Lyndonville, VT - Northern Vermont University-Lyndon has named Benjamin Arsenault as its new Head Women's Basketball Coach. Arsenault succeeds Sean Lynch, who stepped down this summer after leading the Hornets for three seasons.
Arsenault was the girls varsity basketball coach at Lyndon Institute this past season. Competing as one of the smallest schools in Vermont's Division 1, his young Viking squad improved steadily throughout the season, finishing with an 8-11 record and wins in four of their final six regular season games. In the previous season, Arsenault served as the girls varsity basketball coach at Peoples Academy, where he led the team to their first winning season in 17 years and their first state Final Four in 21 years. He has also coached boys basketball, baseball, and both boys and girls soccer at the high school varsity level.
Arsenault served as the assistant men's basketball coach and graduate assistant for athletics at Johnson State College from 2012 through 2014. Working under then Johnson head coach Mike Osborne, he was primarily responsible for recruiting, monitoring academic eligibility, and scouting.
Arsenault attended Lyndon State College for two years before earning a bachelor's degree in sport and recreation management from Keystone College in 2012. He has done graduate work at both Johnson and the University of Maine at Farmington. He is employed by Wells River Chevrolet and resides in Luenburg.
Arsenault is excited to get started with the Hornets. "I am very excited to join the NVU-Lyndon community as the new Head Women's Basketball Coach! I am looking forward to building on the program's past success while working towards building a championship-caliber program that focuses on character development, relationship building, teamwork, and integrity. I feel like I'm coming home and I am so grateful for the opportunity. I would like to say thank you to President Collins, Jamey Ventura, Chris Gilmore, and the hiring committee for putting your faith in me to lead this program."
Lyndon Director of Athletics Chris Gilmore commented "Ben comes to NVU-Lyndon with a wealth of experience coaching women's basketball. His approach to the overall student athlete experience and the Division III philosophy was evident in the interview process. Women's Basketball at Lyndon has a rich history and we are confident Ben will continue to guide the program to new heights in the years to come."
Osborne, now the varsity boys basketball coach at Champlain Valley Union High School, added "Ben is going to thrive at NVU-Lyndon. He will bring terrific basketball knowledge and passion, a hunger to recruit well-rounded student-athletes, and brings with him a great understanding of what the northeast kingdom and the North Atlantic Conference can provide for an experience. I'm extremely happy for him and for NVU-L."
Arsenault takes over a Hornet program coming off of its most successful season since becoming a NCAA Division III institution and joining the North Atlantic Conference in 2008. Lyndon finished 14-12 overall and 8-6 in NAC play, tied for third place in the conference. They advanced to the NAC semi-finals for the first time in program history. Arsenault will make his Hornet debut when Lyndon hosts the Northern Vermont University Tip-Off Classic on November 8th and 9th.