Bio

Sam Herman enters her second season as head coach of the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) women's lacrosse program in 2027 after being named the program's 10th head coach in July 2025. In her first season at the helm, Herman guided the Blue Jays to a 10-8 overall record, guiding the team back to the postseason as the sixth overall seed. Herman coached the first All-American in program history, as Alana Picard earned USA Lacrosse All-America Honorable Mention recognition. Herman also guided three Blue Jays to All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) selections during her debut season.

Prior to joining USJ, Herman spent three years as program director and head coach of the girls' lacrosse program at Indian Hill High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. She oversaw all aspects of the program from the middle school through varsity levels, directed staff development, and coached student-athletes across every age group. During her tenure, the Braves captured two regional championships, while three student-athletes earned USA Lacrosse All-America honors. In recognition of her success, Herman was named the 2025 Ohio High School Girls Lacrosse Coaches Association (OHSGLCA) All-Region Co-Coach of the Year and was twice selected as the Cincinnati Enquirer Coach of the Year.

Alongside her duties at Indian Hill, Herman served as the Ohio Girls Regional Director for True Lacrosse Club. In that role, she managed player recruitment, coordinated travel and logistics, hired and supervised coaching staff, and directed marketing initiatives, clinics, and practice planning.

Before her time at Indian Hill, Herman joined the staff at Division I Xavier University as a volunteer assistant coach in August 2021. She helped build the Musketeers' program from the ground up after the university announced the addition of women's lacrosse, assisting with recruiting, player evaluations, film breakdown, practice planning, and game preparation leading into the program's inaugural 2023 season.

Herman began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at Division I University of Hartford in 2019. Serving as the Hawks' lead recruiter, she also coordinated scouting reports and implemented offensive and defensive game plans. During the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Hartford improved its draw control percentage by 10 percentage points, winning 47.3 percent of its draws.

A standout student-athlete at Division I High Point University, Herman enjoyed one of the most decorated careers in program history from 2016-19. She ranks second in school history in both career (228) and single-season (79) draw controls, fourth in career ground balls (133), and fourth in caused turnovers (92). Herman totaled 107 career points on 91 goals and 16 assists while helping lead the Panthers to three consecutive Big South Conference Championships from 2017-19.

A three-time All-Big South First Team selection, Herman was twice named to the Big South All-Tournament Team and earned Tournament Most Valuable Player honors in 2018. She was later selected to the Big South All-Decade Team in 2020, served as a team captain during her senior season, and concluded her collegiate career by competing in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Senior All-Star Game.

In addition to her collegiate experience, Herman has coached with Elite Lacrosse Club, Panther Lacrosse Club, and Top of the Bay Lacrosse, serving as both a coach and camp director while helping develop youth and high school players.

Herman earned her bachelor's degree in exercise science from High Point University in 2019.