Lynn Iannotta Richardson '85

Originally from West Chester, PA, Lynn grew up playing field hockey, basketball, softball and lacrosse, developing what would become a life-long love of athletics.  Her father, Steve, worked for Air Products, and moved the family to Bethlehem prior to her freshman year of high school. Moravian Academy was the obvious choice; her mother, Marie (Garbarino), is a 1955 graduate of Moravian Seminary for Girls.

“I am very thankful that my parents gave me the opportunity to attend Moravian,” shared Lynn. “I truly believe Moravian’s philosophy of developing the mind, body, and spirit, and my parents’ support gave me the necessary foundation to be successful as a student-athlete and now an educator and coach. People like Mr. Devey, Ms. Albarelli, Mrs. Bross, and Mr. Trotter were all excellent examples of compassionate educators and coaches. I admired them, and today model my own educational philosophy after their teachings – It doesn’t matter what you know until they know you care.”

Asked to describe Lynn’s athleticism, former field hockey coach Debbie Bross said, “She’s the type of player coaches like to have around! The Morning Call ran an article about Lynn her junior year with this title. As her field hockey coach, these were my sentiments, and I am sure her coaches in basketball and softball felt the same way. She was highly skilled and positive to her teammates, quickly giving Moravian Academy a reputation for winning.”

The pinnacle of her high school athletic career was the November 1984 field hockey finals match-up, in which Lynn hammered home the overtime game-winner in a 1-0 victory over Lackawanna Trail. Of the victory, a Sunday Call-Chronicle reporter said, “The Cinderella slipper fit and Moravian Academy is wearing its PIAA Class AA State Championship field hockey crown regally...Little Moravian Academy - with all of 216 students, 110 of them girls - may play an independent schedule and keep its caliber of field hockey a secret for most of the season, but now District 11 and the entire state know just how good the Lions are.” 

A gifted athlete, Lynn went on to compete at the University of Delaware in both field hockey and lacrosse, earning conference and regional accolades.  It was a déjà vu moment her senior year, when she again scored the winning goal in the 1988 East Coast Conference Championship in field hockey. The team went on to the NCAA Tournament but lost to Penn State in the opening round.  

Following graduation, with a degree in health and physical education, she coached field hockey at a few schools including Saucon Valley Middle School and Haverford College.  She began her tenure at Polytech High School (Woodside, DE) in 1991 as a health and physical education teacher, and later earned a Master of Education in School Counseling from Wilmington University in 1996.  She is currently one of the school’s guidance counselors and coach of the field hockey team and lacrosse team, a program that she started in 2010.

Just days before the 2013 lacrosse season, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  Throughout the spring and summer, she had surgery and treatments, beginning chemotherapy just before field hockey season.  Yet she persevered, and never missed time on the sidelines.

“Coaching was probably the best medicine during the course of everything I was going through,” shared Lynn.  “It kept me going…It was a distraction for me.”

That year, both her lacrosse and field hockey teams made it to the state finals.  Fittingly, Lynn was named the Tubby Raymond Coach of the Year by the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association.

She reflected, “The connections and lessons learned through my participation in sports are numerous. Athletics have taught me so much about life. Things like being a team player, commitment, integrity, losing and not liking it, improving through practice and hard work, never giving up, and that communication and attitude are everything.” 

Lynn currently resides in Wyoming, DE, with her husband, Lenny, whom she met while at the University of Delaware.  Their son, Sean, is a senior at the University of Delaware, majoring in health and behavioral science, and their daughter, Katie, is a junior at Clemson University, majoring in pre-health science.