Last Monday, following a multi-season, conference-wide side-by-side review of the Binghamton women’s soccer team, BU Director of Athletics Patrick Elliott removed coach Sarah McClellan from her post. During her 10-year career with the Bearcats, McClellan helped propel the Bearcats into academic and athletic prominence in the America East.
“I have been blessed in my 10 years on the coaching staff to have learned from and worked with exceptional colleagues and student athletes,” McClellan wrote in an email. “It’s been so rewarding to share my experience and passion with absolute top-notch professionals, athletes and alumni. I want to thank all of the players, families, alumni, coaches, support staff and administration for allowing me to be part of the Bearcat family.”
While McClellan may no longer be at the helm of the women’s soccer program next year, she is set to remain a Bearcat through the end of her term in December of 2016.
According to Elliott, McClellan will continue her career at the Student Athlete Success Center, assisting student athletes in succeeding off the field.
“[McClellan will provide] academic support and compliance in student athlete development,” Elliott said. “We have a staff of professionals in that area; she will work with that area.”
During McClellan’s tenure as head coach, BU women’s soccer developed a reputation of leading the pack academically, earning three consecutive awards from the NCAA for its impressive academic progress rate between 2011-2014. This is all in addition to the program’s 14 straight National Soccer Coaches Association of America academic awards and team GPAs of 3.15, 3.42 and 3.45 over the past three seasons.
During the 2012-2013 school year, the women’s soccer team GPA cracked the top 14 percent of all 314 collegiate women’s soccer programs in the nation, edging out the mark of every America East foe, as well as programs such as Dartmouth, Harvard and Stanford along the way. While the move is sure to bring with it a great deal of change, McClellan will seek to continue her habit of transforming student athletes into champions of the classroom.
“I don’t know all the details of my next role,” McClellan wrote. “Though I hope to serve the department within my other skill sets however needed.”