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Scott Tucker
Scott Tucker enters his 20th season at the helm of the Limestone women’s lacrosse team in 2021 with a record of 285-59 (.828) with the Saints and an overall head coaching record of 306-70 (.814). At the conclusion of the 2015 season, Tucker moved up to become the winningest active coach in NCAA Division II women’s lacrosse.
During his tenure at Limestone, Tucker has reached unprecedented levels of consistency with championship winning teams on an annual basis. His teams have won 15 regular season conference titles dating all the way back to 2004, and have captured 12 of the 14 conference tournament titles since the inception of the Conference Carolinas tournament back in 2006. Tucker’s teams have also made 10 NCAA tournament appearances (2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2018) with two showings in the NCAA Division II National Championship (2011, 2013).
In 2019, the Saints finished the season with an overall record of 18-2 and a league mark of 10-0. Tucker was named Conference Carolinas Women's Lacrosse Coach of the Year for the ninth straight year. However, he was denied an opportunity at a tenth consecutive nod in his team's final season in Conference Carolinas, as the 2020 season was canceled after just eight games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Limestone was ultimately forced to finish the season at 6-2 with 12 regular season games still remaining on its schedule.
Limestone found its way back into the NCAA Division II Tournament in 2018 and posted an overall record of 17-3. The Saints went 9-0 in Conference Carolinas play and earned a regular season and tournament title. Tucker was named Conference Carolinas Women's Lacrosse Coach of the Year for the eighth straight year.
In 2017, the Saints went 17-3 overall and topped off the season with a Conference Carolinas Tournament title. Tucker was named Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year for his seventh straight season while four Saints were named to the IWLCA All-Region team.
The Saints went 15-4 overall and a perfect 8-0 in conference play during the 2016 season. Tucker was named the Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year for the sixth straight season while two Saints were selected as IWLCA All-Americans to give the Blue & Gold an astonishing 56 All-Americans since 1997.
In 2015, the Saints went 15-3 overall and ranked second nationally in scoring margin (9.50). Tucker was named the Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year for the fifth season in a row while two Saints were selected as IWLCA All-Americans. One of those All-Americans, Sam McCarrick, did so by becoming Limestone’s all-time leading goal scorer (193).
2014 saw Tucker’s Saints expand on their success from 2013 with an undefeated 18-0 mark through the regular season and conference tournament. The Saints knocked off six Top-10 nationally ranked teams throughout the 2014 campaign before being ousted in the NCAA Tournament. The team held opponents scoreless in three games and won 12-of-19 contests by more than 10 goals.
As groundbreaking as that 2014 team was, the 2013 squad may have been even better. They finished with a 20-2 mark and the program’s second appearance in the NCAA Division II National Championship game, a 10-7 loss to No. 1 LIU Post which the Saints led midway through the second half. Limestone dropped nine ranked teams during this season, including three straight victories over Top-10 opponents before the national title bout.
The 20 wins in 2013 were the most ever at the time by either the men’s or women’s lacrosse programs at Limestone. The team ranked second in the nation in points (512) and scoring defense (6.18) and were third in scoring margin (9.36).
Individually, the season was no less successful as Tucker himself was named Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year for the seventh time and third consecutive while four of his players, Sarah Oor, Sylvia Queener, Chelsea Treat and Maia Czarnecki, were named All-Americans.
For Oor, it was a First-Team selection after becoming the program's all-time leader in points (260) and assists (157) and single season assists (73) and points (116).
He also saw Czarnecki become the first player in program history to win the NCAA's prestigious Elite 89 Award as the individual with the highest GPA competing at the NCAA Championships.
In one of the most exciting games in the 17-year history of the program, Tucker reached a monumental milestone as he picked up his 200th career win in an 11-10 double overtime victory over No. 3 Rollins in the NCAA National Semifinals.
In 2012, the Saints delivered another tremendous performance, going 17-2 and winning the Conference Carolinas Regular Season and Tournament Championships. They posted a 15-game winning streak to close out the regular season and made their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance, hosting the first home playoff game in team history.
