Denise Lyons shaped Keene State for the last three-plus decades. (Keene State Athletics)
When she first made the trek to southwest New Hampshire, Denise Lyons wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into.
Raised in Limerick, Ireland, Lyons headed to Keene State College on a full-ride scholarship in 1985, though she’d never seen the school prior to her freshman fall. Decades later, Lyons is far removed from that sense of uncertainty, having spent the last 35 years in Keene, New Hampshire.
But her long tenure with the Owls – both as a player and coach – now has an end in sight, with Lyons announcing her retirement last Wednesday. Lyons coached her final game on April 26, a matchup against fellow Little East Conference program Eastern Connecticut State.
