Sinead McSharry, born and raised in London, England, has finally made it over to St. Lawrence’s campus! She previously worked as the assistant coach and the strength and conditioning coach for the Hamilton College Women’s Soccer Team. Now, she has come into a crucial role working as the head coach for Saint Lawrence University Women’s Soccer Team; we are so lucky to have her!
McSharry explains that moving away from Clinton, New York and leaving her Hamilton family of 5 years was difficult, especially after all their hard work paid off this past season resulting in a seed in the NCAA tournament; however, she is now excited to begin a new journey here in Canton. She says, “the most difficult thing for her will definitely be not being able to see the players through to graduation and having the opportunity to work with the freshmen who were there when she started.” Although she is sad to leave, she realizes that her hard work and the family she built throughout her years at Hamilton is the reason for where she is today, and she is grateful for that.
It was during one of Canton’s infamous winter storms when McSharry made her way to campus for her first interview. She says even then it wasn’t just the lovely storm that made an impression on her, but the people and campus as well. Later in the year she finally met the team. The mix of “unique, goofy, strong-willed and driven personalities that make up the team,” make McSharry want to “be a better person and better coach every day,” so this can only result in positivity for the future. SLU’s sense of community has been helping Sinead settle in, and she says whether it was her colleagues or students on campus, everyone was there to introduce themselves, assist with any questions, and support her throughout her first couple months.
For the next season, her hopes are to continue the success of the Saints’ past season and keep the competition level as high as can be. In her words, “the Liberty League conference title is a serious contender.” Although this may be her long-term goal for the team, she includes smaller steps in order to achieve this, such as assisting the team to become more mentally and physically prepared for anything that may come their way, and simply “helping them grasp certain concepts that have been driving them bonkers!” McSharry shares that once she sees the team succeeding not only on the field but in their lives, she will know she has won as a coach.
Saint Lawrence is incredibly lucky to have a coach with such dedication, passion, and love for the game- and taking over the hard-to-replace, previous head coach Franco Bari! We wish Sinead and the lady Saints a successful Fall 2018 season. Here We Go Saints!
(Photo: St. Lawrence University Athletics website)