FSU ANNOUNCEMENT

TALLAHASSEE — Sara Tisdale, a veteran program developer and proven winner, has been named the first head coach of the Florida State women’s lacrosse team, Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford announced Monday.

“This is an exciting time for Florida State Athletics as we welcome Sara Tisdale to lead the launch of our intercollegiate women’s lacrosse team,” Alford said. “She brings a wealth of experience building programs and has achieved early and sustained success everywhere she has been. Coach Tisdale’s focus on developing an incredible culture within her programs was evident to me during our time together at Central Michigan and reinforced through the hiring process. Her teams win on the field and prioritize academics. She is a perfect fit for the standard of comprehensive excellence here, and I am thrilled to welcome Sara, Becca and Emma to the Florida State family.”

Tisdale, who coached the first lacrosse games at Eastern Michigan, Central Michigan and Augustana, comes to Tallahassee to help lead FSU’s lacrosse program after two seasons at Eastern Michigan.

Tisdale is 114-86 in her 12-year career, winning four regular season conference championships and three conference tournament titles. She has coached 34 all-conference selections, three Offensive Players of the Year, one Defensive Player of the Year and three Freshman of the Year honorees. In addition to their success on the court, Tisdale’s teams have been honored nine consecutive times with Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association Honor Squad recognition for their work in the classroom and have produced 118 individual academic all-conference selections.

“I am humbled and honored to join the Florida State family as the first head coach of women’s lacrosse,” said Tisdale. “I want to thank Michael Alford and Dr. McCullough for this incredible opportunity. Establishing a women’s lacrosse program at one of the most respected athletic and academic institutions in the country will attract elite lacrosse student-athletes to Tallahassee. From the moment I stepped foot on campus, it was clear that everyone is invested in the success of Seminole’s student-athletes and the programs they are a part of. The immediate goal is to build Florida State lacrosse into a championship-caliber program with a culture that upholds high standards in the classroom, on the field and in the community, and I can’t wait to get started!”

The 2024 Eagles led the MAC in scoring offense, averaging 11.0 goals per game, and also led the conference in points per game, shots on goal per game, ground balls per game, draw control percentage and draws per game. EMU had the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, while three were named to the all-conference team and two to the All-Freshman Team. Tisdale’s 2024 team improved by five wins from the program’s inaugural season in 2023, finishing the season with the highest winning percentage among MAC teams, and played in the semifinals of the conference tournament.

Tisdale joined Eastern Michigan after starting the women’s lacrosse program at Central Michigan, where she coached for seven seasons and led the Chippewas to 54 wins, two conference championships and the 2022 MAC Tournament title, making CMU’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

The 2022 team won a program-record 12 games and shared the conference regular-season championship before the conference tournament run. In 2021, CMU’s first season in the MAC, the Chippewas posted nine wins, including a victory over Oregon. Tisdale oversaw the development of the MAC Offensive Player of the Year in both 2021 and 2022, as Natalie Karlen earned the honor in 2021 and Audrey Whiteside followed in 2022.

In 2019, Central Michigan set program records for goals, points, shots, shots on goal, draw controls and saves. Jocelyn Lamay was named Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year, the program’s first such honor. In 2018, the Chippewas brought home the program’s first conference championship by going 4-1 SoCon during a season that included a program-record six-game winning streak.

Tisdale became head coach at Central Michigan in the summer of 2014 and began preparations for the first competitive season in 2016. Prior to joining CMU, she was hired in 2010 to develop the program at Augustana College in Illinois.

In three seasons at Augustana, Tisdale compiled a 51-8 record, including a dominant performance in 2014. That year, the Vikings won their first 19 games and led all Division III schools in scoring margin and total points. Augustana won the Midwest Women’s Lacrosse Conference regular season and tournament championships for the second straight season and advanced to the third round of the Division III NCAA tournament. Tisdale was named MWLC and Great Lakes Region Coach of the Year. The 2013 team swept the MWLC regular season and tournament titles in its second year as a program and first as an MWLC member. Tisdale’s first team in 2012 put together a 15-3 campaign while playing as an Independent.

Tisdale received her bachelor’s degree in education from Central Michigan in 2006. She and her wife, Becca, have one daughter, Emma.

Florida State’s women’s lacrosse program will play its first season of NCAA competition in the spring of 2026.