Florida State held a press conference on Tuesday to introduce the head coach for its women's lacrosse program, the university's newest addition to its athletic portfolio.

Sara Tisdale, a well-known program builder and championship winner, will lead the newest FSU athletic program, which begins their first season in the spring of 2026.

An institution like FSU, with a rich history of winning championships in Division I athletics and achieving success in academics, requires an elite staff to shape its athletes from raw talent to stars on and off the field. Athletic director Michael Alford brings in Tisdale to build the program from its infancy into a championship contender.

When asked about the steps that were taken during the hiring process, Tisdale wasn’t shy about the eagerness she felt to arrive in Tallahassee and get the ball rolling towards building a contender.

“Michael (Alford) and I, we’ve always stayed in touch,” Tisdale said. “When lacrosse came on his radar, we did talk about it early on. That immediately planted the idea in my mind of, ‘Could we become Florida State Seminoles?’ for my wife and I … For us, there was never a hesitation or a moment of thought about ‘Do we want to do this?’ It was an immediate yes.”

This being the first lacrosse program at Florida State, questions arose regarding the growing pains that could come with building such a young program from the ground up. Tisdale quickly reassured a group of boosters and media gathered at the Champions Club that her confidence in her ability to recruit players to a school of such prestige is riding high.

“When there’s a phone call placed and it’s Florida State calling, people already know they’re getting a great degree and they’re going to be a part of an excellent athletic department,” Tisdale said. “… A lot of student-athletes want to be down south. If I could build programs in the Northwest where it snows, I think building a program down here in Tallahassee will be a slam dunk.”

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It's well known that dominating the landscape of Division I athletics long always been a skill possessed by teams at Florida State, including among the women’s sports with a fourth national title in women’s soccer and a softball championship in 2018. The same can be said for Coach Tisdale, whose track record and accolades speak for themselves. In her 12-year career as a head coach, Tisdale has compiled a resume including four conference championships, three conference tournament titles and a record of 114-86. Not too bad, considering she was starting from scratch at each program (Augustana, Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan) since 2010.

To win rings, you need players who are top-of-the-line athletically and academically. Coach Tisdale preached the importance of what she called "ballistic student-athlete development" as the focal point of her recruiting and coaching methods for the young women who suit up for her.

Take a look at the record books, and you'll find a track record of excellence. The rosters she's compiled have boasted 34 all-conference players, three offensive players of the Year, a Defensive Player of the Year and three Freshmen of the Year. Her athletes have been more than efficient off the field, with 118 individual players having earned Academic All-Conference Honors.

Tisdale began her career at Augustana College, where, in just three seasons, she built a program that led Division III in both scoring margin and total points. She topped it off by winning the women’s lacrosse regular season championship and tournament championship in 2014 before heading to Central Michigan the following year. Once there, she led the Chippewas for seven seasons, guiding them to multiple conference tournament titles and their first conference championship in 2018. Her team set single-season records for total points, shots, goals and everything else under the sun the following year.

After a program record 12 wins in the 2022 season at CMU, Tisdale left for Eastern Michigan, where she coached for two seasons, had multiple Conference Players of the Year, and led the MAC in scoring offense with an astounding 11 points per game.

Tisdale confidently stated that she’s fully aware of the prestige surrounding Florida State and the pressure that comes with leading a program at a Power 4 school. Undoubtedly a strategist, recruiter, and motivator, her arrival gives Seminole fans across the nation a real reason to feel a sense of pride when they watch a sport that is emerging nationally.

Now, Tisdale looks to bring her championship-caliber experience to Tallahassee, where she'll once again look to turn a brand-new program into a title-winning juggernaut. Being in a conference like the ACC brings a lot of pressure to win early and often. Top programs such as Boston College, Syracuse and Notre Dame will look to further their success from previous years and get an immediate leg-up on the Seminoles, who begin their first season in just two years.

"Building a program from scratch takes a little different skill and one couldn't find a better coach, a more proven coach than Sara Tisdale when you're starting a program," Alford said.

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