Sarah Brink enters her second season as the Head Women's Soccer Coach at Denison University in 2024.

Associate Vice President and Director of Athletics Nan Carney-DeBord announced on April 3, 2023, the hiring of Sarah Brink as the next Head Women’s Soccer Coach at Denison University. Brink replaced Gail Murphy, who announced in January 2023 that she was stepping away as head coach of the Big Red after 26 seasons. Brink is the sixth head coach in the history of the Denison women’s soccer program. She came to Denison after spending the previous four years as an assistant coach at Trinity College (Hartford, Conn.).

Sarah Brink had a daunting to-do list after being named Denison’s first new women’s soccer coach in 27 years. In replacing Gail Murphy, one of the sport’s winningest Division III coaches, Brink needed to quickly build relationships with players, create a nurturing culture, and remain competitive in conference play. By season’s end, her team gave her another task: Finding more room in the program’s trophy case. The Big Red peaked at the right time to win the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. They defeated Wittenberg University 1-0 in the semifinals before topping DePauw University 2-0 in the championship in Greencastle, Indiana.  In Coach Brink's first season leading the Big Red in 2023, Denison finished 8-5-6 overall while winning the fifth NCAC Tournament in program history and making the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. In the NCAC Tournament Championship match, a goal by freshman midfielder Mara McGlone in the 66th minute got the scoring started and then senior forward and NCAC Tournament MVP Callie Davis added an insurance goal in the final two minutes to propel fourth-seeded Denison to a 2-0 victory at third-seeded DePauw. Davis was Denison's lone First-Team All-NCAC selection while senior midfielder Ellie Reiser was selected by the United Soccer Coaches as a 2023 NCAA Division III Women's All-Region VII Third-Team pick.

At Trinity, Coach Brink helped take the Bantams to the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) semifinals as well as the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time since 2016. Trinity went from eighth place in the NESCAC in 2021 to finishing in third place to go along with at No. 22 national ranking in 2022. Brink also recruited and coached the 2022 NESCAC Rookie of the Year in forward Elena Lindonen.

In addition to coaching at Trinity, Brink was also the Head Coach of the Girls U16 Select Team within the Connecticut Rush Soccer Club.

Prior to Trinity, Brink was the volunteer assistant at Williams College (Williamstown, Mass.) in 2018, helping the Ephs earn first place in the NESCAC regular season standings and win the NCAA Division III National Championship. During the fall of 2017, Brink was an assistant on the Buckingham, Browne & Nichols (BB&N) School girls’ soccer staff. At BB&N, Brink helped coach a team that was regular season champion of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) and made it to the NEPSAC Class “A” Championship.

Brink graduated from Williams College in 2015 with a bachelor's degree in psychology and was a four-year member of the Eph women's soccer squad. While a student-athlete at Williams, Brink played for teams that reached the NCAA Division III Elite Eight (2011), Sweet Sixteen (2013), and the NCAA Championship Finals (2014). In September of 2019, Brink was selected into the United Soccer Coaches “30 Under 30 Program”, a year-long education and mentorship opportunity for a select group of coaches who have made coaching their career of choice. She also received her Advanced National Diploma from United Soccer Coaches in April 2021. Brink holds a master's degree in speech-language pathology from Boston University's College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Brink at Denison

Year

Season at DU

Overall Record

Conference Finish/Accolades

2023

1st

8-5-6

4th NCAC

NCAC Tournament Champions

Advanced to NCAA First Round

Overall

8-5-6 (.579 pct.)

One NCAC Tournament Championship

One NCAA Division III Tournament Appearance