University of New Hampshire Athletics
Women's Lacrosse
- Title:
- Head Coach
Sarah Albrecht Meehan directed the Wildcat’s women's lacrosse program for close to a decade before she stepped down as head coach in June 2021. Albrecht led UNH to the America East semifinals six times in eight years of conference play. A 2006 Northwestern graduate, she mentored 26 all-conference selections after assuming the position in 2013.
Her impressive playing pedigree includes two collegiate national championships at Northwestern University and seven years on the U.S. women’s national senior team with two selections to the All-World Team and two gold medals during the 2009 & 2013 World Cups, has been a steady contributor in the game of women’s lacrosse. She was named to the Northwestern Hall of Fame in 2019.
“I want to thank Sarah Albrecht Meehan for her nine seasons as the UNH Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach," said Director of Athletics Martin Scarano. "Sarah’s leadership and commitment to excellence elevated this team to the next level, competing for America East Championships year in and year out. She has left a lasting legacy here at UNH and we wish her all the best.”
Albrecht Meehan stated, “I will cherish the time at UNH with all the amazing student athletes that I have had the pleasure of coaching. To be a part of their lacrosse journey and help them achieve their goals is why I loved coming into work every day. I want to thank all the players, family, friends, and alumni of the program who have supported the program and myself in my time at UNH. I also want to thank my assistant coaches that have put everything into helping our student athletes grow on and off the field. I look forward to spending more time with my family and the adventures that lie ahead.”
Albrecht was honored as America East Coach of the Year in 2019, when she led UNH to a 10-7 overall record that included 5-2 in the conference and the No. 3 seed in the conference tourney. The last time a UNH Coach won Coach of the Year was in 2004. The 2019 season was the Wildcats' best in a decade, as UNH had not reached double-digit wins since 2010, and the five conference wins marked the program's highest total since 2005. Under the tutelage of offensive coach and recruiting coordinator, Erin Rigby Chase, the 216 goals scored in 2019 was New Hampshire’s highest total since 2005. Rigby Chase also helped 6 players reach 100+ career points in her time with the Wildcats. Rigby Chase, a Fairfield standout player, started with UNH in 2015.
During the 2020 COVID season, twenty-three members of the University of New Hampshire women's lacrosse team were named to the America East Academic Honor Roll. Eighteen Wildcats earned a spot on the Commissioner's Honor Roll, while five were named to the Honor Roll. The Commissioner's Honor Roll recognition is awarded to student-athletes with a spring semester GPA of 3.50 or higher, while Honor Roll accolades are bestowed to student-athletes who recorded a spring semester GPA between 3.0-3.49.
Under Albrecht’s guidance, the program also excelled in the classroom. 19 student-athletes were recognized on the IWLCA National Academic Honor Roll from 2013-2019 and from 2015-2019 UNH was named an Academic Honor squad. The team posted a program-best 3.61 grade point average in the spring of 2020 and achieved a 3.55 GPA during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Albrecht spent five seasons as a student-athlete at Northwestern, where she served as a team captain every year. She concluded her collegiate career in 2006 with a second consecutive national championship and recorded three goals as well as four assists in the ’06 title game to earn the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Player honor. Albrecht finished her career ranked fourth all-time at Northwestern in assists (71), sixth in points (199) and seventh in goals (128). In both 2005 and 2006, she was an IWLCA All-America selection, all-tournament pick at the NCAA Championship and All-Conference First Team honoree. Albrecht was on the US Women’s National Senior Team for seven years. During that time she was one of the top scorers at the Prague Cup and the midfielder was named to the FIL All-World Team for her efforts in helping Team USA win the gold at the 2009 FIL World Cup. Albrecht recorded 14 goals and three assists in seven games. She scored the game-winning goal in the USA's first victory over Australia and scored four goals in a win over England.
Rigby Chase, a Fairfield standout player, was a four-year starter and senior captain at Fairfield University, where she graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. She helped lead the Stags to three MAAC titles and the first NCAA tournament appearance in program history. Rigby, who capped her career by competing at the IWLCA North-South All-Star game, compiled 190 points to rank second in Fairfield history; she also remains among the top five in goals, assists, draw controls and points per game. Her collegiate accolades included MAAC All-Academic Team (twice) and All-Conference First Team.
