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Seth Tierney
Seth Tierney became the fifth head coach in the history of the Hofstra men's lacrosse program in August 2006.
Tierney completed his 17th season as head coach in 2023. In his 17 years at the helm, Tierney has led the Pride to 132 victories, the 2008 Colonial Athletic Association championship, the 2009, 2011 and 2014 CAA regular season titles, and berths in four consecutive NCAA Championships from 2008 through 2011. He has also coached 15 student-athletes who have earned All-America honors and 76 who have earned all-conference accolades.
Extremely active in the growth of the sport of lacrosse, Tierney served as an assistant coach on the gold-medal winning United States Men’s National Team in 2018 and 2023. He also serves as the Chairman of the professional Premier Lacrosse League Advisory Board that began competition in 2019. Two Hofstra alums, Jack Concannon ’18, and Josh Byrne ’17, were named to the inaugural PLL All-Star Game with Concannon earning Most Valuable Player honors. Two more Pride alums, Finn Sullivan ’16, and Brendan Kavanagh ’18, were named to the 2019 MLL All-Star Game. In 2023, Hofstra men’s lacrosse alumni Josh Byrne ‘17 (Canada) and Zachary Pall ’12 (Israel) played for their respective national teams at the World Lacrosse Championship.
Tierney served as an assistant coach at Hofstra from 1995 through 2000 before leaving for a similar position at his alma mater Johns Hopkins University. During his six-year tenure as an assistant, Hofstra recorded six consecutive winning seasons with a combined overall record of 61-28 and a conference mark of 29-2, captured five league titles, received five top 15 final national rankings, and played in four NCAA Championship tournaments.
Tierney also coached seven All-Americans and nearly two dozen all-conference players during his first tenure at Hofstra. Among them was midfielder Doug Shanahan, who would receive the inaugural Tewaaraton Trophy as College Lacrosse Player of the Year, the Lt. Ray Enners Award as the Division I Player of the Year, and the Lt. Donald McLaughlin Award as the Division I Midfielder of the Year in 2001.
The 2023 Pride won five games with a roster beset of injuries as the team was involved in five one-goal games during the season. Daniel Ochs earned All-CAA First Team honors and also USILA Scholar All-American accolades. The Pride would also receive the USILA Academic Team Award.
Tierney and the Pride earned six wins in the 2022 season. Four members of the team received national and conference postseason honors, including Inside Lacrosse Honorable Mention All-American Bryan McIntosh. McIntosh was drafted in the third round of the 2022 PLL College Entry Draft, making him the seventh Hofstra men’s lacrosse alum on an active PLL roster that season. In the classroom, the team received the USILA Academic Team Award, and Bryan McIntosh and Mac Gates were named to the USILA Scholar All-America Team.
In 2021, Tierney and the Pride recorded eight wins, including two over nationally-ranked opponents, and advanced to the CAA Championship Game. Six players received national and conference postseason honors, including CAA Offensive Player of the Year and USILA Second Team All-American Ryan Tierney. In addition, long-stick midfielder Michael Altmann was selected to compete in the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game and became the men's lacrosse program's first CoSIDA Academic All-American® when he was named to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-America® At-Large Third Team. In addition, the Pride received the USILA Academic Team Award and several student-athletes were named to the USILA Scholar All-America Team.
During the shortened 2020 season, Tierney and the Pride went 4-3 against a challenging schedule while posting a 3-1 home record. On November 12, 2020, Tierney was announced as an inductee to the Long Island Metro Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He was inducted in January 2022 as a member of the 2020 Class.
In 2019, Hofstra, in a rebuilding mode to replace seven starters and facing a schedule that included six nationally-ranked opponents, opened the season with a win over 13th-ranked Lehigh. But key injuries and inexperience created a 5-9 season. Three student-athletes earned All-CAA honors and two seniors were named to the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game. In 2018, the Pride defense ranked second in the nation on their way to a second consecutive trip to the CAA Championship semifinals. Goalie Jack Concannon earned his second consecutive All-America honor, six student-athletes earned All-CAA accolades and four seniors were picked for the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game.
In 2017, Hofstra opened the season with 10 consecutive victories and rise to number two in the national rankings. The Pride advanced to the CAA Championship semifinals before suffering a one-goal defeat and ending the season at 11-3. In the process, then-senior Josh Byrne earned CAA Player of the Year honors as well as All-CAA first team honors joining four other Pride first team selections. Freshman Ryan Tierney earned CAA Rookie of the Year honors and was one of two all-conference second team picks as well as one of two all-rookie team selections. Goalie Jack Concannon earned USILA All-America second team honors and All-CAA first team accolades.
In 2016 Hofstra recorded a 9-6 record including a big victory over eventual national champions, North Carolina, and returned to the Colonial Athletic Association Championship for the fifth time in his tenure. Finn Sullivan earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors and joined a league-high four other Pride players on the All-CAA first team. Two more were named to the All-CAA second team and four seniors were selected for the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game.
During a difficult season in 2015 that saw the Pride drop seven games by two goals or less, seven Pride players were named to the All-CAA team led by CAA Player of the Year Sam Llinares and fellow first team selections Ryan Rielly and Kris Clarke. Four seniors were named to the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game and two seniors earned USILA Scholar-Athlete honors.
