Sometimes a coach “makes more of an impact than you realize,” said Brylin Adams, former Neumann Knight, and current assistant coach for the women’s lacrosse team at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.
The coach she is referring to is Liz Martin, head coach of the women’s lacrosse team at Neumann University.
Martin arrived at the university in 2020 and has been a very successful leader.
Her first two seasons were cut short due to Covid, but in her first full years she led the Knights to back-to-back winning seasons and two appearances in the Atlantic East Conference semifinals.
Martin grew up in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and sports have always been a significant part of her life.
She played softball and soccer in middle school, but decided to switch her focus to lacrosse when she was in eighth grade, and she has never left the sport since.
In college, she played play at Temple University on a Division 1 scholarship, where she became a star in both soccer and lacrosse for the Owls.
She was named a First Team All-Atlantic for lacrosse in both the 2001 and 2002 seasons, while also taking home the Atlantic 10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player award in both of those seasons, as well. Her performance on the field also helped her squad secure a birth in the NCAA tournament in each of those years.
The dual-sport athlete loved playing, but when she tore her ACL in the middle of her senior year, she felt devastated, as if a part of her had left.
However, her coach allowed her to come to practice, help the squad, and she soon discovered, “coaching is my passion” said Martin.
Martin went on to have a successful career coaching lacrosse for the next 20 seasons with stops at both the high school and collegiate levels.
Before arriving at Neumann, she was the assistant and then head coach at Rutgers University-Camden, for four years, and before that she worked at Marist University, University of Delaware, and Saint Joseph’s University.
“Neumann is a great place to be,” said Martin. “I love to compete with this fantastic group of girls.”
Her players appreciate her efforts as a coach, recognizing her hard work in improving skills and creating a positive team environment.
“Liz pushes us to be better,” said senior attack Morghan Stiles. “She is our biggest cheerleader on the field, in the locker room, and in life.”
Ashley Butts agrees. “She wants us to succeed,” said the sophomore defender.
Stiles tore her ACL during her junior year, and Martin, as someone who experienced the heartbreak of having a long recovery ahead, helped her navigate through the rehabilitation process.
“She checked up on me, talked to me, and still allowed me to learn the plays,” said Stiles.
Butts went to Collinswood High School, and her coach during her freshman and sophomore year was no one other than Martin, who left to coach at Neumann that summer.
When deciding where to play lacrosse in college, she called said “it was a no brainer decision.”
Adams spent five seasons at Neumann playing lacrosse under Liz for four of them, and although she is now graduated and working as a coach over one thousand miles away, they have daily text conversations about their careers, family, and life in general.
In fact, in her fifth year, Brylin was able to play for the Knights alongside her older sister, Bryn, one last time when she transferred from Robert Morris University, and Martin will be at Bryn’s wedding later this year.
“This was part of God’s plan,” said Adams when talking about the transition from playing to coaching, “I am thankful for Neumann, but most importantly my coach.”