As a seventh grader growing up in Western, Pennsylvania, Lori Wynn' 92 found basketball.
Drawn to both the competition and team dynamics of the game, Lori was hooked. Her parents and brother supported the self-proclaimed “gym rat” as she attended camps, grew in her skills, excelled in high school becoming one of the most prolific scorers in Western PA and expressed a dream to play in college. She recalled that her family supported her dream in any way possible.
After being heavily recruited out of high school and narrowing her choices to Geneva and Houghton, she decided to stay close to home and made the next step in her journey Geneva College, just down the road from where she grew up. It was a tough choice for Lori, but the chance to stay close to her very supportive family and play near home tipped the scales.
She played basketball at Geneva that first year, but felt like something was missing. During the postseason of her freshman year, Geneva met Houghton in the NCCAA District playoffs. Despite the game featuring some heated moments–as Lori and her future friend and then-Houghton senior Judy Fox would attest—Lori sought out the Houghton players after the contest. She made an immediate personal and spiritual connection during their conversation and decided that the Lord was leading her to Western New York after all. “Houghton was a much better fit in terms of mission and focus for me,” Lori said.
She transferred to Houghton that next fall and stepped in as immediate contributor and team leader, and despite the initial choice of an athletic training major, her coach and friends could see her aptitude for teaching and coaching. She was a tenacious competitor, a good communicator on the floor, a student of the game, and the ultimate teammate, many recall. “Lori was and still is intentional in relationships,” says Fox. “She is humble in victory and classy in defeat. Lori lives the way she competes - giving every bit of her best to every facet of life, and keeping first things first. Her relationship with Christ at the Head, her relationships with those around her second.”
As a senior, Lori led a very balanced team to an 18-8 record and an appearance in the semi-finals of the NAIA District 18 tournament. That team epitomized the “team player” that all knew Lori to be. She led them as a group that still ranks in the Top 10 all-time in Houghton history in total points, points per game, total rebounds, rebounds per game and at least six other categories.
To get a better idea for the type of athlete and competitor she was, one only need to look at Lori’s one season as goalie for the soccer team. Head Coach Paula Maxwell asked Lori to step in to help. Then a junior, Lori set a program record with 337 saves that season, including a school-record 36 in one contest. Her total saves that one season ranks No. 3 on the program’s career list.
Away from the court and field, Lori points to Maxwell as a key influence during her time at Houghton. “She helped me be accountable, and told it to me like it was,” Lori said. “She guided me academically and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have graduated without her influence. She’s actually the one who told me not to be an athletic trainer - get my education degree and coach, because she saw that was my passion.”
Her fondest Houghton memories involve bus and van rides and building relationships with teammates. Hashtag “teammatesforlifeandbeyond”. Lori said those relationships, built on accountability, prove that life isn’t an individual sport. “The Lord intends for us to do life together. It’s about the journey and who accompanies you on that journey,” she said.
Lori’s Houghton journey also included personal spiritual growth. “It really forced me to confront my faith and make it my own,” she said. “I began to understand the concept of Excellence for the Glory of God and it set me on a journey that would impact how I coach and why I coach.”
After graduating from Houghton in 1992, Lori began a 28-year career as a women’s college basketball coach, including 21 years as a head coach at Grace College, Nyack College, Malone University and — coming full circle — back to Geneva College. Additionally, she served as an assistant coach at Taylor University, Baptist Bible College and Appalachian State University.
Along the way she earned a master’s degree in health and physical education from East Stroudsburg University and an MBA from Geneva.
Reflecting on coaching and why she chose that career path, Lori said she has a passion for guiding young women in their faith and using basketball to teach life lessons. “I haven’t always been successful, but I have tried to love my team well,” she said.
Passion, grit, determination and resilience are words she and many of her friends and teammates would use to describe Lori’s personality. Those traits served her well on the court as a player and coach, and even more so in the health battle she has so bravely fought in recent years.
But her ability to connect with others through meaningful, intentional relationship is what sets her apart. Houghton women’s coach Alicia Mucher met Lori at our summer basketball camps and even had a chance to play together in some staff games. That encounter—grounded in respect, competitiveness and shared passion--grew into a mentorship as Mucher started her coaching career. But it quickly developed beyond that. “This friendship has been one of the most meaningful and deep friendships in my life,” Mucher says. “Lor has intentionally poured into me as a person on so many levels. She has challenged my walk with Christ, my philosophy of coaching, my daily workouts and in general taught me how to love those around me better.”
Lori stayed connected with the life of Houghton, working camps, participating in missions trips, continuing relationships with me and others in the athletic department, and even going head-to-head as coaches on the court.
She retired from coaching and teaching in 2019, but filled her time with reading, staying connected to friends, and tried to stay as physically active as she was able. She joined the board of Ignite International and assisted Fox in her vision for sports ministry.
She had recently moved to North Carolina to be with her mom, Judy, and continue treatments.
Wynn passed away on April 17, 2020, less than 24 hours after her induction ceremony, after a courageous four-year battle with ovarian cancer.
