For generations, Princetonians have risen to the highest levels of success imaginable in their chosen field — and men's lacrosse head coach Bill Tierney is no exception. Since arriving in 1987, Tierney has won 12 Ivy League titles and six national championships and has coached some of the best athletes ever to play the sport of lacrosse.
So how does he feel about his first losing season in as long as anyone can remember?
"You've got to go back to 1988 and 1989, my first two years here, where we were just abysmal ... but those two years we knew we were building, we knew it was going to get better," Tierney said.
"That makes something like this year a little worse, because it makes you think, is this just a bleep on the radar screen, or is this the beginning of something really bad?" he continued. "[But] I'm confident with this group of kids and the kids we've got coming in and knowing what I know about our experience, that this is just a one-year hiatus from doing what we normally do."
Considering his tremendous success — he turned Princeton from a team with an unremarkable lacrosse team into a national powerhouse that has dominated college lacrosse for much of the last decade — Tierney has reason to be confident. That doesn't mean, though, that this season hasn't been hard for him.
"As someone who tries to do his best at the things we're trying to do, someone who prides himself on working pretty hard and bringing the best kids to the best university in the world, you do question how this can happen," Tierney said.
With such a high level of talent on the team, it's been a mystery to everyone why the Tigers haven't been able to find their usual groove that almost inevitably takes them to the late rounds of the NCAA Tournament in May.
Though this is the first time in 16 years that Princeton's year ended with its regular season finale, Tierney feels there has been an upside to this season.
"It's been an amazing learning experience, and sometimes the teacher can become the student and the students, even unwittingly or unwillingly, become the teachers. I really believe that's happened to me and our team the past couple of weeks," Tierney said.
"When we lost to Cornell, I was inspired by these kids. They came [to practice the following Monday], and it was inspiring. I think we planned a good practice for them — the idea was, we can't let them fall asleep, we can't just let them bemoan our situation, so let's keep them active — but it was so much more than that," Tierney continued. "The growth that happened in the past week or two for them as individuals, for us as a team and for me as a coach, was so much more than in just another easy season where we're rolling along."
Not only will the young Tiger team be more prepared for next year's challenges after a learning season, but Princeton's squad has also grown beyond the lacrosse field. Tierney said he and his coaching staff had emphasized throughout the season that adversity in athletics helps build a person better equipped to deal with real difficulties later in life, like the death of a family member or losing a job.
The attitude that Tierney and his staff take toward coaching seems to breed a healthy attitude toward athletics, but that doesn't mean that the Tigers aren't fierce competitors on the field. Out of 16 players who have scored at least one goal for Princeton this year, 12 will remain with the Tigers for two or three more years.
And Tierney, despite his already-lengthy career at Princeton, plans to stay around with them.
"I've always said that coaching is like playing golf — if you have a great round you want to come back and do it again, and if you have a bad round you want to come back and do it again," Tierney said. "I've raised my family here, we've been here 18 years, we've won six national championships and 12 Ivy League titles, but more important than all of that is the young men that I've gotten to coach here, and that doesn't change with a bad season."
Tierney joked that he didn't know what he would do if he did not coaching lacrosse.
The Tigers wouldn't know what to do without him, either. Tierney said that he's been particularly struck by the outpouring of support for himself and his team throughout this difficult season.
"I feel like I owe [it to all those people] to get this ship righted and get back to our next national championship," Tierney said.
As successful as Tierney has been, there is little doubt that Princeton will soon be sailing smoothly once again.
Read More
Preview: No. 3 men’s lacrosse plays No. 5 Syracuse in NCAA quarterfinals
Hayk YengibaryanShould the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Should the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Six for six: men’s and women’s track and field both complete triple crown
Luke StocklessMen’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Men’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Nation’s No. 2 miler Mena Scatchard ’25 to transfer to Stanford for graduate year
Luke StocklessThe Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.
The Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.