Sarah Elleman recently completed her sixth season as head coach of the Utica College field hockey program after spending two and a half years as the top assistant for the Earlham College field hockey team. She is responsible for all facets of the UC field hockey team.
Elleman is currently 77-41 overall (.653 career winning %) including a 31-10 mark in the competitive Empire 8 Conference after six complete seasons at the helm. She has guided the Pioneers to three straight Empire 8 Tournament Championships as well as three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. 25 of her student-athletes have earned All-Conference honors and she has coached the Empire 8 Players of the Year (Louise Steele-Norton, 2012 and Hannah Mackey, 2014), the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year (Hannah Mackey, 2011), three All-Americans, and Elleman was named the Conference’s
Coach of the Year in 2011 and 2014.
In 2014, Elleman led the Pioneers to a school record 18 wins. The 2014 squad also set new single season record for points (231), goals (92), and goals per game (4.38). The Pioneers became just the second team in Empire 8 history to win back-to-back-to-back Championships. UC also earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament and hosted a first round game for the third year in a row. Five players were named to the Empire 8 All-Conference teams and Elleman and her staff were named the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. Four players picked up NFHCA North Atlantic All-Region honors, and senior Hannah Mackey was named the North Atlantic Region Player of the Year. Elleman also guided seniors Hannah Mackey and Alaina Stojkovski to Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III All-American accolades, marking the first time that two Pioneers earned the distinction in the same season.
Elleman’s squad also excelled in the classroom as UC earned National Academic Team honors for the eighth straight year. 12 Pioneers were also named to the Gladiator SGI/NFHCA Division III National Academic Squad after collecting a cumulative GPA of 3.30, and two players earned a GPA of 3.90 or higher.
In 2013, Elleman wrapped up the best season in program-history with an overall record of 17-5. She also went on to win her second straight Empire 8 Conference Championship, after beating No. 4 seed St. John Fisher 5-2 at Stevens Institute of Technology. The Pioneers received their second straight automatic NCAA Tournament berth. UC won its NCAA first round game at Gaetano Stadium against Castleton State (14-6) and advanced on to the “Sweet 16” for the second year in a row, but lost to Middlebury College. UC also set new program records for points (205), goals (77), and assists (49) in a single season. Under the guidance of Elleman, six UC players were named to Empire 8 All-Conference teams; and four players were named to the NFHCA North Atlantic All-Region team, for the second year in a row. She also helped goalie Kells Casey earn ECAC Mid-Atlantic All-Star First Team status. She guided junior Hannah Mackey to an impressive campaign which concluded with a Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III All-American Third Team selection. Mackey was also named the Empire 8 Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
In 2012, Coach Elleman continued to develop her impressive coaching resume as she guided her squad to the Empire 8 crown and hosting rights of a first-round NCAA game at Charles A. Gaetano Stadium for the first time in program-history. The Pioneers went on to the “Sweet 16” only to lose to DePauw in overtime, 3-2. She guided sophomore Louise Steele-Norton’s impressive campaign which concluded with First-Team All-American, Empire 8 Player of the Year and North Atlantic Region Player of the Year recognition. She led five student-athletes to E8 All-Conference accolades and four to NFHCA North Atlantic All-Region Team honors. She guided the Pioneers to one of their best seasons to date as they wrapped up the year with a 15-6 overall ledger. Elleman and the Pioneers concluded their record campaign with the program’s first international trip as they journeyed to Barcelona, Spain in May of 2013.
Elleman’s 2012 squad was one of the record-setting 16 teams that had a combined 3.0 grade point average or better, and two members of the field hockey team were honored with the Empire 8 President’s List distinction (3.75 GPA or better)
In 2011, she became the third coach in program-history to earn the conference's top coaching honor as she was named Empire 8 Conference Coach of the Year. Elleman guided Utica to the Empire 8 Conference regular season title and the right to host the conference tournament for the first time in program-history. She engineered the Pioneers to 11 wins overall, ranking fourth on the school's all-time list for wins in a single-season, and also posted a program-best 6-1 record in the competitive E8. She led eight of her players to All-Conference Teams including freshman stand-out Hannah Mackey to the program’s third Rookie of the Year award. Coach Elleman’s squad also earned the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III National Academic Team Award along with 11 student-athlete individual academic achievements.
In 2010, Elleman led UC to an 8-10 overall record including an Empire 8 Conference Tournament berth. The appearance was the program's first since the tournament’s inception in 2007. The Pioneers earned the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament but lost, 3-2, against second seeded Washington & Jefferson in the semifinals. Five players were named to the all-conference team under her tutelage. She helped Avion Ashton to NFHCA Division III All North Atlantic Region Team recognition for two consecutive years.
Elleman has also worked as a coach and camp counselor at numerous field hockey summer camps for the past seven years.
While at Earlham College she planned and ran all aspects of the field hockey program and was also the strength and conditioning coach. Elleman, also in charge of the defense, surrendered an average of 2.87 goals per contest in 32 total games.
Elleman graduated Summa cum Laude from Drew University in 2005 and received specialized honors in sociology. She was a two-sport athlete (field hockey and lacrosse) at Drew University and as a member of the field hockey team she received All-Conference honors for three seasons. As a captain in her senior campaign she scored seven goals and guided the Rangers to an appearance in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament where they eventually lost to top-seeded Salisbury College. Drew wrapped up its 2004 season with a 14-8 overall record. She helped the Rangers to three consecutive Freedom Conference Field Hockey Championships and 41 victories in three seasons. She started in all 63 games at Drew while collecting 12 goals and two assists.
After receiving her undergraduate degree, Elleman went on to pursue her master’s at the University of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Education. She graduated in 2006 with a concentration in Athletes and Academic Achievement. She was also a volunteer field hockey coach and head varsity lacrosse coach at Berkeley High School, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a 9-11 overall record.
She is originally from Glassboro, NJ and has her USA Field Hockey Level II Coaches Accreditation. Elleman, formerly Bergmann, resides in Utica with her husband Mike and son Levi.
