By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Sarah Lautenbach is in her third year as the head women's lacrosse coach at Willamette University. She led Willamette's new team through its first two seasons in 2019 and 2020. With National Girls & Women in Sports Day on Feb. 3, it's a great time to focus on Lautenbach's experiences as a player and a coach. Willamette's theme for NGWSD this year is "Lead Her Forward."
Throughout Lautenbach's coaching career, she has been involved with developing programs that were relatively new or needed to rebuild.
Lautenbach spent five years as an assistant women's lacrosse coach at Fresno State University (Calif.) of NCAA Division I from 2013 through 2017. She was promoted to first assistant coach in 2014. She also became the team's defensive coordinator. She helped Fresno State earn its first winning record in the spring of 2017, as the Bulldogs went 9-7. The Bulldogs began competing in women's lacrosse in 2009.
Prior to being an assistant at Fresno State, Lautenbach was the head coach of women's lacrosse for two seasons at Holy Family University (Pa.), which competes in NCAA Division II. She improved the team from 0-12 in the year prior to her arrival to a 10-7 record during her first season in 2010, as the Tigers led Division II with a +10 improvement in wins. HFU earned a berth in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament in 2010 and 2011. Lautenbach was a volunteer assistant coach at Drexel University (Pa.) of NCAA Division I for the 2012 season. Drexel qualified for the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.
Lautenbach received a Bachelor of Science degree from Old Dominion University in 2007 with a major in Criminal Justice (Pre-Law) and a minor in Sociology. While attending ODU, she was a starting midfielder on the women's lacrosse team, which competes in NCAA Division I.
"I have loved being a part of building programs," Lautenbach said. "To see the progress of the athletes and teams from all of their hard work and effort is a privileged experience. In college athletics, the challenges and struggles are real. Watching them as individuals grow, adapt, and become more confident women is amazing, and if I can contribute or help them in that process even in a tiny way, it's all worth it."
When asked about the impact of "Lead Her Forward," Lautenbach said "I believe it means to give what you got. So many of us who were lucky enough to play college athletics have been given an experience unlike any other. The value that came with it is tremendous. Someone out there paved the way for us to have that experience, and I feel passionate about creating even more opportunities for every upcoming generation.
"If we can pass along knowledge and fight for more opportunities in our sport for women, it allows our sport to grow and expand that much more," Lautenbach added. "You always want the next generation to be even better than the last. Put the stick in the hand of the girl who might not have otherwise done so, share the passion, share the belief in her. It's a pretty powerful gesture that can make a pivotal impact."
Lautenbach began her athletic career as the only girl on a boys' ice hockey team. She remained the only girl for most of her ice hockey career.
"As a kid, I competed for about 10 years as the only girl playing ice hockey on all-boys' teams," Lautenbach noted. "I always felt like I needed to prove myself and be not just as good, but better than as many boys on my team as I could. If I did poorly it was a reflection of all girls. If I struggled, then they would think all girls struggled. I definitely felt that pressure to represent women in a positive way and help them realize girls could play, too. I didn't want to be known as 'the girl.' I wanted to be known as a player who could put the puck in the back of the net."
For Lautenbach, her years competing on predominantly boys' ice hockey teams led to her developing confidence and mental strength in addition to improving her athletic skills.
"These experiences taught me how to handle pressure, failure, how to get back up, and to not care what others thought of me," Lautenbach commented. "In sports, if you are really trying to improve, you are making mistakes all the time. When you finally put something together you are proving to yourself you can achieve it and that you are capable. When you have experienced this enough, you will begin to see a real strength and confidence within yourself and that's a powerful thing to know for a girl or a young woman."
A key result of Lautenbach's years as a student-athlete is that she developed her own confidence to a level where she was willing to pass her knowledge to other student-athletes on the women's teams she's coached. She can help players gain their own confidence and learn from failure as well as learning from success. She is truly able to "Lead Her Foward."
"I've learned that so many skills are acquired and earned through playing sports," Lautenbach said. "That confidence and toughness you wish you were just born with won't come from just showing up. It comes from persevering, self-proving, and surviving challenges. In coaching, I try to create an environment where female athletes can foster these skills, while also knowing mistakes are inevitable and failure doesn't define you. I know I can't just hand someone confidence, but I am happy to lead someone to where they might find it."
As a student-athlete, Lautenbach received a significant impact from her coaches. She was able to build up her confidence and commit herself to growing into the best player she could be. Many of Lautenbach's coaches were men, especially while growing up, but several women also coached her. These women provided significant leadership for Lautenbach.
"I only had a small number of women coaches growing up, as most of them were men," Lautenbach said. "However, I was lucky enough to have a positive experience with the few that I had.
"My college coach, Sue Stahl from Old Dominion, is someone who stands out as impacting my life," Lautenbach continued. "I was a walk-on in my sophomore year after I had transferred. I had been primarily playing ice hockey at a different university prior to coming to Old Dominion. At the time, all I wanted was to be highly competitive. I didn't care what sport I was playing. However, I was raw skills-wise and behind in terms of game IQ for that level of lacrosse. Still, she gave me a spot to be on the team. I will never forget the opportunity she extended to me. I am so grateful that she dealt with me because I have no doubt I was a project. In the beginning, I didn't know what to expect, but one thing was clear, she was one of the most competitive people I had ever met and she didn't apologize for it.
"She also never made things about herself and cared about her players and who they were as people above all else," Lautenbach added about Stahl. "Both of those things I respected in a coach. To that point, all the most competitive people I knew were men. It was unique and refreshing to see a woman hate to lose and get pissed about it as much as she did. I loved it. Hands down it was my favorite thing about her and it further sparked and inspired my own competitiveness. Without the opportunity she gave me, I most certainly wouldn't be doing what I am today. It's crazy to think a coach can have that much impact on someone's life. Knowing that makes me incredibly grateful to have had the college playing experience that I did, and aware that I also have the ability to extend that same gift to others."
