Max Dolinh, Sports Editor —

For the first time in 26 years, Denison Women’s Soccer will have a new head coach. Sarah Brink, who has spent the past four years as an assistant coach at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., was recently named the sixth head coach in the team’s history, succeeding Gail Murphy. 

Murphy, who led the Big Red to 15 NCAA Division III Tournament appearances since arriving in 1997, capped off her highly decorated career in 2022, stepping away from the program to focus on her responsibilities as a faculty member of Denison’s Health, Exercise, and Sports Studies and Physical Education departments.

Brink graduated from Williams College in 2015 after having played on their women’s soccer team for four years as a midfielder. 

She initially pursued a career in speech-language pathology and received a Masters degree in the discipline from Boston University. 

Despite now opting for a different career path, she still values her extensive time in the profession as the less physically fortunate individuals she often aided gave her “a different level of appreciation” for her current line of work that is so dependent on fitness. 

“I’m grateful for that experience even though it’s something I don’t do anymore, because it has made me a better coach to just enjoy the smaller moments,” Brink said.

In 2018, she returned to Williams as a volunteer assistant for their women’s team, a year in which the Ephs captured the NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship. 

“That year reminded me why I really like coaching, the national championship didn’t hurt, but you obviously don’t get that opportunity very often so you have to love [coaching] without winning a national championship, and I do,” Brink said.

She subsequently took a full-time assistant job at Trinity in 2019, where she has remained until now. This past year, she was part of a staff for a team that was ranked No. 22 nationally and reached the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. 

Denison will be her first head coaching job at the collegiate level, though she acted in an interim role for four months during her tenure at Trinity while their head coach was on maternity leave. 

“As an assistant coach you always wonder can I handle it? Can I also be a good head coach?—that experience specifically flipped a switch in me that [said] ‘Yeah, I feel ready for this’,” Brink said.  

Asked about what attracted her to Granville, she discussed how her campus visit solidified the belief that Denison was the right place to take the next step in her career. 

“I was totally blown away by everyone I met. The facilities are amazing, the campus is amazing, it all just kind of clicked.” 

As for her tactical outlook for the Big Red, Brink’s philosophy centers around playing to the strengths of her players and being open to strategic changes, an idea which she understands will require a level of flexibility from the squad on a game-to-game and yearly basis.

“Of course I would love to be a team that is keeping the ball on the ground, making good combinations up the field. But if you have to play direct sometimes and over-the-top because that’s what the defense is giving you, then I’m okay to do that. At the end of the day we’re trying to win a soccer game, and sometimes that’s going to look different in what’s going to work.”

Building a cohesive group that can comfortably adapt to varying game situations relies just as much on chemistry than it does strategy, which is why Brink likewise has a vision for the interpersonal nature of the team.

In particular, she intends to put an emphasis on strong connections across class years. “It’s important to me that, as a team, there is no hierarchy structure—We’re one team and we do everything together. First-years don’t have to earn their spot or earn respect, they are respected as soon as they come in,” she said.

If there’s one thing that Brink wants to resonate within the athletes while she’s at the helm of the Big Red, it’s that the time spent with each other is “the best part of your day.” 

She hopes to instill the mentality of constantly living in the present rather than worrying about individual success. 

“The mindset of enjoying the moment is really powerful and can take away that stress of ‘Am I going to play well?’. Just focus on trying to compete…do what we can to put ourselves in a good position to win, and the rest takes care of itself,” Brink said.

Brink recognizes the significant challenge that will come with familiarizing herself with the roster and the role of head coach, but it’s one which she embraces especially given how excited she is about the opportunity for meaningful connection on The Hill. 

Although she may lack experience in comparison to some of her collegiate head coaching counterparts, it’s clear that she possesses an abundance of the necessary ambition for the job. 

And for an eager Big Red side coming off their first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance since 2016, Brink is determined to take them to further heights. 

She enthusiastically took this position not just due to the holistic approach that encompasses Denison Athletics, but also because she believes in the team’s potential for perennial success. “It’s a program that can continue to win.”