Cindy Timchal

Last updated

Cindy Timchal
Born (1954-09-14) September 14, 1954 (age 70)
NationalityAmerican
NCAA team West Chester University
U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame, 2012

Cindy Timchal (born September 14, 1954) is an American lacrosse coach. She is the head women's lacrosse coach at the United States Naval Academy. She has coached for some of the top programs in college women's lacrosse, including Northwestern University, University of Maryland. At Maryland Timchal coached the Terrapins to seven straight NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championships.

Contents

Background

Timchal grew up in Havertown, Pennsylvania, and despite not playing lacrosse in high school, [1] Timchal went on to play on the lacrosse team at West Chester University. While at West Chester, Timchal was also a member of the Tennis and Track and Field teams. [2] After graduating college, Timchal got her first coaching job at Unionville High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the coaching staff for the lacrosse, field hockey, and basketball teams. In 1979, after coaching for two years at Unionville, Timchal began her college coaching career at The University of Pennsylvania, where she was an assistant for the lacrosse and field hockey teams. [3]

Coaching at Northwestern

Timchal's head coaching career started in 1982 when she took on the program at Northwestern University. She stayed with the Wildcats for nine years, coaching them to five NCAA Tournament appearances in 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, and 1988. [4] Timchal's record at Northwestern was 76–40. She posted a winning season for eight out of her nine seasons.

Coaching at Maryland

In 1991, Timchal left Northwestern to pursue her coaching career at the University of Maryland. Although Maryland had a history of being a powerhouse in lacrosse, the Terps only had one NCAA title which they won in 1986. [5] In just her first season as head coach, Timchal led her team to an NCAA final as well as a 14–3 record before they lost to Virginia in the NCAA championship. [6] The next season, 1992, Maryland would make it to the finals, where they would defeat Harvard 11–10 in overtime as Timchal would gain her first national championship.

Following Maryland's loss to Princeton in the 1994 finals, Maryland went on a 50-game winning streak. This would take place during Maryland's seven-year reign as national champions from 1995 to 2001. [7] This included a 13-5 [8] national championship win over Princeton in 1995. [9] The seven-season championship streak was completed with the 2001 title game, in which Maryland posted a perfect 23–0 season and defeated Georgetown in triple overtime. [10] [11]

Overall, Timchal's record at Maryland was 260-46 and her winning percentage was 85%.

Coaching at Navy

On August 5, 2006, [12] Timchal was named the head coach for the women's lacrosse team at the United States Naval Academy. Timchal was given the opportunity by athletic director Chet Gladchuk to become the first women's lacrosse coach as Navy decided to elevate its club program to the Division I level. Gladchuck described Timchal as "the finest coach in the history of the game". [13] Timchal was quick to make Navy a league power. As a member of the Patriot League, Navy challenged the top teams in the league and went on to achieve a record of 13–4 in just their first year as a Division-I program in 2008. Timchal's 2009 season saw similar success.

In 2010, Navy broke out, going 17-4 while capturing their first Patriot League title and their first NCAA tournament appearance. It took only three years for Navy to achieve an NCAA appearance, the fastest a new team had qualified in 13 years. [14] Their success in 2010 left Navy ranked 19th nationally. [15]

In 2017, Coach Timchal's team again won the Patriot League, earning a berth in the NCAA tournament. In the quarter-finals, Navy defeated the reigning national champions, North Carolina, to earn their first appearance in the Final Four, where they lost to Boston College, 16–15. Navy's final record was an impressive 18–5.

Former players as coaches

Throughout Timchal's coaching career, she has accumulated a growing coaching tree, as many of her former players have gone on to become coaches. In the 2011 season there were over 20 collegiate lacrosse coaches who had been coached by Timchal during her time as Maryland's head coach. The following are a few of the coaches that represent five different leagues in Women's lacrosse. To represent the Patriot League, Jen Adams is the head coach of Loyola University in Maryland. Following in Timchal's footsteps as the head coach for the University of Maryland is Cathy Reese. Maryland assistant, Quinn Carney is also a former Timchal player. Atlantic Coast Conference coaches include Maryland assistant, Quinn Carney, as well as Duke head coach Kerstin Kimmel, Duke assistant coach, Alex Kahoe, and Boston College head coach, Acacia Walker. Timchal's players are involved in the Colonial League through Katie Doolittle the head coach at Towson University, and Sonia Lamonica, Towson's assistant coach. The NLC includes head coach of High Point's team, Megan Cassara. Former players of Timchal's are currently head coaches in the Big Ten, including Kelly Amonte Hiller at Northwestern, Missy Doherty at Pennsylvania State, and Alexis Venechanos at Ohio State.

