BEVERLY, Mass. – Megan Martin has been named head coach of the Endicott equestrian program, as announced by Assistant Vice President, Director of Athletics Dr. Brian A. Wylie.
With the announcement of Martin's hiring, the equestrian program will now practice and compete at Turning Point Show Stables in East Kingston, New Hampshire, under the direction of owner/manager Sheryl A. MacLeod.
"We are thrilled to welcome both Coach Martin and Sheryl to the Endicott equestrian program, and knowing that they will be leading our team with the start of the new academic year in the fall. Our program has had such a rich tradition of developing and advancing our riders within the college and university equitation landscape, and I'm so happy that both Sheryl and Coach Martin look forward to not only continuing, it but advancing this tradition," said Wylie. "We are excited to see how their collective enthusiasm, experiences, and training approaches will push our already accomplished group of riders to new heights for the upcoming year."
Martin comes to Endicott with a bevy of coaching, training, and riding experience, most notably highlighted by her most recent head coaching position with the University of South Carolina Aiken equestrian program.
She has also served as a coach for the Silver Bluff Interscholastic Equestrian team (IEA) and the J&B Equestrian IEA team. In addition to coaching, Martin brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Endicott equestrian program as a manager, rider, trainer, and/or owner at a variety of high-profile barns.
Martin is a 2008 graduate of Skidmore College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Academically, Martin was a highly decorated student-athlete for the Thoroughbreds having earned Cum Laude accolades and induction into both the Periclean Honors Society and Thoroughbred Society for Athletic and Academic Honors. Along with those distinguished achievements, Martin capped her collegiate career with Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors in her senior year.
"I've been passionate about the IHSA program since joining in 2004 and believe it allows many equestrians to continue to expand their knowledge and riding technique beyond their junior years. It also generates an entirely new group of equestrians by providing competition opportunities to students who sometimes have no prior equestrian experience," said Martin. "I'm thrilled to be joining the Endicott Gulls and contributing to the tremendous success and reputation of Endicott Athletics, and am looking forward to getting to work this fall with our riders."
Meanwhile, since 2012, MacLeod and her staff have developed and trained 35-plus champions (over a variety of disciplines), four Horses of the Year, one national champion, and seven reserve champions, among numerous other accolades.
Included in the awards mentioned above is former Endicott rider Abbigale Gerrish '20 M'21 (Greenland, N.H.) who has earned four reserve champion honors under the direction of MacLeod, in addition to many other awards.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)