WALTHAM, Mass. -- Ed Lyons, men's and women's track and cross country coach at Bentley University since 1992, has announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31.

Lyons, who was a Falcon assistant for three years before taking over as head coach, has led the Bentley men's cross country team to seven Northeast-10 Conference Championships, the most recent coming in 2001, and is a seven-time NE-10 Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year. His final cross country teams will be competing in the NCAA Division II Regional at Franklin Park this Sunday.

Lyons, 62, has coached nine student-athletes who have earned All-America or ESPN Academic All-America accolades.  During his tenure, school records have been set in 60 events (32 indoor, 28 outdoor).

In 1998, he was named the U.S. Track Coaches Association Cross Country East Region Coach of the Year.

Under Lyons' guidance, the Bentley track and cross country teams have also excelled in the classroom, with the team GPA regularly ranking among the highest of any Falcon teams.  The 2009-10 academic year saw the men's cross country, women's cross country, men's track and women's track teams all earn All-Academic honors from the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

"When I started in 1989, I never envisioned it would be a career all the way to retirement," said Lyons. "I set some ambitious goals along the way and we accomplished many of these goals as a team. I am most proud of the quality individuals we recruited and I got great satisfaction in watching them develop as student athletes while at Bentley, and also seeing them build families and professional careers after graduation.

"Athletically,  being able to coach and  attend over 25 NCAA Division II Championships in cross country and  track and Field has been very satisfying. I look forward to helping my successor as a part-time volunteer coach with the current teams of  quality men and women in our program."

Lyons, a Milton native who now resides in Westwood, graduated from Northeastern University in 1972.