In 2014 Hofstra recorded its fourth double-digit victory season during his tenure, posting an 11-5 record and placing 14th in the final coaches poll. The Pride also captured the CAA regular season title with a 4-1 mark and advanced to the conference tournament championship game where they fell to Drexel in triple-overtime, 11-10. Hofstra ranked eighth in the nation in defense, allowing 8.44 goals per outing behind junior goalie Chris Selva, who ranked sixth in the country in goals against average. Eight Hofstra players earned All-CAA honors led by junior Ryan Rielly and sophomores Sam Llinares and Finn Sullivan, who were CAA first team selections. Llinares also earned USILA All-America honorable mention accolades as well. For his hard work, Tierney earned CAA Coach of the Year honors for the second time during his Pride tenue.
In 2013 the Pride possessed one of the top defenses in the country, ranking third in goals against average (7.79) and climbing as high as sixth in the national media rankings and seventh in the coaches rankings. Included were victories at second-ranked Notre Dame and 13th-ranked Fairfield during a 7-7 season. In 2012 Hofstra battled through some key injuries on the offensive side and was involved in eight games decided by two goals or less during a 6-8 season. The Pride enjoyed great success, both on the field and in the classroom. Andrew Gvozden was named a USILA Scholar-All-American and the CAA Men's Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year and six players were named to the All-CAA Team led by first team selection Adrian Sorichetti.
In 2011 Hofstra recorded a 13-3 record, captured the CAA regular season title and earned its school record-breaking fourth consecutive bid to the NCAA Championship. In addition, the Pride had four players, Jay Card, Mike Skudin, Andrew Gvozden and John Antoniades, earn USILA All-America honors. Card, Skudin, Antoniades, Ian Braddish and Adam Mojica were named to the All-CAA first team while Gvozden, Steven DeNapoli and Jamie Lincoln were voted to the second team. Skudin, who was selected the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, also earned USILA Scholar All-American and CAA Men's Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. To close out the year, Skudin, DeNapoli and Card were named to the North-South Senior All-Star Game with DeNapoli leading all goal scorers in the contest with three.
In 2010 the Pride made its third consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship and finished the year with a 9-5 record. Hofstra had two players named to the USILA All-America team, five named to the All-CAA team and two more named to the CAA All-Rookie Team. In 2009, Tierney directed the Pride to an 11-4 overall, a 6-0 mark during the CAA regular season and his second NCAA Championship bid. Five Hofstra players were named to the All-CAA Teams, including first team selection Jay Card, who was voted the CAA Player of the Year. In addition, four Pride players were named to the USILA All-America team and one was voted to the USILA Scholar-Athlete All-America Team. For his efforts, Tierney was named the CAA co-Coach of the Year.
The 2008 season saw Hofstra make a return to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year hiatus. The team posted a 10-6 record and won the CAA title in a thrilling overtime win over Drexel. Leading scorer Anthony Muscarella was named an honorable mention All-American, while Kevin Unterstein was the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and Jay Card earned CAA Rookie of the Year accolades. In addition, seven players received All-CAA honors and the Unterstein brothers, Kevin and Michael, were named North-South Game All-Stars and were both selected in the Major League Lacrosse Draft.
In his first year at the helm of the Hofstra program, Tierney took over a team that returned one starter from 2006's NCAA Quarterfinal squad and led them to a 6-8 record that saw seven losses decided by one goal. The team qualified for the CAA Championship, saw one of its star players - Kevin Unterstein - earn honorable mention All-America honors and had seven players named to All-CAA teams, including three All-Rookie selections.
Tierney returned to Hofstra after a six-year tenure at John Hopkins, with the final two seasons as associate head coach. As the Blue Jays offensive coordinator, he was the architect of one of the most potent and explosive offenses in the nation. Tierney directed the Blue Jays attack that finished second in the nation in scoring margin, sixth in scoring offense and 16th in man-up offense during Hopkins' NCAA title run in 2005. The Blue Jays led the nation in scoring offense and man-up offense in 2003 and finished fifth in both categories in 2004.
In Tierney's final season at Hopkins the Blue Jays posted a 9-5 record, advanced to the NCAA Championship quarterfinals, and ranked in the top 15 in the country in four statistical categories. A total of 21 Blue Jay midfielders and attackmen earned All-America honors during Tierney's tenure in Homewood. Among them was Kyle Harrison, a two-time first team All-America, who received the Tewaaraton Trophy and the Lt. Enners Award in 2005 and the McLaughlin Award in 2004 and 2005.
Tierney played for the Blue Jays from 1988 through 1991 and served as team captain as a senior. He helped lead Hopkins to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four seasons, including an appearance in the 1989 NCAA title game. He received Hopkins' Turnbull-Reynolds Award as a senior as the player most exemplifying leadership and sportsmanship. Tierney was also selected to play in the North-South game as a senior.
After graduating from Johns Hopkins, Tierney continued his playing career by playing three seasons of indoor lacrosse for the New York Saints before serving as an assistant coach for the Saints for two seasons.
Tierney and his wife, Maureen, have two children - a son, Ryan, who was a member of the Hofstra team from 2017-2021, and a daughter, Erin, who was a member of the Hofstra women's lacrosse team from 2019-2022. The Tierney family resides in Massapequa, New York.
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