After many years living on the edge of the lacrosse landscape, Sean Woods is returning to the Northeast as the head coach of Amherst men’s lacrosse.
The Rhode Island native who graduated from SUNY Oneonta in New York has been coaching in Colorado for the past 10 years as the head coach of the Colorado College Tigers, a program he made nationally relevant year in and year out with seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
His time at CC proved that he is not only a winner, but he also knows how to cultivate sustainable success, a rare trait in today’s ultra-competitive lacrosse world.
Amherst is a program steeped in tradition, but it’s hard to ignore the clouds that have surrounded it these past few seasons. Two coaches in two years meant the program needed a big-time hire who could come in and right the ship, and I’m of the opinion it made an excellent choice.
“I am honored and excited to be part of the Amherst Mammoth family,” Sean Woods said in a release. “I want to thank Dr. Catherine Epstein and Mr. Faulstick for this amazing opportunity. I am looking forward to getting my feet on the ground in Amherst and becoming part of such an amazing college community. I am also eager to build relationships with the players and alumni to continue the great tradition that is Amherst men’s lacrosse.”
I’m sure we’ll never find out, but I am more than interested in what kind of offer Amherst made that could lure a coach who has had success at CC for 10 years and seen seven tournaments to uproot his life and move halfway across the country.
Perhaps it was because he felt Amherst has the ability to make it all the way, something the Tigers have struggled to do, as they’ve never made it further than the quarterfinals in the NCAA Tournament. Perhaps it was because they paid him a lot more money, although given DIII budgets, this is unlikely.
Or perhaps it was a combination of the history and prestige of Amherst attached to the prospect of returning closer to home, and not having to drive several hours to get a competitive schedule each spring. I’ll lean into this reasoning.
In my opinion, Sean Woods is one of the most prolific and creative schedulers in all of college lacrosse. If you don’t know why, look at past schedules or look at a map and find the next-three closest Division III opponents to CC.
We wish Sean Woods the best of luck as the Amherst men’s lacrosse coach.
Sean Woods Coaching Career
2001-2003: Brown University (Assistant Coach)
2003-2006: Washington College (Senior Assistant Coach)
2006-2011: Mars Hill University (Head Coach)
2011-2021: Colorado College (Head Coach)
2021-Current: Amherst College (Head Coach)
