BALTIMORE, Md. — Johns Hopkins Director of Athletics Jennifer S. Baker announced the hiring of Peter Milliman as the University's 23rd men's lacrosse coach today. Milliman comes to Johns Hopkins from Cornell, where he had served as the Richard M. Moran Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse.
"The history of Johns Hopkins Lacrosse is one of achievement by our student-athletes on and off Homewood Field," said Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels. "With the arrival of Pete Milliman as head coach, we launch a new chapter that builds on the foundation of this exceptional program and the excellence and drive of Blue Jays past and present."
Milliman took over as the head coach at Cornell in 2018 and amassed a record of 28-10, including an 8-4 mark in Ivy League play. The Big Red went 13-5 in 2018, 10-5 in 2019 and were 5-0 and ranked second in the nation when the 2020 season ended.
Cornell advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals in Milliman's first season, when the Big Red also claimed the Ivy League Tournament title. During his time as the head coach, Milliman's teams picked up three victories against teams ranked in the top two in the nation at the time of the game, including a win against top-ranked and eventual national champion Yale in the 2018 Ivy League Championship game.
"It is with great pride and excitement that we welcome Pete and his family to Johns Hopkins," Baker stated. "Throughout the process, Pete demonstrated a passion for student-athletes and their holistic development and a vision that aligns with the goals we have established for our men's lacrosse program. In addition, his proven record of success at the national level and a strong track record of player development made him the ideal candidate to become the next men's lacrosse coach at Johns Hopkins."
Milliman arrived at Cornell in 2014 as an assistant coach and promptly helped the Big Red to back-to-back trips to the NCAA Tournament and a combined record of 21-11. Cornell went 9-3 in Ivy League play in 2014 and 2015 and tied for first place in the final regular season standings in each of those two seasons.
Milliman served as Cornell's defensive coordinator early in his tenure, but seamlessly transitioned to the offensive side and quickly turned the Big Red into one of the most dangerous teams in the nation. Cornell finished fifth in the nation in scoring offense in 2019 (14.3) and the Big Red were averaging 18.4 goals per game when the 2020 season ended.
"I want to thank Jennifer Baker and the search committee for the opportunity to serve as the men's lacrosse coach at Johns Hopkins," Milliman stated. "This program has a long-standing tradition of success and I will look to build upon the legacy of that success both on and off the field. Serving this program is an incredible honor and I am looking forward to getting to work right away."
Before landing at Cornell, Milliman had successful assistant coaching stops at RIT (2006, 2008), Siena (2007), and Princeton (2013). In his four seasons at those schools he helped his teams to a combined record of 45-22 with a 9-6 mark at Princeton in 2013 immediately preceding his time at Cornell.
Milliman had his first head coaching stint from 2009-12 at Division II Pfeiffer. There, he led the Falcons to a pair of appearances in the Conference Carolinas title game in 2011 and 2012 and was twice named the conference coach of the year (2009, 2011).
Milliman was a three-time All-American at Gettysburg and helped the Bullets to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division III Championship game during his career (2001, 2002). He finished his career at Gettysburg ranked second in school history in points (232), fifth in goals (138) and third in assists. He remains one of just three players in Bullet history with more than 125 goals and 90 assists.
After completing his career at Gettysburg, Milliman went on to play four seasons for the Rochester Rattlers in Major League Lacrosse. The Rattlers won the MLL title during his last season with the team in 2008.
Milliman served as an assistant coach of the United States Indoor National Team in 2019 and was the head coach of the Russian National Team in 2014, when it made its debut at the FIL World Championships.
A native of Rochester, New York, Milliman and his wife, Megan, have two daughters, Reese and Lake.