Women's Gymnastics
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Phone:
- 401-559-3334
- Email:
- sara_carver-milne@brown.edu
- Joined Brown:
- Overall: 2002-2022; Head Coach: 2003-2022
- Alma Mater:
- Alaska-Anchorage '97
Sara Carver-Milne spent 20 seasons as the head coach of Brown women’s gymnastics from 2003-2022. In total, she spent 21 seasons on College Hill, including serving as an assistant coach for the 2002 season. She was the third head coach in program history, leading the Bears to 213 victories while coaching some of the best gymnasts and overseeing the best performances in program history.
During her tenure, her gymnasts earned 64 qualifying bids to USAG Nationals. Brown qualified as a team for the USAG Nationals on seven occasions, reaching the team finals in 2013, 2016, and 2022. Carver-Milne's tenure also saw Brown capture the 2013, 2014 and 2016 Ivy Classic titles, as well as two ECAC Coach of the Year honors. Carver-Milne coached numerous ECAC individual champions and USAG All-Americans, including two USAG national champions in Mei Li Costa (2019 - bars) and Diana Walters (2014 - all-around). She also coached 14 gymnasts at Brown who qualified for NCAA Regionals, including nationals qualifier and future U.S. Olympian and silver medalist Alicia Sacramone in 2007.
Carver-Milne’s student-athletes were also regularly recognized for academic success. In 2020, both Emma Hansen ’21 and Sophia Petrillo ’22 earned ECAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. In 2018, Anya Barca-Hall ’18 captured ECAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades, and Hansen claimed the same award in 2019. In 2017, 16 of Brown’s 18 student-athletes earned ECAC All-Academic accolades. In 2016, 14 Bears earned ECAC All-Academic honors and Stephanie Choo ’16 won an ECAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award. In 2015, the Bears placed 13 performers on the ECAC All-Academic Team while Walters earned an RIAIAW Distinguished Student-Athlete of the Year award. In 2014, Michelle Shnayder ’14 was selected to the Capital One Academic All-America team and was named an ECAC Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year with teammate Rebecca Freedman ’14. Brown gymnastics regularly ranked in the Top 10 nationally in academic standing.
In her final season at the helm in 2022, Carver-Milne helped Brown to its third-ever appearance in the team finals at the USAG Collegiate National Championships, while putting up its highest National Qualifying Score (NQS) in program history at 193.695. The team also posted four of the five highest scores in program history, including a new school record 195.975 to take runner-up at the inaugural GEC Championships. Brown also set new school records for scores on vault, bars and floor during the season.
The 2022 team also saw three different Bears combine for four All-Ivy honors, including Mei Li Costa defending her Ivy title on bars, eight all-conference performers at the inaugural GEC Championships, and Costa qualifying for NCAA Regionals on bars for the second time in her career.
Upon her arrival to College Hill, Carver-Milne made an immediate impact on her squad as she began to improve the team’s overall performance in every event. In 2003, she led Jayne Finst ’04 and Gina Verge ’04 to NCAA Regional all-around competition, and in 2004, led Finst to Regional competition.
She helped guide Finst to 2003 and 2004 ECAC Gymnast of the Year honors, and the 2004 Brown Athlete of the Year. Her squad finished 15-9 that season, and Carver-Milne was named the ECAC Coach of the Year.
Carver-Milne coached 2008 Olympic silver medalist Alicia Sacramone for one season before Sacramone turned pro in 2007. In that year, Sacramone was named the ECAC Rookie of the Year and set school records on the vault, floor, and also in the all-around. She was also the first gymnast in history to finish first on every event and win the all-around at the Ivy Classic while also setting a new Ivy Classic record in the all-around and tied the record on the vault. She was the Northeast Regional Floor Champion, and qualified to NCAA Nationals.
The Bears had an outstanding 2009 campaign, earning a spectacular second-place finish at the Ivy Classic, its best team-finish since 2002. Brown tallied its highest team score since the 2004 season, combining for a 189.575.
During the 2011 season, Chelsey Binkley ’11 garnered ECAC Scholar Athlete of the Year while an impressive 14 student-athletes were selected to the ECAC All-Academic team. Brown's squad also ranked sixth nationally in team grade point average in the NACGC/W 2011 Academic Rankings, while eight Brown gymnasts were honored as NACGC/W Academic All-Americans. In 2009, Jennifer Sobuta ’09 was named the ECAC Scholar Athlete of the Year, as 10 athletes were named to the ECAC All-Academic team.
