Sarah Tompkins is entering her first season as an assistant coach with the Quinnipiac women's soccer team in 2018.  Tompkins joins the Bobcats after a successful two-year stint as an assistant coach at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. In her first season in 2016, she helped the Redbirds win the Missouri Valley Conference regular season and postseason titles, and reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament following a win over Michigan. After capturing the league title, Tompkins was honored as part of the 2016 MVC Coaching Staff of the Year. She worked directly with goalkeeper Haley Smith, helping her earn a spot on the MVC All-Freshman Team in 2016, and then earn the MVC Player of the Week three times last fall.  "I was impressed with Sarah when we first spoke on the phone and then again when we met in person," said Clarke. "She is a progressive coach and has a great attitude towards coaching and what she can do to help the team and the players. She is a good addition to the program and I look forward to having her as part of my staff." Prior to taking on the assistant coaching position at Illinois State, Tompkins served for two years as a graduate assistant at Carson-Newman University. During her time with the Eagles, she helped the squad reach the NCAA Division II Sweet 16 in 2015, after a dramatic 16-win improvement from the 2014 campaign, ranking as one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in NCAA history.  In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Tompkins has also worked for the past year as the director of the goalkeeping academy for the Illinois Fire Juniors Soccer Club. In 2016, she served as the girls head coach for the Illinois Fusion Soccer Club.  As a collegiate athlete, Tompkins played her first two seasons at Carson-Newman, where her 125 saves in a single season placed her third all-time in program history. After transferring to the University of Tennessee at Martin, Tompkins was a part of back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference championship teams, including one that reached the NCAA Tournament her junior year.  Originally from Franklin, Wisconsin, Tompkins earned a degree in psychology from UT-Martin before moving on to get a master's in education at Carson-Newman with an emphasis on leadership.  She holds NSCAA Goalkeeping Level 1, 2, and 3 diplomas, along with USSF D and E Licenses.