Coaching with Confidence: Regan Sammons ’23
Regan Sammons graduated from Arcadia University in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in sport management. After graduating, she was hired as the full-time assistant field hockey coach, where she contributed to the success of the program both athletically and academically, including Arcadia’s most successful season in program history this past fall; the team won the regular season title and advanced to the playoff championship game which was hosted at Arcadia for the first time in our program’s history. Now, she enters her first season as the head coach of the Arcadia field hockey team for fall 2025 and is an honorary 40 Under 40 alumna feature. You can read more about Regan Sammons ’23 below.
What are you most passionate about?
I am most passionate about giving back to Arcadia, and providing student-athletes with the same, if not a better experience than what I got out of my time at Arcadia. I want to share my love for the campus, the academics and athletics at Arcadia and make it evident in the work that I do. It’s a place that I am proud to have attended and blossomed at as a student and even more proud to be representing as a staff member and coach.
What are you responsible for in your working role?
I am currently responsible for first, recruiting student-athletes to our campus, second coaching them to be competitive and driven athletes on the field hockey turf, and third, to be great humans and members of society on campus and in the community. I feel that it is my responsibility to teach and grow these student-athletes as well rounded people who are equipped to move on into the real world and be great coworkers, friends and leaders in whatever path they take past college.
What is something you are most proud of accomplishing?
I am most proud of what I consider my most recent success and that is being named Head Coach of the field hockey team just two years after graduating from this very University. I cannot shy away from the thought that my time as a student-athlete very much prepared me to be in this role and have the confidence to do so at such a young age. The experiences and knowledge that I gained in my first two years working here as an assistant coach were so valuable and helped prove to myself that coaching was a passion of mine and becoming a head coach was very much doable, and even more rewarding that it is at my alma mater!
Detail a challenge that you worked hard to overcome.
This is an easy answer for me- I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the age of 3 and have lived every single day with the chronic illness from that point on. To say it has been a challenge is an understatement, but it has developed me into the driven, hardworking and determined person I am today and for that I am thankful. It isn’t easy balancing day-to-day life, managing a full-time job and the added challenge of a chronic illness, and I wouldn’t consider it to be “overcome”, but I have learned to live in the moment and to embrace it as part of who I am and why I am the way I am today.
Describe the legacy you hope to leave.
I hope to show young female athletes that you CAN do hard things, like play a sport in college with a chronic illness, you CAN pursue your passion after college even if people doubt you, and that you CAN absolutely do anything you put your mind to, no matter your age, your experience and your skill!
Describe any awards and honors you have received for your career or community work.
Our program received the “Presidents Cup” award from our athletic department this academic year for our outstanding efforts and success when it comes to athletics, academic standing and community service. We earned a top 5 spot in all of Division 3 NCAA field hockey for our team GPA. We earned an academic team award from NFHCA, a field hockey coaches association.
