Sarah Fairbanks joined the Colgate coaching staff in August 2018, taking over as director of basketball operations.
Fairbanks played collegiately at St. Joseph's and was the second player in program history to combine for more than 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 100 blocked shots.
"Sarah has come HIGHLY recommended from almost everyone associated with the Big 5," Colgate head coach Bill Cleary said. "Sarah comes from a very reputable program, St. Joseph University, that we want to emulate. Sarah has all of the characteristics we were looking for and she is a great complement to the strong staff we currently have in place."
Fairbanks earned All-Big 5 Second Team honors in 2014 and 2016 and was the Big 5's Most Improved Player in 2014 and 2015. She capped her career third all-time at St. Joseph's in blocked shots (113), 10th in rebounds (636) and 19th in points (1,064).
The Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, native was then accepted into the Sports Changes Life program for 2016-17 and spent a year in Ireland earning a master's degree in business management at Dublin City University and playing for the local Superleague and college teams. Fairbanks was the Superleague Player of the Month twice and earned Ireland's 2017 Female College Basketball Player of the Year.
She earned her first coaching position and led an Irish Under 20s team to National Cup and Dublin Cup victories. Afterward, Fairbanks played professionally in Greece and was a starter for Olympiakos Volos.
"I'm very excited to work with Coach Cleary and the rest of the staff," Fairbanks said. "We vibe well and are all on the same page. This program is going in the right direction and I'm excited to see what unfolds.
"I'm so thankful for this opportunity and hope to make an impact here at Colgate.
Fairbanks was the St. Joseph's Team MVP in 2016 and a two-year team captain. She was named 2016 Big 5 Women's Basketball Scholar Athlete of the Year and earned her degree in interdisciplinary health services that same year.
In addition to basketball, Fairbanks walked on to the St. Joseph's track and field team and set the program record for the shot put and discus.
