Women's Lacrosse
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- wlax@kent.edu
- Phone:
- 330-672-3980
Brianne Tierney has been named Kent State's first head coach for women's lacrosse and was hired in June of 2017.
In 2025, Tierney coached Zayda Crumpton to an All-MAC first-team selection after she led the team in points, goals, assists, and draw controls. The Flashes also had two All-MAC second-team honorees in Sidney Dering and Lizzie Lundeen, while Anna Zucconi was named to the MAC All-Freshman team. The team posted six wins in the 2025 season, highlighted by a dramatic 10-9 overtime victory at Central Michigan to open conference play. The team's five non-conference wins in 2025 are the highest mark in program history.
Tierney coached three first-team All-MAC selections in 2024: Zayda Crumpton, Lily Miller, and Jackie Wolford. The team narrowly missed out on qualifying for the MAC tournament on a tiebreaker after tying for fourth place in the conference with a 3-3 record, which included a dominant 18-12 wagon wheel victory over rival Akron.
2023 was a historic year for Kent State lacrosse under Tierney's leadership. The Flashes posted a 7-1 conference record to claim a share of the first regular-season MAC Championship in program history. Additionally, Tierney was named MAC Coach of the Year for the first time in her career. Jackie Wolford was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year and Madison Flannigan was named MAC Goalkeeper of the Year to lead the Flashes. The team had a program record of six All-MAC selections, including four first-team honorees.
The Flashes placed three players on All-MAC teams in 2022 under Tierney. Jackie Wolford and Jordan Zablo were each selected to the All-MAC First Team. Kent State recorded three conference wins in the MAC's second season of lacrosse competition.
In 2021, she transitioned the Golden Flashes from the A-SUN and recorded their first MAC win in a wagon wheel rivalry victory, 9-8. In the conference's first season, Tierney placed two players on the All-MAC First Team and two players on the All-MAC Second Team. She also coached Jackie Wolford to the first-ever MAC Freshman of the Year award.
She received the program's first-ever win with a 21-6 blowout against Delaware State on March 29, 2019. She received the team's first-ever conference win with a 17-1 win against A-SUN opponent Howard. To highlight the 2019 season, a handful of players received All-A-SUN honors. Abby Jones received First Team All-Conference. Abby Jones, Madison Rapier, and Grace Merrill all received Freshman First Team All-A-SUN honors.
Tabbed to start Kent State's lacrosse program, Tierney brings a wealth of experience across all levels of collegiate lacrosse and has been around the sport her entire life and has served in several roles during her decade-long coaching career and has helped guide student-athletes to success on and off the field.
As part of Kent State's strategic vision, The Game Plan, Kent State announced the addition of women's lacrosse in the summer of 2016. The program will begin competition during the 2018-19 academic year, bringing Kent State's sport total to 19, including 11 women's programs. It marked the first addition of a varsity sport at Kent State since women's golf began competition in the 1998-99 academic year.
At Kent State, Tierney is building a new program for the second time in her career. She previously served as the first head coach at NCAA Division III's Lebanon Valley College, where she began the institution's lacrosse program. Tierney's program began competition in the spring of 2010, and by the 2012 season, she earned Commonwealth Conference Coach of the Year honors and mentored the 2012 Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year.
Her most recent Division I experience came while serving as the assistant coach and director of camps and clinics at Lafayette College. She served as the program's offensive coordinator and ran several lacrosse clinics and camps in Easton, Pa.
Prior to her time with Lafayette, Tierney was the director of men's lacrosse operations for the University of Denver from 2012-2014. In Denver, she served on a top-5 NCAA Division I staff and helped guide the program to back-to-back NCAA semifinal runs. She also brings Division I coaching experience from her time at UC-Berkley and Monmouth.
Tierney earned her Bachelor of Arts in English from Colgate University in 2007 and helped the institution win two Patriot League Championships as a student-athlete. She started her collegiate career at Loyola (Md.), where she helped the program reach the NCAA semifinal round.
Tierney is the wife of Dylan Sheridan. They reside in Hudson with their son, Bodhi.
