Last Wednesday, Brian Tilley ’04 earned his first collegiate head coaching win as his Eastern Connecticut State University men’s lacrosse team topped Hartwick College, 9-6.

Tilley attended Stony Brook for three years from 1998-2001, where he was one of the best young athletes in the soccer, wrestling, and lacrosse programs. He finished his career at St. Anthony’s High School where he helped the Friars win three CHSAA league championships in lacrosse. After graduating from St. Anthony’s, Tilley attended the University of Hartford where he made an immediate impact in the Division I men’s lacrosse program as he was selected to the America East Conference All-Rookie team in his freshman season. By the end of his senior year he was named team MVP and was selected to play in the NEILA East-West All-Star Game.

After graduating, Tilley spent a year at Division III SUNY Oneonta as the offensive coordinator, before returning to Hartford for the next five seasons. With Tilley as the offensive coordinator, the Hawks saw an uptick in their production and in 2012 were among the top ten in the nation in four statistical categories: scoring offense (6th), assists per game (7th), points per game (7th), and shot percentage (3rd). In 2011 he helped direct the Hawks to the America East Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

Tilley was named the head coach at Eastern Connecticut last August and hopes to “bring the men’s lacrosse team to new heights on and off the field.”

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