BALTIMORE, Md. — Johns Hopkins Director of Athletics Jennifer S. Baker announced the hiring of Tim McCormack as the University’s fourth women’s lacrosse coach today. He succeeds Janine Tucker, who retired after a highly successful 29-year career as head coach of the Blue Jays. McCormack comes to Johns Hopkins from Arizona State, where he spent the last three seasons at the helm of the Sun Devils’ program.
“I am thrilled to welcome Tim and his family to Johns Hopkins,” Baker said. “We were fortunate to have a deep and diverse pool of candidates for this position; Tim’s proven record of player development and his innovative and strategic philosophy on teaching and in-game coaching were unique points of emphasis that set him apart. His passion for the game and his players and his insightful approach to growing as a leader and mentor was evident through the process and I am truly excited for the future of our women’s lacrosse program under his guidance.”
The two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year, McCormack has been in charge of one of the nation’s biggest turnarounds. He led Arizona State to a 26-17 record in his three seasons in Tempe with back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2021 and 2022. In the two seasons prior to his arrival, the first two in program history, the Sun Devils went 12-24. McCormack has coached 10 All-Pac 12 selections, three IWLCA All-West/Midwest honorees and three USA Lacrosse Magazine All-Americans.
McCormack took over as the head coach at Arizona State in 2020 and led the Sun Devils to a 5-3 start before the season was canceled. The Sun Devils returned with a 10-6 record in 2021 and made the program’s first appearance in the Pac-12 semifinals. This past season, McCormack led ASU to an 11-8 record and its first-ever trip to the Pac-12 championship game. Under his guidance, the Sun Devils beat five ranked opponents, including four during the 2022 season, and played eight games in 2022 against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
“Johns Hopkins has deep roots in the sport of women’s lacrosse, and I’m honored to have the opportunity to join the Blue Jay family,” McCormack said. “Hopkins is well known for excellence in both athletics and academics, and I look forward to competing at the highest level while helping our student-athletes exceed their potential as leaders on and off the field. I’d like to thank Director of Athletics Jen Baker, members of the Johns Hopkins administration and the women’s lacrosse alumnae for their trust and support; I am excited to build on Janine’s legacy by providing a world-class experience to all of our young women.”
Arizona State was ranked in the IWLCA/IL Top 25 for six straight weeks in 2022 and checked in at 23rd in the final poll of the season. It’s the first time the Sun Devils have been ranked in the season’s final poll. Arizona State made its first-ever appearance in the national rankings on March 29, 2021.
McCormack brought a fast-paced, up-tempo style to Arizona State that paid immediate dividends. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the Sun Devils led the Pac-12 and ranked 12th in the nation with 16.38 goals per game — an increase of nearly seven goals per game from the previous year. In 2021, ASU again led the conference and was sixth in the nation in scoring offense (16.44 goals/game). Last season, McCormack’s squad ranked third in the Pac-12 with 13.21 goals per game.
Arizona State also showed dramatic improvement in draw controls and ground balls under McCormack’s leadership. The Sun Devils ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in both categories prior to his arrival in Tempe. They ranked third in the Pac-12 in draws in 2020, second in 2021 and first in 2022. ASU also ranked in the top-10 in the nation in draws in each of the last two seasons. After finishing 2020 fourth in the Pac-12 in ground balls, Arizona State led the league in 2021 and 2022, while also ranking in the top-10 nationally.
McCormack arrived in Tempe after a six-year stint as an assistant at Northwestern, coaching the Wildcat goalies and defense. During his tenure in Evanston, the Wildcats won 81 games, made six NCAA Tournament appearances with two trips to the semifinals, and won the 2019 Big Ten Tournament title.
After graduating from the University of Massachusetts in 2012, McCormack spent one season as the head coach of the men’s club lacrosse program at the University of Kentucky before joining the women’s staff at Northwestern.
McCormack was a three-year starter in goal, and two-time captain, for the Minutemen. As a senior, he led UMass to a 15-1 record and the number one national ranking for the first time in program history. McCormack posted an impressive 7.09 goals against average and a .606 save percentage en route to All-CAA and USILA All-America honors. He ranks eighth in program history with 475 career saves and boasted an 8.44 goals against average and .559 save percentage in 45 career starters.
McCormack inherits a Johns Hopkins team that posted a 10-9 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2022. The Blue Jays have qualified for the NCAA tournament in each of the last four years and seven of the last eight and had three players earn All-America honors during the recently completed 2022 season.
A native of Long Beach, New York, McCormack graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from UMass in 2012. He and his wife Deanna, have a son, Mats, and daughter, Valerie.