Ryan Snyder

Classroom

Snyder owns a strong 3.26 GPA as a Finance Major with a Minor in Applied Mathematics. Ryan owns a 4.0 GPA in his major while posting a 3.78 GPA overall during his junior year. Snyder is a consistent member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll while garnering the Faculty Athletics Council Award as well. Snyder made the Dean’s List each of the last two fall semesters for semester GPAs of 3.92 and 3.62, respectively. Ryan was a high honor roll student, A.P. scholar and class representative at Kent School in Kent, Connecticut, where he captained both his lacrosse and hockey teams. He also wrote a weekly blog during the 2012 season posted on the website Lacrosse Playground.

Snyder has some impressive experience in his studied field (Finance), working for Morgan Stanley last summer as a Summer Analyst in the Sales and Trading Division. Some of his tasks included rotating through various desks in both Equities and Fixed Income, preparing a thorough report on the Canadian banking industry, developing an Excel model to analyze option trading strategies, and more. The summer prior, Snyder served as an intern in the Wealth Management Division of Wells Fargo, namely Wells Fargo Advisors. He was then invited back during winter break of his junior year based on his strong summer performance.

Character

A team leader as an upperclassman, Snyder is looked up to by his teammates. Snyder has taken part in Lehigh’s Emerging Leaders program, among numerous other leadership programs. Emerging Leaders is a voluntary program and prerequisite for Lehigh’s Leadership Legacies. Throughout his experiences, Snyder learned basic leadership and self-assessment skills. Ryan was also an Alumni Relations Committee member on the Lehigh Athletics Student-Athlete Council.

Community

Snyder and the Lehigh Men’s Lacrosse team participate in a number of community initiatives, especially in the fall when the Mountain Hawks go through an especially extensive community service program. One highlight came when the Mountain Hawks worked at South Mountain Park, hauling fallen tree limbs, logs and branches out of the main park areas, pavilions and the Frisbee golf course. The team started at sunrise and worked continuously for approximately two hours, consistently fitting in community service amidst a busy fall schedule. Snyder and other Lehigh student-athletes have aided at local Donegan Elementary School in South Bethlehem, helping the children learn to read, helping them with homework, playing board games and more. One special event, which Snyder and the lacrosse team take part in, is Lehigh’s annual Adopt-A-Family around the holidays. Each Lehigh Athletics team adopts an underprivileged family; they then raise money throughout the semester to purchase holiday presents for their adopted family. The event wraps up with an event where all the student-athletes present the gifts to the families. Last year, the Mountain Hawks raised nearly $30,000. Snyder’s community involvement is truly endless. He and the Mountain Hawks have also spent time selling HEADstrong T-Shirts, removing tarp before football games, putting on a Community Night Lacrosse Clinic for Lehigh Valley youngsters, and more.

Competition

Snyder has impressed on the field as one of the nation’s top face-off specialists. He won 62 percent of his draws sophomore year (173-of-281) with a Patriot League record 118 groundballs. Snyder was named a Tewaaraton Award candidate prior to his junior season; he went on to win 50 percent (141-of-281) with 97 groundballs. A two-time All-Patriot League honoree, Snyder owns 352 career faceoff wins and 239 groundballs along with five goals and an assist. One of those goals came in the 2012 NCAA Tournament vs. Maryland to give Lehigh a 7-6 lead. One of Snyder’s highlight games came against North Carolina last March as he won 13-of-20 against the Tar Heels and their All-American R.G. Keenan. That proved crucial in Lehigh’s 9-8 upset win at #4 North Carolina. Snyder was named to the Patriot League All-Tournament Team for the second consecutive year following a bounce-back performance against Colgate, helping Lehigh to its first-ever Patriot League Tournament Title and NCAA Tournament appearance. The Mountain Hawks finished the season 14-3, falling to eventual national finalist Maryland on a goal in the final seconds.