Lars Tiffany

LARS TIFFANY BY THE NUMBERS (as of June 1, 2025)

1	UVA’s only head coach to win back-to-back NCAA Championships; Tewaaraton Award winner (Dylan Molloy–2016)
2	NCAA Championships; ACC Championships
4	Tewaaraton Award finalists (Connor Shellenberger–2022-24 & Dylan Molloy–2016)
5	Conference coach-of-the-year honors, including ACC Coach of the Year twice
9	NCAA Tournament appearances as head coach; consecutive NCAA Tournament wins (2019-22), a UVA record
10	Consecutive years finishing in the top-4 nationally in ground balls per game
29	All-ACC selections; PLL draft picks all-time, including 18 at UVA
35	USILA Academic All-Americans (2025 TBD)
47	USILA All-Americans, including eight first-team selections
98	Wins in nine seasons as UVA head coach, good for No. 3 all-time in program history
211	Career wins in 21 seasons as head coach

Two-time NCAA Champion Lars Tiffany enters his 10th season as Virginia men’s lacrosse head coach in 2026 after being named the program’s 17th head coach on June 21, 2016. Tiffany came to UVA with 12 years of head coaching experience after a 10-year stint at his alma mater, Brown University (2007-16) and a two-year stop at Stony Brook University (2005-06).

Delivering consecutive national championships to Charlottesville in 2019 and 2021, Tiffany is one of the most successful and respected head coaches in the game of lacrosse. He is one of only two active Division I head coaches to reach four of the last six Championship Weekends. Tiffany was bestowed ACC Coach of the Year in 2019 and 2022 after guiding the Cavaliers to ACC championships in both years. Tiffany is one of just three head coaches in program history to record more than 90 wins. Over the course of his head coaching career, Tiffany has mentored 47 USILA All-Americans and 29 PLL draft picks, including 18 selections from UVA.

A native of Lafayette, N.Y., Tiffany draws inspiration for the game of lacrosse after growing up just miles from the Onondaga Nation reservation, where many of his friends lived and played. Tiffany served as head coach of the Haudenosaunee Nationals (formerly Iroquois) at the 2023 World Lacrosse Men’s Championship in San Diego. He was also an assistant coach for the team at the 2018 World Lacrosse Championship in Israel, where he helped guide them to a bronze medal.

In 2025, Tiffany’s Cavaliers led the nation in man-down defense (86.8 percent) after surrendering only seven goals on 53 opposing extra-man chances. UVA also finished fourth nationally in ground balls per game (35.93), which marked the 10th consecutive season a Tiffany-led team finished in the top 4. Ben Wayer (LSM) and Griffin Schutz (midfield), both of whom were selected in the 2025 PLL Draft, and John Schroter (defense) were named All-Americans. Schroter also became the sixth defensive honoree since 2021 to be named an All-ACC selection under Tiffany.

Virginia finished with a 12-6 campaign in 2024, marking the program’s eighth consecutive winning season under Tiffany. Also for the eighth time of his career, Tiffany’s team led the nation in ground balls after averaging 37.78 ground balls per game. Connor Shellenberger was named the recipient of the Jack Turnbull Award, bestowed to the nation’s top attackman and became the program’s first and only USILA First Team All-American. Additionally, Shellenberger became the only UVA player to be named a three-time finalist for the Tewaaraton Award, the most prestigious individual award in college lacrosse. Shellenberger was selected second overall by the New York Atlas in the PLL Draft, UVA’s second top-2 PLL draft pick under Tiffany. In addition to Shellenberger, defenseman Cole Kastner was selected in the fourth round by the California Redwoods. Attackman Payton Cormier, who later signed as a free agent with the Atlas, concluded his career as the NCAA Division-I all-time leading goal scorer with 224.

The Cavaliers returned to Championship Weekend in 2023 after posting a 13-4 overall record, including a with a pair of wins over eventual-national-champion Notre Dame. Virginia led all schools nationally with nine USILA All-Americans, including three first-team selections. Shellenberger was also voted to the 2023 NCAA All-Tournament Team selection after leading all players in assists (11) and points (22) and tied for first in goals (11). Thomas McConvey was named the recipient of the Lt. j.g. Donald MacLaughlin Jr. Outstanding Midfielder Award, which is bestowed annually to the nation’s top midfielder. McConvey is the second player under Tiffany’s tutelage to lay claim to the MacLaughlin Award, joining former UVA long-stick midfielder Jared Conners who did so in 2021.

