Prior to her arrival at Dartmouth, Martin 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 both field hockey and lacrosse, she was named a US All-American.
Sarah joined the Amy Patton and the Dartmouth Big Green coaching staff as an assistant in 1999 and was named Dartmouth’s Associate Head Coach in November, 2002.
Martin helped Dartmouth win six Ivy League championships and make eight NCAA Tournament appearances. During her time, she played a large role in developing 25 first team All-Ivy athletes, as well as 10 first team All-America honorees. With Martin overseeing the defensive end, the Big Green was perennially one of the nation’s and Ivy League’s top defensive teams. While Sarah’s primary assignments were working with the Dartmouth defense- she took a great amount of pride in recruiting, including targeting prospects and player assessment. She played a critical role in putting together some of the finest recruiting classes in the nation during the past several seasons and has helped the program nationalize its recruiting base, with players from as far West as Colorado and South to hotbeds Virginia and Maryland. Both Martin and Patton have recognized the talent that lies in their own backyard, tapping into New England’s finest high school and club programs for a core group of talented, tough-minded players.
After leaving Dartmouth, Sarah started Empower Lacrosse and continues to build that program.
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 from her. 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