Carver-Milne led Brown to a 2013 Ivy Classic title, which marked the program's first league crown since 1990. The Bears made it to the USAG Collegiate Nationals Team Finals under her watch, and she helped guide Julia Meyer ’13 and Emily Lutfey ’13 to All-American honors, as Meyer was recognized on the beam and Lutfey was recognized on the vault and floor.
The 2014 season marked the most successful year in Brown gymnastics history, during which Carver-Milne guided the Bears to a second-straight Ivy Classic Championship and the program's first-ever ECAC Championship. Brown hosted USA Gymnastics Collegiate Nationals and saw five gymnasts earn a total of nine All-American honors, including an All-Around Championship for Walters. Under Carver-Milne's watch, three Bears captured individual bids to the NCAA University Park Regional Championships while Morant was named ECAC Rookie of the Year.
In 2015, Carver-Milne led the Bears to a regional qualifying score of 193.650 during the regular season. Carver-Milne guided Brown to an appearance in the USAG Collegiate National Championships for the third straight year and for the third time in program history. She mentored four USAG First Team All-Americans in Regan Butchness ’18, Mitchell, Caroline Morant ’17, and Diana Walters ’16 and two NCAA Regional qualifiers in Mitchell and Walters.
Carver-Milne guided Brown to a then-program and Ivy record team score of 195.175 in 2016 as the Bears qualified for team finals at the USAG Collegiate National Championships for the second time in school history. The Bears notched a 22-12-2 record, posting the most wins during Carver-Milne’s tenure. Jorden Mitchell ’17 won her second straight Ivy Classic all-around title while six members of the team gained USAG All-America accolades.
During the 2017 and 2018 seasons, the Bears placed third at the ECAC Championship in back-to-back years and gained a spot as a team in the USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championships for the fifth and sixth straight seasons. Caroline Morant ’17 earned 2017 ECAC Gymnast of the Year accolades and qualified for the NCAA Regionals.
In 2019, Carver-Milne led the Bears to total six USAG All-America awards, seven All-Ivy Classic awards, and six regular season All-ECAC awards. She mentored Mei Li Costa ’22 who qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships on bars, won the bars title at the USAG National Championships, and captured the vault title at the Ivy Classic.
In 2020, Carver-Milne’s gymnasts totaled nine All-Ivy Classic awards and six All-ECAC accolades alongside two ECAC Scholar-Athletes of the Year, one USAG All-American, six ECAC All-Academic Team selections, and 10 USAG Scholar-Athlete honorees. Brown’s 2021 competitive season was canceled due to COVID-19.
Carver-Milne also played an active role in multiple communities – on campus, in the region, and within the sport. Among the initiatives in which she was involved, Carver-Milne served on the Collegiate Gymnastics Growth Initiative committee, Brown’s NIL Working Group, and as a volunteer for Athletes' Voices. In addition, Carver-Milne volunteered at the American Heart Association.
Prior to starting at Brown, Carver-Milne was a gymnast for 18 years and coached both an Elite-level private club gymnastics team in Texas and a high school girls' team. A 1997 graduate of Alaska-Anchorage, Carver-Milne was an NCAA gymnast and national competitor. She earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Public Communications.
During her tenure at Brown, Carver-Milne resided in Providence with her husband, Stew, and their sons, Aiden and Camden. She left Brown in June 2022 to assume the role of Associate Head Coach at Auburn University.
| Carver-Milne's Record at Brown | |
| Year | Record |
| 2002-03 | 12-14 |
| 2003-04 | 14-10 |
| 2004-05 | 3-23 |
| 2005-06 | 10-15 |
| 2006-07 | 8-20 |
| 2007-08 | 10-21 |
| 2008-09 | 8-15 |
| 2009-10 | 6-16 |
| 2010-11 | 5-20 |
| 2011-12 | 7-17 |
| 2012-13 | 14-24 |
| 2013-14 | 20-10-1 |
| 2014-15 | 17-15 |
| 2015-16 | 22-12-2 |
| 2016-17 | 15-21-1 |
| 2017-18 | 8-26 |
| 2018-19 | 7-21 |
| 2019-20 | 8-15-1 |
| 2020-21 | N/A |
| 2021-22 | 19-20 |
| Totals | 213-335-5 |
