Muhlenberg college

Coaching Staff:

Head Coach Chris Bissinger
In his seven years at Muhlenberg, Chris Bissinger has turned the Mule program from one that went winless in the Centennial Conference to one that qualified for the CC playoffs and received national attention.

Muhlenberg went 10-5 in 2008, reaching the playoffs in one of the strongest men’s lacrosse conferences in Division III. The Mules received votes in the national poll for the last third of the season and produced their first two first-team All-CC selections, both of whom went on to receive All-America honorable mention.

The 2009 team tied for third place in the CC and produced the first two-time All-American in program history. The program made more history in 2010 by scoring its first-ever wins against perennial national power Washington and eventual CC champion Haverford, and in 2011 the Mules beat Gettysburg for the first time.

In Bissinger’s first year at Muhlenberg, the Mules set a school record with seven wins. In his second season, he led the team to its first victories over established Centennial programs. His seven-year record is 45-51.

Bissinger was hired in December 2004 after five years as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Hampden-Sydney. During his tenure, the Tigers earned three straight bids to the NCAA Tournament from 2001 to 2003. They were ranked third in the final 2002 regular-season poll and reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 2003.

Bissinger is a 1995 graduate of Hampden-Sydney, where he was a Division III All-America midfielder as a senior and a three-time All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference selection. Following his graduation, Bissinger stayed on to serve a year as an assistant coach. After a stint in the business world, he returned to his alma mater in 1999.

To contact Coach Bissinger:
Chris Bissinger
Muhlenberg College
2400 Chew Street
Allentown, PA 18104
(484) 664-3763
bissinger@muhlenberg.edu

Assistant Coach Nick Gallagher
Nick Gallagher joined the Muhlenberg coaching staff for the 2010-11 year after spending last season as the offensive coordinator and goalie coach at Clark University in Worcester, Mass.

A four-year letterwinner at Ohio Wesleyan, Gallagher led the Battling Bishops to four consecutive NCAA Division III Tournament appearances. A team captain his senior season, he was a four-time all-conference performer, including a pair of first-team selections.

Gallagher also spent the 2007 and 2008 seasons as a volunteer assistant at Olentangy Liberty High School in Powell, Ohio. A 2009 graduate of Ohio Wesleyan, Gallagher earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education with a concentration in sports management.

Gallagher’s older sister, Kelly Gallagher, is a former Muhlenberg assistant women’s lacrosse coach.

To contact Coach Gallagher:
Nick Gallagher
Muhlenberg College
2400 Chew Street
Allentown, PA 18104
(484) 664-3378
ngallagher@muhlenberg.edu

Assistant Coach Christian Messler
Christian Messler is in his second season as an assistant at Muhlenberg. Messler played in 39 games for the Mules from 2004-07 as a defenseman and occasional faceoff wing. A long-pole defender as a freshman, Messler was voted the “Player’s Player” by his teammates as Muhlenberg’s MVP.

After graduating from Muhlenberg with a degree in history in 2007, Messler spent two years as an assistant at Division II Franklin Pierce while working toward a master’s degree in education.