MOUNT VERNON, Iowa – Recent NCAA Division I student-athlete Robert Pousak has been announced as Cornell College's new head men's lacrosse coach.
 
Pousak comes to the Hilltop from Manhattan University, where he was a member of the men's lacrosse team from 2020-25 in Riverdale, N.Y. He started all 15 games for the Jaspers during the 2025 season and was part of two championship teams.
 
"I'm very thrilled for this opportunity," said Pousak, a native of Northville, Mich. "I really love this game and want to give others the great experiences I had in college. This is something I wanted to do for a long time. I'm ready to attack this head on."
 
Pousak becomes the third head coach of Cornell's men's lacrosse program, established in 2005. Lane Zierten stepped down in May after eight seasons, highlighted by four consecutive appearances in the conference tournament from 2021-24.
 
"We believe Robert is a great fit to lead our men's lacrosse program into a new era," said Assistant Director of Athletics for Sport Performance Curt Lamb. "Robert has demonstrated a strong commitment to leadership, mentorship and the holistic development of student-athletes on and off the field. We are looking forward to the fresh perspective and leadership Robert will bring to campus."
 
As a fifth-year defender, Pousak captained Manhattan's 2025 man-down unit that ranked fourth nationally in Division I. He played 36 career games for the Jaspers. Manhattan was crowned 2022 tournament champion of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
 
The Jaspers won the MAAC regular-season title in 2023. They were MAAC runners-up in 2024 and 2021.
 
"I was fortunate to play for three great coaches at Manhattan," Pousak said. "I believe Cornell's lacrosse program has a strong foundation and can be built into something special. I'm going to work as hard as I possibly can to make that happen."
 
Pousak graduated magna cum laude from Manhattan with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology (physical education K-12). He received his master's at Manhattan in organizational leadership in May 2025, earning summa cum laude honors.
 
A four-time academic all-MAAC selection, Pousak was recipient of the 2025 High Academic Performer Award (4.0 grade point average) and Nick Colleluori Award. He was a member of Chi Alpha Sigma and Epsilon Sigma Pi.
 
Pousak served as lacrosse travel coach for True Michigan State since 2020. He was a multi-sport prep athlete at Detroit Country Day School, captaining the basketball and lacrosse teams while earning the Paul Bradley Award in football.
 
Pousak played one season of lacrosse at The Hill Academy (Ontario, Canada) for legendary coach Brodie Merrill.