Sara Mitchell, who helped NJIT to the second-most Division I wins in school history in 2021-22, joined the Yale women’s basketball coaching staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in the summer of 2022.
In 2022-23, Mitchell helped coach the Ivy League Co-Defensive Player of the Year (Nyla McGill) and a top 10 finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award as the best point guard in the country (Jenna Clark). The Bulldogs also had a five-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week honoree (Kiley Capstraw) and three CSC Academic All-District selections (Clark, Klara Astrom, Brenna McDonald and Haley Sabol). The season was highlighted by a 71-70 overtime win at Harvard on Jan. 7, 2023 -- the Bulldogs' first road win vs. the Crimson since 2012.
Mitchell joined the NJIT staff as an assistant coach in June 2018 and helped the Highlanders build towards a historic 2021-22 campaign. Their 15 wins were the team’s most since moving to Division I in 2006-07, and they advanced to the America East Tournament semifinals in just their second season in the league. They also set the school record for road wins with eight.
At NJIT Mitchell recruited and coached 2019-20 ASUN All-Freshman Team honoree Kenna Squier and 2020-21 America East All-Rookie Team honoree Lyzi Litwinko. Both players went on to earn third team America East All-Conference honors in 2021-22. She also coached 2019 ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year Kelly Guarino, who set the school record for free throw percentage (.862) and was second all-time at NJIT in three-point percentage (.357).
Prior to joining the NJIT staff, Mitchell served as an assistant at St. Thomas Aquinas College for two seasons. In 2017-18 she helped the Spartans to a 27-5 record, the program’s first East Coast Conference Tournament title and an NCAA Division II East Region Tournament appearance. The Spartans also won their first-ever game in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64 and had the ECC Player of the Year and ECC Defensive Player of the Year. The STAC defense ranked No. 2 and No. 4 in Division II in her two seasons there.
Mitchell started her collegiate coaching career at New York University, where she was an assistant coach from 2014 to 2016. In 2014-15, she helped the Violets to a 22-5 record and the team’s first win in the NCAA Tournament since 2009. The Violets, who began the season 15-0, were ranked as high as No. 7 in the nation in the USA Today/WBCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. In 2015-16, NYU went 19-8 overall, made its third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament (second straight with Mitchell on staff) and recorded another first-round win.
Mitchell received her master of science in sports business from NYU in May 2016. She played collegiately at King University, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in sports management with a minor in coaching in 2014.
Prior to attending King, Mitchell played one season at Globe Institute of Technology in New York. She led the National Junior College Athletic Association in scoring at 26.5 points per game and was an Academic All-America nominee.
Mitchell was born in Germany and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. She attended George Westinghouse High School, where she was valedictorian and led the PSAL in scoring.
