During the winter of 1966, a group of faculty and students who sought an alternative to basketball during the winter sports season started an intramural lacrosse program. The Thacher Notes explained that while that first season “served mainly to muddy the pants and fill the time of the team’s members,” the boys fell in love with the sport. One year later, the Toads played newly formed teams from Cate School and Ojai Valley School and competed in California’s first interscholastic lacrosse games.  

Sixty years later, the current iteration of Toad lacrosse players receive first-rate coaching and play their home games on Thacher's iconic Upper Field, which offers breathtaking views to the west. The varsity squad competes in the competitive Channel League, featuring top schools from Santa Barbara County. Of course, nothing beats the intensity of a home rivalry game versus Cate, where California interscholastic lacrosse began many years ago.

About Coach Sullivan:
Coach Sullivan has led the Boys' Lacrosse program at Thacher since the spring of 2014. During that time, he has coached players of all levels of experience and ambition in the game—from those whose entire lacrosse career has taken place at Thacher to those who picked up the sport long before their arrival and continued to play at the varsity or club level in college. Prior to his arrival at Thacher, he was a teacher and coach at Loyola Blakefield in Towson, MD (his high school alma mater), where drew on his own Division I playing experience to help develop numerous future DI, DIII, MLL, and PLL athletes. Each spring, Coach Sullivan strives to create an environment in which every player serves an important role on the team, so that regardless of the final win-loss record, the collective experience fosters a greater love of the game and a deeper understanding of the importance of hard work, commitment, and accountability. He believes that every spring afternoon spent on Upper Field is a gift, and he encourages his players to appreciate each moment they get to spend together in green and orange.