Coaching style

Timchal's demonstrated her unique coaching style through techniques that translated on and off the field. As Maryland's head coach, she hired Dr. Jerry Lynch, a well-known author and psychiatrist in order to mentally prepare her team. Timchal also hired Gary Gait as an assistant coach. Gait was a Major League Lacrosse and National Lacrosse League player at the time. Timchal tested these resources, which translated into success on the field.

Awards and achievements

The following awards and achievements were listed on gonavy.com:

In 2012, Timchal was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. [17]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Northwestern Wildcats (NCAA independent)(1982–1990)
1982Northwestern 8–3
1983Northwestern 11–3 NCAA first round
1984Northwestern 10–4 NCAA quarterfinals
1985Northwestern 7–4
1986Northwestern 10–4 NCAA Division I quarterfinals
1987Northwestern 10–4 NCAA Division I quarterfinals
1988Northwestern 10–5 NCAA Division I quarterfinals
1989Northwestern 6–5
1990Northwestern 4–8
Northwestern:76–40 (.655)
Maryland Terrapins (NCAA independent)(1991–1996)
1991Maryland 14–3 NCAA Division I runner-up
1992Maryland 14–1 NCAA Division I champion
1993Maryland 12–2 NCAA Division I semifinals
1994Maryland 12–1 NCAA Division I runner-up
1995Maryland 17–0 NCAA Division I champion
1996Maryland 19–0 NCAA Division I champion
Maryland Terrapins (Atlantic Coast Conference)(1997–2006)
1997Maryland 21–13–01st NCAA Division I champion
1998Maryland 18–31–2T–2nd NCAA Division I champion
1999Maryland 21–03–01st NCAA Division I champion
2000Maryland 21–12–1T–1st NCAA Division I champion
2001Maryland 23–03–01st NCAA Division I champion
2002Maryland 11–100–34th NCAA Division I quarterfinals
2003Maryland 18–43–01st NCAA Division I semifinals
2004Maryland 15–51–23rd NCAA Division I quarterfinals
2005Maryland 12–72–2T–2nd NCAA Division I first round
2006Maryland 12–82–34th NCAA Division I first round
Maryland:260–46 (.850)20–13 (.606)
Navy Midshipmen (Patriot League)(2008–present)
2008Navy 13–44–2T–2nd
2009Navy 13–54–2T–2nd
2010Navy 17–45–1T–1st NCAA Division I first round
2011Navy 15–64–23rd NCAA Division I first round
2012Navy 18–66–01st NCAA Division I first round
2013Navy 19–26–01st NCAA Division I second round
2014Navy 14–36–22nd
2015Navy 15–56–2T–2nd
2016Navy 13–67–22nd
2017Navy 13–48–12nd NCAA Division I semifinal
2018Navy 18–48–12nd NCAA Division I quarterfinal
2019Navy 16–58–12nd NCAA Division I second round
2020Navy 2–40–0Season canceled due to COVID-19
2021Navy 8–44–23rd (South)
2022Navy 15–57–2T–2nd
2023Navy 13–66–3T–3rd
2024Navy 15–48–12nd
2025Navy 15–57–23rd NCAA Division I
Navy:252–82 (.754)104–26 (.800)
Total:588–168 (.778)

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  2. West Chester, Haverford High grad Timchal is building at Navy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2008, retrieved October 15, 2011{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  4. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  5. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  6. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  7. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  8. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  9. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  10. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  11. "Division I Women's Lacrosse Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  12. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  13. DakotaDan (2006), Navy Names Cindy Timchal as Head Coach, Annapolis, Maryland: LaxPower, archived from the original on March 30, 2012, retrieved October 15, 2011
  14. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  15. Women's Lacrosse, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  16. Timchal Inducted into Delaware County Chapter of PA Sports Hall of Fame, CBS Interactive, 2011, retrieved October 15, 2011
  17. "Hall of Fame Inductees". USA Lacrosse. Retrieved August 7, 2021.