Ryan Connell is a play-by-play broadcaster, host and on-air talent. Ryan serves as the Athletics Broadcaster and Multimedia Specialist at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA. Serving as the voice of the Washington and Lee Generals, Ryan provides play-by-play commentary for football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, men's and women's soccer, volleyball, field hockey and men's and women's lacrosse, while editing and producing multimedia interviews, video highlights and social media graphics for Washington and Lee Athletics and the W&L Sports Network.
Growing up in CONNECTICUT, Ryan developed a passion for sports and storytelling at a young age. Ryan enrolled at Hofstra University in the Fall of 2015 where he majored in Broadcast Journalism with a concentration in Sports Media.
During his time at Hofstra, Ryan joined the student radio station WRHU as well as, the school's student-run TV station HEAT Network. As a member of the two-time Marconi Award winning WRHU, Ryan served as the lead play-by-play broadcaster for Hofstra Pride Athletics and was the Executive Producer of the New York Islanders Radio Network for the 2017-18 NHL season.
Across four years at WRHU, Ryan called hundreds of Hofstra games, while being a rinkside reporter for the New York Islanders. On top of his work on campus, Ryan interned at WTNH-TV in New Haven, CT, the New York Red Bulls and at SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio. While at SiriusXM, Ryan was a contributing member to "Schein on Sports" and "Mad Dog Unleashed" with Christopher "Mad Dog" Russo.
Ryan graduated in the spring of 2019 and began working as a Production Assistant at CBS Sports HQ. In June of 2021, Ryan headed West to be Sports Reporter at KFBB-TV in Great Falls, MT. As part of the SWX Montana team, Ryan covered the Big Sky conference, NA3HL junior hockey, high school sports and Montana PRCA Rodeo.
In the Spring of 2022, Ryan ventured back to the East Coast to his current role at Washington and Lee University. Since arriving at W&L, Ryan has called over 400 broadcasts including the 2024 NCAA DIII Field Hockey National championship and has provided digital and social media coverage for 7 additional NCAA DIII National Championships. Ryan is always looking to connect with others and take the next step as a broadcaster and media professional.