For the second time of his career, Tiffany was voted ACC Coach of the Year by his peers in 2022 after leading the Cavaliers to a share of the program’s 19 ACC title. After going 8-0 at Klöckner Stadium in the regular season, Virginia went on the road to knock off Brown, Tiffany’s alma mater and former post, in the First Round of the NCAA, which marked the Cavaliers’ ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament win. In addition to Shellenberger garnering his first Tewaaraton Award Finalist honor, the Cavaliers dominated ACC postseason awards. Kastner and goalie Matthew Nunes were tabbed the ACC’s Defensive Player and Freshman of the Year, respectively, under the guidance of Tiffany and his staff. Furthermore, Matt Moore, who concluded his career as the program’s all-time points leader, became the third recipient under Tiffany to receive the Senior CLASS Award.

After Virginia went 4-2 overall in 2020 before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) ultimately forced the cancellation of the rest of the season, Tiffany and the fourth-seeded Cavaliers won the program’s seventh NCAA title in 2021 after a triumphant 17-16 victory over third-seeded Maryland. UVA’s 2021 title marked the first time in program history it won back-to-back national championships, having also done so in 2019. Under the direction of Tiffany in 2021, Virginia became just the seventh men’s lacrosse program in Division-I history to win back-to-back national championships and first Division I men’s lacrosse program to win six straight NCAA finals games (1999, 2003, 2006, 2011, 2019 and 2021). Shellenberger was crowned the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to Conners laying claim to the Donald MacLaughlin Award, UVA’s nine USILA All-Americans tied for the most by any Division I program nationally.

Upon serving as UVA head coach for just two seasons, Tiffany and his staff guided the Cavaliers to the program’s sixth NCAA Championship in 2019 – its first since 2011. Virginia finished with an overall record of 17-7, which tied the program’s single season wins record. Goalie Alex Rode was crowned the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament, a four-win performance that was highlighted by 18 saves against Duke in the semifinals. UVA also won its first ACC title since 2010 after defeating Notre Dame, 10-4, in the ACC Tournament championship game, which was held at Klöckner Stadium. Conners, Ryan Conrad and Dox Aitken were tabbed first-team All-Americans. Conrad became the second player under Tiffany to be name the recipient of the Senior CLASS Award. He was also named MVP of the ACC Tournament and an NCAA All-Tournament selection. Conrad went on to be drafted No. 2 overall by the Atlas in the inaugural PLL Draft, which tied for second highest MLL/PLL draft pick in UVA history.

After missing the NCAA Tournament in the previous two seasons, Tiffany returned the Cavaliers to the big dance in 2018, his second year as UVA head coach. In addition to leading the nation in ground balls, Virginia finished fifth nationally in assists and seventh in scoring offense. Michael Kraus became the third player in program history to tally 80 points in a single season after finishing with 83, while Aitken represented Virginia as a USILA First Team All-American after setting a then-program record with 51 points.

In his first year at the helm, Tiffany returned the Cavaliers to their winning ways (8-7) after a losing season in 2016. The UVA offense led the ACC and finished third in the nation in goals, assists and points. Aitken shattered the program’s freshman midfielder record of 29 goals in just eight games and tallied 40 points. Kraus was named ACC Freshman of the Year and the only rookie on the All-ACC team after leading the Hoos with 34 goals and 56 points.

Prior to his tenure at Virginia, Tiffany transformed Brown into one of the nation’s premier programs. He led the Bears to Championship Weekend in Philadelphia in 2016 behind a program-record 16 wins and the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense. Attackman Dylan Molloy was crowned the recipient of the Tewaaraton Award and the nation’s most outstanding attackman in 2016. Additionally, Jack Kelly was named the nation’s most outstanding goalie and the recipient of the 2016 Senior CLASS Award. Under Tiffany’s guidance, Brown had a program-record eight USILA All-Americans in 2016. Tiffany finished with an overall record of 95-56 in 10 seasons at his alma mater.

Brown’s historic success in 2016 was the culmination of four Ivy League titles in 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2016 and three NCAA Tournament berths in 2009, 2015 and 2016. Tiffany and his staff are widely credited with changing the modern landscape of college lacrosse after implementing a unique fastbreak-style of offense that finished fifth in the nation in goals per game in 2015. At Brown, Tiffany garnered back-to-back Ivy League Coach of the Year honors in 2015 and 2016. He was also named New England Coach of the Year four times (2008-09-15-16).

