After an excellent career as a dual-sport student-athlete for the Bulldogs, Sam Keary returned to the University of Redlands in August of 2016 to begin her duties as the graduate assistant for the women’s lacrosse program. Upon completing her Master of Educational Administration, she remained on staff as the first-ever, full-time assistant coach for the women's lacrosse team.  In order to pursue opportunities in teaching at a local elementary school, Keary moved into a part-time role in November 2019.

Previously, Keary had served as the team's defensive coordinator, spearheaded the recruiting efforts, and managed the team's academic success program and their social media accounts. Outside of coaching, Keary brings a team-first mentality to every aspect of the athletic department.  In November 2017, Keary was recognized as the 2017 IWLCA  Assistant Coach of the Year.

A Southern California native, Keary was born in Laguna Hills, grew up in Mission Viejo, and now resides in Redlands. She attended the U of R from 2012 to 2016 and graduated with a degree in Psychology while also obtaining her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential.

As a student-athlete, Keary was a key contributor to the women’s soccer and lacrosse programs as a four-year starter.

For soccer, she became a three-time member of the All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) First Team while also earning All-West Region honors on two occasions.  In 2015, Keary helped lead the Bulldogs to the program’s fifth SCIAC Championship and the first since 2008.  In 2014, she was part of the team that earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships with an impressive run through the SCIAC Postseason Tournament.

In lacrosse, Keary’s success was similar, as Redlands captured a pair of conference titles during her tenure.  In addition, the Bulldogs advanced to the third round of the 2014 NCAA Championships, resulting in the best postseason showing in program history. Individually, she collected back-to-back First-Team All-SCIAC awards and a pair of All-Region awards to finish out her career.

Not only was Keary an exemplary athlete but she was an impressive student as well.  This four-time Redlands Scholar-Athlete also landed on the SCIAC All-Academic Team for soccer and lacrosse.  A repeat Dean’s List member, she earned a spot on the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll as a senior. Due to her contributions on the field and successes in the classroom, it came as no surprise that Keary was named the Frank Serrao Senior Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the University of Redlands upon conclusion of her illustrious career.

Prior to joining the Maroon and Gray staff, Keary worked as the Girls’ Director for Silverfin’s summer lacrosse camps.  Her past job experiences provide great insight and application to the Bulldog women’s lacrosse team. In the future, Keary looks forward to teaching young students while also coaching lacrosse or soccer at a competitive level.

In her free time, Keary enjoys photography, sports of all kinds, hiking, and snowboarding.