Thacher Welcomes New Boys' Lacrosse Coach

Lacrosse season may be months away, but the sticks are already out as Thacher's laxers found time this weekend between fall sports commitments for an informal throw-around with a new boys' coach.

Tim Sullivan, a former Princeton lacrosse standout and defensive coordinator of Baltimore’s Loyola Blakefield (one of the top ranked boys’ high school teams in the nation) has been hired by The Thacher School as associate director of admission and boys’ varsity lacrosse head coach.

Sullivan comes to Thacher after eight years at Loyola, where he has served most recently as director of alumni relations and assistant varsity lacrosse coach. He and his wife, Courtney, look forward to living on campus and being active participants in life at Thacher.

“Thacher is a school unlike any other,” says Sullivan. “Courtney and I are so excited to be a part of this community, and I can’t wait to begin working with Thacher’s coaching staff to build the lacrosse program into one of the best in California.”

Sullivan brings to Thacher a wealth of lacrosse experience at the highest levels of high school and collegiate competition.

Thacher’s Head of School, Michael Mulligan, notes, “We feel very lucky to have the Sullivans coming to Thacher. Tim is a great educator and a fabulous coach at one of the best programs in the nation. He is also a tremendous mentor to his students. He will be a very positive influence at Thacher and a great recruiter of talent. We are also delighted that Courtney, an experienced educator in her own right, will start off at Thacher as as advisor to our students. A win-win for all concerned.”

During Sullivan’s tenure at Loyola, his team won three MIAA Championships (2007, 2008, 2013) in eight seasons--a record of success unequaled during that period in the most prestigious high school lacrosse league in the country. He was named the 2010 MIAA Assistant Coach of the Year, and many of his players have gone on to successful careers at top college lacrosse programs, including Duke, Maryland, Johns Hopkins, Virginia, Harvard, Penn, and Villanova.

Prior to coaching at Loyola, Sullivan enjoyed a successful career as a defenseman at Princeton University under Hall of Fame coach Bill Tierney. During his four years at Princeton, Sullivan played in two Final Fours and was recognized as a both a member of the 2004 NCAA All-Tournament Team and a 2005 All-Ivy performer.

Sullivan, a native of Edina, Minnesota, holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and a master’s degree in English from Middlebury College. He and Courtney will be advising students and working in a variety of capacities at Thacher. The Sullivans will live in Upper School and plan to arrive on campus in mid-August.

Thacher’s lacrosse history dates back to 1967, when it hosted California’s first interscholastic high school lacrosse match. Since then, Thacher players have gone on to join the teams at colleges including Brown, Colgate, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Kenyon, MIT, Pomona, Stanford, and the US Naval Academy.