team captured the program's first-ever Skyline Conference championship with a thrilling 8-7 come-from-behind victory over arch-rival Montclair State University, advancing the Cougars to the NCAA tournament for the first time in program history. 

Sheiner has coached 52 different players to All-Conference accolades in his 20 seasons. He has coached ten USILA All-Americans and six USILA Scholar All-Americans. In 2008 he was voted by his peers as Skyline Conference Coach of the Year. The last time the Cougars had this much success was under the legendary Hawley Waterman. A Kean student-athlete at the time, Sheiner was a defender on the 14 win, 1993 team that won the last of four Knickerbocker Conference Championship titles. Sheiner credits both Coach Waterman and former Assistant Coach Michael Cleary as his coaching mentors. They both instilled a passion and love for the game of lacrosse in Sheiner in the early 1990’s. Both Coaches Waterman and Cleary are synonymous with one another and are members of the Kean Athletic Hall of Fame as well as the US Lacrosse NJ Hall of Fame.

In fall of 2003, Sheiner was named the sixth head coach in the history of the program after serving two years as an assistant coach at Kean. Prior to that, Sheiner served as the head boy's lacrosse coach at Indian Hills High School in Oakland, N.J., from 1997-2001. During his tenure, Sheiner guided the program to back-to-back state tournament appearances (1999 & 2000) and was named the New Jersey Lacrosse Coach of the Year for the Rizk Division in 2000 when Indian Hills finished 13- 5.

Sheiner began his coaching career at Ridgewood High School, where he served as an assistant boy's lacrosse coach from 1995-96, under Steve Jacobsen, one of the all-time winningest coaches in New Jersey lacrosse history and a member of the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Sheiner credits Jacobsen as the person who gave him his start in coaching some 28 years ago.

In the summer of 2014 Sheiner was an Assistant Coach for the Israel Lacrosse Association. Sheiner helped the Israeli National team to a 7th place finish in the World games. The event was held in Denver, Co. and the Israeli National Team featured former Kean stand out Richard Cheifitz, who was a three-time USILA All-American. 

Sheiner graduated from Kean College in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and a Bachelor of Science in political science and criminal justice. He earned his master's degree in special education/initial certification from William Paterson University in 2001.

Sheiner is an active member in the New Jersey Lacrosse Foundation and a sitting member on the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame Committee and the Kirst Cup Committee . He is a special education teacher at Roy W. Brown Middle School in Bergenfield, NJ. with over 28 years of education experience teaching children with special needs.From 2011-2018 he volunteered as a coach for the Fair Lawn Junior Wrestling Program. Sheiner also coached wrestling at Bergenfield High School from 1996 to 2004.He resides in Fair Lawn, NJ with his wife Kelly and their children, Jacob and Sarah. His son Jacob is a collegiate wrestler at Ursinus College and his daughter Sarah is a three sport athlete at Fair Lawn High School (Volleyball,Wrestling and Lacrosse).

Updated 1-10-24