Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Sarah Martin
As of September, 2009

Entering her 11th season on the Dartmouth sideline, Sarah Martin has been an integral part of the Big Green’s success since joining the staff in 1999. She was promoted to Dartmouth’s associate head coach in November, 2002.

Since coming to Hanover, Martin has helped Dartmouth win five Ivy League championships and make seven NCAA Tournament appearances. During her time, she has helped develop 21 first team All-Ivy athletes recognized 32 times. Dartmouth has had 10 first team All-America honorees in that time as well.

Her primary assignments are working with the Dartmouth defense and recruiting, including targeting prospects and player assessment. Martin has played a critical role in putting together some of the finest recruiting classes in the nation during the past several seasons. Also, under Martin’s watchful eye, the Big Green is one of the nation’s and Ivy League’s top defensive teams.

During Dartmouth’s spectacular run in 2006, the Big Green topped the nation in scoring defense, allowing only 6.80 goals per game, after being second in 2005. That year, the Big Green also led the country in ground balls and caused turnovers.

Prior to her arrival at Dartmouth, Marin spent eight years at Middlebury — four of them as a player and four as an assistant coach. From 1995-99, Martin worked as an assistant coach with the Panther women’s lacrosse, field hockey and women’s basketball programs. During that time, Middlebury won two NCAA Division III national lacrosse championships (1997, 1999) and advanced to the semifinal round two other times (1996, 1998). In field hockey, the Panthers won the 1998 NCAA Division III national title after capturing the ECAC Division III championship in 1997. Finally, the basketball team won the ECAC Division III championship in 1997, sandwiching that title between a pair of NCAA Division III tournament appearances.

Martin played all three sports at Middlebury from 1992-95, captaining every one of them and earning the school’s Bayard A. Russ Award as the outstanding female athlete. In lacrosse, she was an All-America and earned team MVP honors for Middlebury’s NCAA Division III semifinalist as a senior.   

THE MARTIN FILE:

Favorite food: Chocolate chip pancakes

Favorite quote: “We are shaped and defined by what and whom we love.”

What inspires me: Watching our Dartmouth teams, as they encounter challenges and successes, learn to become tougher, stronger, better players and at the same time better people.

What I love the most about Dartmouth teams: The collective passion, heart and pride they model and pursue, on and off the field.

PLAYER VIEWS
“Sarah Martin has helped me grow as a player in ways I never would have imagined, completely transforming my game. It amazes me to think of how much I’ve learned so far. Sarah has such tremendous knowledge of the intricacies of playing defense and I love how she takes care to pull you aside to give you detailed, precise feedback on what you’re doing.
“She is one of the most patient people I have ever met and it’s part of what makes her such a great coach. At the same time you always get this strong, intense vibe from her that she is completely confident in you. That confidence challenges you to push yourself farther and work harder to play the way Sarah believes you can.” - Colleen Olsen ’10

“First and foremost, Sarah is a very cool woman. Besides the fact that her style puts us to shame, she just loves life and her passion is infectious. As a coach she is very patient, a quality that I remember distinctly from my freshman year as I struggled to grasp the concepts of Division I defense. She is patient but equally demanding. She makes you want to get better and want to go harder. Sarah has found a great balance between friend and coach and has won our love and respect.” — Michelle Shortsleeve ’07

“Sarah Martin has been such an important aspect of the coaching staff. She has an ability to listen to you and understand you that no other coach can quite do. She has an incredible knowledge of the game, especially defense, but what is so special about Sarah is that she can add her kind, soft touch to such a rigorous and demanding sport. She brings such a lighthearted balance to this team, which I think is really important. While Sarah knows her stuff and can ‘get it done’ as is apparent by her All-America awards in college, she also knows when someone’s just needs a smile and some encouragement.” — Margo Duke ’07