Charlotte, NC – Charlotte 49ers women’s soccer coach John Cullen announced the hiring of former Pfeiffer Head Coach and 49ers women’s soccer standout Sarah Judy Denton as an assistant coach. Denton joins second-year assistant coach Heather Dittmer on the 49ers coaching staff.

“I’m delighted to bring on Sarah Denton as an assistant coach,” Cullen said.  “Sarah is exceptionally passionate about the game of soccer and Charlotte. Our current players will love working with her and our prospective student-athletes will be very impressed by her knowledge and love of Charlotte. She brings all the attributes you look for in a coach, vibrant, passionate, great coaching experience and playing background. Her teams have always been successful and well prepared. Sarah demonstrates a quality that I value very highly, always being there for her players. I’m truly excited she has become a part of our coaching staff.”

Denton has spent the past three seasons as head coach at Pfeiffer University. She guided Pfeiffer to a 40-21-4 during her three-year tenure. In 2008, she led Pfeiffer to a Conference Carolinas’ Tournament Championship and the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. She was named Conference Carolinas’ Coach of the Year after guiding Pfeiffer to 10 wins in 2007.

For the past year, she has also been a member of the Region III ODP coaching staff as well as an assistant coach for the ‘93 and ‘95 Girls North Carolina ODP team since 2006.

This will be her second stint as a member of the 49ers coaching staff after being an assistant coach in 2005. In 2005, the 49ers won 11 games and reached the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

Denton was a member of the FC Carolina Alliance Coaching staff from 2002-07. She spent three years as a special education teacher at Kannapolis, North Carolina's A.L. Brown High School. From 2001-04, she coached the men's and women's varsity soccer teams at A.L. Brown.

She was a four-year letterwinner at Charlotte from 1996-2000. Denton earned second-team All-Conference USA honors as a senior in 2000. She was a two-time team captain. She played an integral role in helping the 49ers capture the 1998 Conference USA Tournament championship and earn the program's first-ever bid to the NCAA Tournament. In 1998, with Denton in the starting lineup, the 49ers defeated South Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the program's first tournament win.

Denton excelled in the classroom as well. As a senior, she received the athletic department's highest honor, The Bonnie Cone Award for Academic Excellence. She graduated from Charlotte in 2001 with a Bachelor's degree in Special Education. She earned a Master of Education in Special Education from Charlotte in 2006.

“I would like to thank Judy Rose, Kim Whitestone, and John Cullen for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to be back with the Niner family!” Denton said.  “It is an honor to not only work at my alma mater, but also to work with one of my mentors, John Cullen. I am very excited to work with a great staff and a very talented group of young ladies. I look forward to the journey ahead of us. My time at Pfeiffer will always be cherished, and I would like to wish them all the best for the future.”