Wesleyan University

John Raba is entering his 30th season at the helm of the Wesleyan men’s lacrosse program in 2026. The NESCAC’s all-time winningest coach, Raba, boasts an incredible 333-143 record, marking a 70.2 winning percentage while playing in the most competitive conference in the country.

Raba is currently ranked fifth all-time in head coaching wins at the Division III level. In his 29 years as head coach, the Cardinals have finished with a winning record 28 times and had just one season below .500, his first in 1997. He has guided Wesleyan to a National Championship (2018), four NCAA Final Four appearances (2006, 2007, 2017, 2018), and three NESCAC titles (2009, 2017, 2024). Raba, who was named the 2017 USILA Division III National Coach of the Year, took over Wesleyan in 1996 and also serves as an adjunct professor in the physical education department as well as an assistant director of athletics.

In the 2025 season, Wesleyan captured back-to-back Little Three Championships and advanced to the NESCAC Final for the second straight year. The Cardinals finished ninth in the final USILA Coaches Poll and made their eighth appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16.

In 2024, Wesleyan won its third NESCAC Championship and finished the season ranked No. 7 nationally in the final USILA Coaches Poll. At year’s end, Raba was named New England Coach of the Year, while the Wesleyan staff earned NESCAC Staff of the Year honors.

Following a two-year hiatus due to COVID, the 2022 team returned to the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Sweet 16 with nearly 80% of its starters playing for the first time. Wesleyan ended the season ranked No. 13 in the USILA Poll.

In 2019, the Cardinals entered the year ranked No. 1 in the country for the first time in program history. Despite graduating 15 seniors from the 2018 National Championship squad, Raba guided Wesleyan to a 13–4 overall record, an 8–2 NESCAC mark, and a third-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. The team also secured a share of the Little Three Championship, marking its third straight title.

The 2017 and 2018 seasons were historic. In 2018, Wesleyan won the NCAA Division III National Championship, defeating Salisbury 8–6 at Gillette Stadium to claim the University’s first-ever national team title. The Cardinals’ championship run included road victories over No. 2 Tufts and No. 1 RIT, before taking down Salisbury in the final. Raba coached a program-record nine All-Americans that year.

In 2017, after dropping the season opener, Wesleyan won 20 straight games, the longest winning streak in the nation across all divisions. The Cardinals finished 20–2 overall with a 9–1 NESCAC record, both single-season program bests, while winning the NESCAC and Little Three titles outright. The team reached the NCAA Final Four, and Raba earned National Coach of the Year, NESCAC Coach of the Year, and All-New England Co-Coach of the Year honors. His staff was also named Northeast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year. Wesleyan produced seven All-Americans, including Ted Bergman ’17 and Harry Stanton ’18, with Bergman receiving the Ensign C. Markland Kelly, Jr. Award as Division III’s top goalie. The 2017 team also won the James “Ace” Adams Sportsmanship Award.

Over his career, Raba has been recognized with three NESCAC Coach of the Year awards (2017, 2006, 2001) and six NEILA Coach of the Year honors (2017, 2009, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2001). He has coached three national position players of the year and 48 All-Americans. In 2019, he was inducted into both the Middletown Sports Hall of Fame and the Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

Raba also coached football at Wesleyan from 1996–2007, spending eight seasons as defensive coordinator before being named assistant athletic director and recruiting coordinator for the athletic department.

A 1993 graduate of the University of New Haven, Raba was a standout in both lacrosse and football. On the lacrosse field, he was an USILA All-American and led Division II in scoring as a senior. On the gridiron, he was a three-year starter, two-time captain, and two-time All-New England selection at running back, earning MVP honors while helping UNH reach a No. 2 national ranking. He was named the University’s Male Athlete of the Year in both 1992 and 1993 and was inducted into the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.

Before arriving at Wesleyan, Raba coached football at Brown University (1995) and served as a graduate assistant at UNH (1993–94).

A native of Farmingdale, NY, Raba starred at Farmingdale High School, a national lacrosse powerhouse. He is married to his wife, Jen, a teacher in the West Haven School system. They have two sons: Jack, currently the offensive coordinator at Gettysburg College, and Jason, a senior midfielder at St. John’s University.