SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The Santa Clara men’s lacrosse program is excited to announce that Greg Hollingshead has been promoted to head coach and defensive coordinator starting with the 2020 season.

In addition, former Virginia Tech head coach Tim O’Brien will fill the offensive coordinator role.

Hollingshead Promoted
Hollingshead steps into the head coaching role after the departure of Coach Mengis, who was at the helm the past five seasons. Hollingshead has provided assistant coach and defensive coordinator duties for the past three years at Santa Clara, and has been a key factor in helping the Broncos elevate their program.

Hollingshead’s contributions aided the Broncos to 27 wins over the past three years and a return to the WCLL playoffs for the first time in 10 years. Santa Clara also earned its first trip to the WCLL Championship game in 25 years, their highest ever national ranking at the end of a season (No. 18) and their first appearance in the MCLA National Championships.

Hollingshead is currently the director of boys high school teams for Team NorCal Lacrosse. He came to Santa Clara after a successful run at Archbishop Mitty High School, where he helped turn the program around, with winning records every year as head coach.

In addition to the turnaround, Hollingsheadhelped the Mitty Monarchs to three straight WCAL playoff and semifinal appearances during his tenure as head coach.

“I am pleased and proud to see the team appoint Greg to the head coach position," said Mengis. "His influence on the Bronco’s recent success, and his loyalty to the program are unquestioned, and I look forward to the team’s future success with Greg leading the way.”

From the East to the West
Santa Clara is also pleased to announce the appointment of Tim O’Brien as the offensive coordinator for the 2020 season.

O'Brien has spent the past four years as head coach at Virginia Tech, which played in the SELC. Upon receiving his PhD in Biomedical Engineering, O'Brien recently accepted a job in Silicon Valley and moved across the country.

O’Brien brings his own winning tradition to the Bronco staff. The Hokies racked up 49 wins during his time as head coach, and were consistently ranked in the Top 20 nationally, including two Top 10 finishes in 2017 (8th) and 2018 (6th). His resume includes an SELC Championship and two trips to the MCLA National Championships, reaching the quarterfinals in both appearances.

O'Brien originally hails from Garnet Valley, Pa., where he had a distinguished high school career including multiple all-League honors. In college he played for nationally-ranked Roanoke under legendary lacrosse coach Bill Pilat and was awarded the Paul S. Griffin award for his leadership and dedication to the team.

“I am very excited to have Tim on board as offensive coordinator, his knowledge of the game will be a huge asset on our staff, and his resume and experience speak for themselves," said Hollingshead. "When we learned of his move to our area, we contacted him right away, and I am happy to call him a Bronco.”

Santa Clara looks to return to the MCLA National Championships in 2020, and will begin their season with a home game against Sonoma State on Feb. 1, before a visit to face last year's MCLA runner-up Cal on Feb 7.