Coach Brianna Tierney returns to Patriot League as a Leopard

Assistant women’s lacrosse coach, Brianna Tierney, is no newcomer to Patriot League competition.

A 2007 graduate of Colgate University, Tierney won two Patriot League championships as a Raider. Now, she returns to the Patriot League as a member of Lafayette staff, after a diverse involvement in lacrosse across the country.

As a student-athlete, Tierney played five seasons of lacrosse, her first at Loyola University. At the time, Loyola was a not a member of the Patriot League. Tierney played her remaining four seasons, one of which was used by a medical redshirt, at Colgate University. The new Patriot League coach said this was a valuable experience.

“It’s [the Patriot League] a special place where you’re getting student-athletes who want to do well in the classroom,” Tierney said. “You see that transition over onto the playing field. You see those who do well in the classroom have a tendency to do pretty well on the field.”

Tierney’s experience is not limited to the Patriot League. Her first assistant coaching position was at Monmouth University, followed by a position at the University of California, Berkeley. She also started a women’s lacrosse program at Lebanon Valley College and served as head coach from 2009 to 2012. Not only does Tierney bring experience from different coaching positions, but from different regions of the country, as well.

The Princeton, NJ native has been able to experience lacrosse from coast to coast. She explained that lacrosse has “pockets” across the country where the sport is popular and played well. However, the east coast is more “saturated” with lacrosse than other regions of the country.

“It’s interesting to see all those different places and see how they compare,” Tierney said.

Her experience as both assistant and head coach, as well as her time on the East Coast and West Coast has prepared her will for her return to the Patriot League.

Most recently, Tierney has worked as the Director of Operations of men’s lacrosse at the University of Denver, while coaching at a high school in that area. The exposure she received in these positions could become very valuable to the Leopards, as the University of Denver was in the top 4 teams in the nation during her tenure.

“Seeing behind the scenes on a day to day basis definitely enhanced some of my skills as a coach, as well as seeing how top level coaches deal with off the field and behind the scene situations,” Tierney said.

The Leopards are hoping that Tierney will bring her knowledge of both the lacrosse and the Patriot League to the team, as they move onto the spring season. She said that since she has joined the staff a month ago, she has seen the young team excel against some strong competition in fall tournaments, specifically at their most recent tournament at St. Joseph’s.

“We wrapped up the fall in a really good place with the tournament at St. Joseph’s,” Tierney said. “We played St. Joseph’s and Manhattan and had a really good showing. We are definitely optimistic about the spring.”