Texas State Athletics named Sarah Brown the first head coach of the university's NCAA Division I women's gymnastics program in June 2026, marking another historic milestone as the Bobcats prepare to launch the first Division I program in the state of Texas.
A proven program builder and nationally respected leader, Brown arrived in San Marcos following nine seasons as the head coach at Penn State, where she guided the Nittany Lions to sustained success in one of the nation's premier gymnastics conferences. During her tenure, she led the Nittany Lions to multiple NCAA Regional appearances while coaching numerous NCAA Regional qualifiers, All-Americans and All-Big Ten performers. In 2024, she was named the WCGA Northeast Region Head Coach of the Year.
In 2026, Brown guided Penn State to its fourth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance and a No. 19 national ranking while producing five All-Big Ten honorees. The success followed another strong campaign in 2025, when the Nittany Lions earned their third straight NCAA Regional berth, posted an 11-7 record with an unbeaten home mark and continued to rank among the nation's top teams academically.
Brown led Penn State to one of the best seasons in program history in 2024, guiding the Nittany Lions to their first NCAA Regional Final appearance and a No. 15 national ranking. She was named WCGA Northeast Region Head Coach of the Year after leading the program to a school-record National Qualifying Score. The momentum carried over from 2023 after Penn State returned to the NCAA Regionals as a team for the first time since 2021, finished No. 25 in the national rankings and produced two NCAA Championships qualifiers.
In 2022, Brown coached four individual NCAA Regional qualifiers while Penn State remained nationally competitive on bars and floor exercise, after finishing in the top-25 of the events in 2021. Before the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the 2020 campaign, Brown led Penn State to eight dual-meet victories.
The 2019 season finished with an NCAA Regional appearance and a No. 24 national ranking, while producing two NCAA Championships qualifiers and three All-Big Ten selections.
Brown made an immediate impact in her first season in 2018, leading Penn State to an 11-8 record, an NCAA Regional appearance and three victories over nationally ranked opponents. The season featured two All-Americans, three All-Big Ten selections and the program's first perfect 10.0 on uneven bars.
Prior to Penn State, Brown served as head coach at Eastern Michigan for one season, where she revitalized the program and led the team to a Mid-American Conference regular season title, MAC Championship and an NCAA Regional appearance.
Brown spent the 2015-16 season as a volunteer assistant at Michigan, helping the program to a Big Ten championship, and was previously an assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State and the director of operations at Missouri.
A standout gymnast at Missouri, Brown was a two-time Big 12 Gymnast of the Year and four-time All-American. She graduated from Missouri with a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies before earning a master's degree in counseling psychology with an emphasis in sport psychology.
As a freshman, Brown helped Utah to a runner-up finish at the 2007 NCAA Championships, and she was also a member of the USA National Team from 2002-05.
Brown takes over one of the most unique opportunities in collegiate gymnastics, becoming the founding coach of a program announced by TXST on June 1. The program will begin recruiting immediately, before being scheduled to make its competitive debut during the 2028 season.Â
