For Montclair High School’s Sabrina Martin Temple fits her lacrosse, academic needs
When Montclair High School graduate Sabrina Martin was looking this year for a college to bring her lacrosse sticks to, she had a plan in place.
Martin’s list of what colleges she wanted to go to included those in a city setting as well as those with a competitive team.
The result for the All Super Essex Conference first-team lacrosse player was a choice not far south, Temple University in Philadelphia.
"I was definitely looking for a big school, preferably in the city," Martin said. "A huge factor was also a competitive lacrosse program, and Temple checks all those boxes."
In addition, she wanted her family to come see her lock heads with the best of the best of the American Athletic Conference in lacrosse.
"I didn’t want to go very far because it is important for me to be close to my family, and so they can come see some games," said Martin, who joins a Temple team that had the second-best record in the American Athletic Conference in the spring.
Temple's women's lacrosse program has more than 500 victories; only five other NCAA Division I schools have more in the history of the sport.
Martin comes off a senior season where she was named to the All Super Essex Conference American first team and the All Stars and Stripes North second team.
Temple gets the whole package in Martin, from athletic ability to leadership, Montclair girls lacrosse head coach Kimberly Kolodny said.
"Sabrina is a natural-born athlete and leader," Kolodny said. "There's not a player like her. She competes in every practice and game. She assured us that she'd do anything and everything for our program and for the game of lacrosse. She makes her coaches and teammates better because of who she is as a player and person."
Her senior season was also her best offensive season, as she scored 23 goals. Martin had only a few goals in her junior year; in her sophomore year COVID forced cancellation of all high school sports.
She said her best moment during her years for the Mounties came in a heartbreaking loss, to West Essex in the Essex County Tournament title game on May 10. It was the first county final for the Mounties in seven years.
Despite the loss, she enjoyed the atmosphere of a championship contest.
"It was such a competitive game, with an environment that I had never experienced before," said Martin, who had a goal in the final. "Having so many people come to support us was a really great feeling. Although it didn't end with a win, it was still an amazing experience."
For the season offensively, Martin had a trio of games where she scored three goals in each match. She registered a hat trick in the 15-14 win over Caldwell on April 16, 13-5 triumph over Glen Ridge on April 23 and 13-7 victory at Immaculate Heart on April 28.
The win over Glen Ridge was one of the matches to cherish for Montclair this past season, as they’d lost to their rival, 11-9, in 2021.
This summer Martin is working out and getting ready for a fall season that includes daily practices.
"I have been following the Temple lacrosse workout plan that involves conditioning and lifting," she said. "This is preparing us so that we're in shape once we get to school."