Among the individual achievements on the year, Racquel Prager broke the single season goal record with 71, tied for the most points in a season (91) and came within two goals of breaking the career goals mark. Current junior Sarah Oor added to the accomplishments as she shattered the single season assist mark by 15 and came within two points of breaking the single season record in that category.
In 2011, Limestone opened with 17 straight wins, tying the program record, before equaling the single season win mark with an 18-2 record. Included in those victories was the program’s first ever national semifinal win, a 10-9 decision over rival West Chester, which propelled them to the national championship game and a No. 2 final ranking.
In addition to those team accomplishments, Tucker coached a number of players who garnered national and regional recognition. Among them were Erin Growney, Racquel Prager, Chelsea Treat and Rashelle McLellan, each of whom was named an IWLCA Second-Team All-American. Prager was also honored as Conference Carolinas Female Athlete of the Year, only the second Saint ever to accomplish the feat.
His personal accolades were no less impressive in 2011 as he was named IWLCA South Region Coach of the Year, Synapse Sports National Coach of the Year and Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year.
All of those accomplishments followed a 2010 season in which the Saints finished with the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation as they allowed only a 6.15 goals against average, making it the lowest in any of the three NCAA divisions. Limestone has been ranked in the Top-10 in 13 of Tucker’s 14 seasons and has broken or tied almost every program record. In 2010, they posted the most wins in a season at 18 and tied last season. The 2010 season also saw the Saints score the most goals in a single season in team history with 361.
It didn’t take long for the success of the program under Tucker was recognized on the national level as his first recruiting class at Limestone led to the team being named the Most Improved Team in Division II in only his second season in Gaffney. That team went from 7-6 in his first year of 2002 to a 12-3 record in 2003. As a result, Tucker was nominated for National Coach of the Year honors that season.
In his 20 years as a head coach, Tucker has produced 50 All-Americans, 66 All-Region players, 114 All-Conference Carolinas players, 51 Conference Carolinas All-Tournament selections and six Freshmen of the Year. He has also coached nine Player of the Year winners, including 2015's Sam McCarrick, and three NCAA All-Tournament choices.
Personally, he has earned Conference Coach of the Year honors during the 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 campaigns and was named Inside Lacrosse Division II National Coach of the Year in 2006. Tucker is currently 20th in career coaching wins among all active NCAA women’s lacrosse coaches, including Division I and III.
Prior to Limestone, Tucker spent two years as the head coach at Oswego State University in Oswego, N.Y. During those two seasons, his Lakers’ teams compiled a 21-11 overall record and reached the SUNYAC Conference Championship in both seasons before falling to national power Cortland State. Tucker continues to hold the Oswego State record for most wins in a season with 12 as well as most consecutive wins during a season at nine.
In addition to his coaching career, Tucker currently serves on the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee, Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association Board of Directors, Safety and Game Administration Committee and serves as the Division II representative IWLCA Rules and Games Committee and is the current Coaches Chair for Conference Carolinas.
He has also served on the North/South and All-American Selection Committees and chaired the membership committee. Among his other achievements is authoring a pair of instructional videos in conjunction with Championship Productions.
In December of 2009, Tucker was named as an assistant coach for Team Canada’s U-19 team and traveled to Hannover, Germany to compete in the 2011 World Cup. That team earned the Bronze Medal as they finished in third place. In 2015, he served as that team's Defensive Coordinator at the FIL U19 World Championships in Scotland.
Prior to his coaching career, Tucker played at various levels including the Senior B level in the Canadian Lacrosse Association from 1998-2001. He is also an active COC Men’s Lacrosse Official, a National Elite-rated Women’s Lacrosse Official and was elected to Vice President of the IWLCA in 2014.
A 1999 graduate of Oswego State, Tucker holds a Bachelors in Public Justice and is certified through the ATP Flight Academy Commercial Pilot Program as of 2000. He currently resides in Boiling Springs, S.C. with his wife, Erin, and twin girls, Amelia and Addyson.
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