Penn State Head Coach Sarah Brown [center] will take over as the new head coach of the Texas State Gymnastics program. Brown coached at Penn State for eight seasons before being hired.
Daily Record photo by Colton McWilliams
After helping build up the gymnastic programs at Eastern Michigan and Penn State, Sarah Brown will now take on her ultimate challenge yet.
Starting up the first Division I program in Texas at Texas State.
“We’ve talked so much about how this is a historic moment for Texas State University and for women’s gymnastics at the highest level,” Brown said. “For me, I don’t have the words yet. To be at the very beginning of a program, to be able to build it from the ground up, to be able to have a vision and then have support like this behind me to make it happen, it just feels surreal. I’m so honored and I really don’t think it’s even hit yet.”
Following nine seasons as the Head Coach at Penn State, Brown left the Nittany Lion program to become the new head coach at Texas State who looks to start competition in 2028.
“We are thrilled to welcome Sarah to Texas State as we begin this historic journey,” Texas State Director of Athletics Don Coryell said. “As we searched for the right person to build our gymnastics program from the ground up, Sarah’s vision, leadership and commitment to developing student-athletes stood out immediately. She has demonstrated the ability to elevate programs, recruit at the highest level and create a culture centered on excellence.
“We are excited for her to lead the first Division I gymnastics program in Texas and establish a foundation that will make Bobcat gymnastics a source of pride for our university and our state.”
Brown’s first head coaching job came at Eastern Michigan where she led the Eagles to both the MAC regular season and conference championships in 2017 before being hired at Penn State.
At Penn State, Brown led the Nittany Lions to four consecutive regional appearances, including a regional final appearance in 2024, a first in program history.
In eight seasons, the Nittany Lions made seven regional appearances.
Now starting from scratch at Texas State, her ability to build up her program’s along with the support from both Coryell and Texas State President Kelly Damphousse was one of the reasons Brown took the chance at starting up the Bobcats Gymnastics program.
“I’ve been building programs as part of my culture for at least the last decade and just every single year trying to tweak it for the student athletes to make it just a little bit better than the previous year,” Brown said. “I’ve learned a lot at Penn State and at Eastern Michigan.I feel like I have the right amount of passion and energy to get this off the ground.
“But I also have 10 years as a head coach to understand what a program needs from a foundation perspective and a support perspective. So when I came down here, I started hearing Dr. Damphousse’s support, Don Coryell’s vision, I just knew right away that with their energy and passion, we could get this thing off the ground.”
Now starting from the ground up, Brown is focused on just establishing two goals.
“The first thing we have to do is we need to get the foundation here at Texas State up and running,” Brown said. “So that includes the gym and that’s the biggest part. We know right now we have the support staff here. We have the energy and the funding here to get that off the ground.
“Then we have to bring in the student athletes. For me, that foundation comes from building relationships with them, making sure they know that I care about them, both in and outside of the gym, setting up for an academic future that’s going to get them the career that they’re interested in.
“Then just pouring into them every single day, staying positive, working through the hard, and then hopefully coming out on the other side better for it.”
Despite the challenges her and the future staff will face, Brown is confident that Texas State will succeed in creating a successful gymnastics program.
“It is the reason why I know that we can get this off the ground,” Brown said. “I think without the support from Dr. Damphousse, without the funding that we’ve been able to build, Don Coryell, there’s just no way that this program gets off the ground.
“Anybody can say they want to build it, but to actually roll up your sleeves, get the work done, provide the funding and create the energy around it. That’s the way you start to make things happen. I can feel that from day zero.”
Another factor that will help Texas State during the process of building the gymnastics program is the fact the state of Texas is a hotbed for gymnastics talent.
It is estimated that more than 100 Division I gymnasts hail from the state despite Texas not having a Division I program.
Being in a prime spot for recruitment, Brown went over her plan to recruit gymnasts to Texas State.
“It’s really important that we narrow down, obviously, not only the gyms in Texas, but we’re able to showcase what we can compete with nationwide,” Brown said. ”I’ve talked to the administration here as well. We certainly want to field a team full of athletes that come from the state of Texas and give them that opportunity.
“But we also know it’s gonna be really competitive because as soon as we’re able to show the world what we have here at Texas State, people from all over the country are going to want to come here, and it’s gonna be a really exciting recruiting journey for me.”
As the focus shifts towards building just the foundation, Brown’s ultimate vision for the program is not only being competitive but also creating an environment where gymnastics can thrive at Texas State.
“I want to win championships,” Brown said. “I want to win as much as everybody else does, and I know that’s what most athletes want to do too. Joining the Pac-12 is going to be huge for us. It’s going to put us on a national stage, competitive with everybody in the country. From there, we’re going to build an athlete environment that fully supports our student athletes, but also a crowd and fan experience that people can’t wait to be a part of.
So I’m both excited to build the program, but to offer an opportunity for our fans to come, fill the arena, be excited about gymnastics, and continue to fuel younger athletes that are in the sport and in the state to keep coming up. Hopefully someday we’re going to be offering camps, clinics and selling merchandise. It’s gonna be the whole shebang.”