After inheriting a Brown program that went winless in Ivy League play in 2006, Tiffany coached the Bears to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1997 before falling to Johns Hopkins in overtime in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Tiffany’s 2008 squad captured a share of the Ivy League title with a 5-1 league mark and achieved an 11-3 record to earn the most wins in a single season by the Bears since 1994. In his first season at Brown in 2007, Tiffany turned the fortunes of the program in the right direction by guiding the Bears to a 7-7 record and a national ranking as high as No. 18.

Tiffany’s first head coaching stint was at Stony Brook during the 2005 and 2006 seasons, where he compiled an 18-13 overall record. He was named America East Coach of the Year in 2005 after the Seawolves cracked the top 20 for the first time in program history and led the nation in man-up offense. In 2006, his squad finished second in the America East with a 4-1 league mark and was ranked in the top 20 in two weekly polls.

Tiffany arrived at Stony Brook after successful stints at Penn State, Dartmouth, Washington & Lee and LeMoyne. He spent his four years at Penn State (2000-2004) as the top assistant under head coach Glenn Thiel, who previously served as UVA head coach from 1970-77 and guided the Cavaliers to their first NCAA title in 1972. At Penn State, Tiffany was involved in all facets of the lacrosse program as the team’s defensive and recruiting coordinator. In 2002, the Nittany Lions led the nation in man-down defense.

Prior to coaching at Penn State, Tiffany was an assistant coach at Dartmouth College, where he spent the 1999 and 2000 seasons under head coach Rick Sowell. In his two seasons as defensive coordinator, the Big Green’s goals allowed per game in Ivy League contests dropped from 15.3 to 9.0.

Tiffany was an assistant coach from 1997-98 at Washington & Lee University. In 1998, the Generals went 13-3 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament while finishing fifth in the USILA Division III national rankings.

Tiffany began his collegiate coaching career at LeMoyne College, where he served as an assistant coach of men’s lacrosse and co-head coach of the women’s lacrosse program from 1994-96.

Tiffany graduated from LaFayette High School where he lettered in football, basketball and lacrosse. Upon graduation from Brown, he taught Marine Science and Marine Biology and coached lacrosse and football at the Robert Louis Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, California from 1990-94.

A 1990 graduate of Brown, Tiffany was a two-time team captain and starter on defense for three years under the guidance Dom Starsia, who served as head coach at Brown from 1982-92 before accepting the head coaching position at UVA. A Biology concentrator, Tiffany played on two Brown teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament (1987 & 1990). He was co-MVP of the 1990 Brown squad that captured its first-ever NCAA playoff victory, a 12-9 victory over UMass. Tiffany capped his career by playing in the North-South Senior All-Star game in 1990.

Tiffany and his wife, Tara, reside in Charlottesville with their daughter, Charlotte.

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Tiffany Head Coaching Record
Virginia (2017-present)
Year	Overall	Conference	Finish	Postseason
2025	6-8	0-4 ACC	5th
2024	12-6	1-3 ACC	T-3rd	NCAA Semifinals
2023	13-4	4-2 ACC	T-2nd	NCAA Semifinals
2022	12-4	5-1 ACC	T-1st	NCAA Quarterfinals; ACC Co-Champions
2021	14-4	2-4 ACC	T-4th	NCAA Champions
2020	4-2	N/A	N/A	N/A
2019	17-3	3-1 ACC	1st	NCAA Champions; ACC Champions
2018	12-6	1-3 ACC	T-4th	NCAA First Round
2017	8-7	0-4 ACC	5th
UVA Totals	98-44	16-22 ACC		2 NCAA titles; 6 NCAA appearances
Brown (2007-16)
Year	Overall	Conference	Finish	Postseason
2016	16-3	6-0 Ivy	1st	Ivy League Champions; NCAA Semifinals
2015	12-5	4-2 Ivy	T-1st	Ivy League Co-Champions; NCAA First Round
2014	8-6	2-4 Ivy	5th
2013	8-6	2-4 Ivy	5th
2012	7-8	3-3 Ivy	4th
2011	6-8	2-4 Ivy	5th
2010	8-6	4-2 Ivy	T-1st	Ivy League Co-Champions
2009	12-4	4-2 Ivy	3rd	NCAA First Round
2008	11-3	5-1 Ivy	T-1st	Ivy League Co-Champions
2007	7-7	1-5 Ivy	6th
Brown Totals	95-56	33-27 Ivy		3 NCAA appearances
Stony Brook (2005-06)
Year	Overall	Conference	Finish	Postseason
2006	8-7	4-1 AE	2nd
2005	10-6	4-2 AE	4th
Stony Brook Totals	18-13	8-3 AE
Career Totals	211-113	57-52		2 NCAA championships, 9 NCAA appearances