West Liberty University Athletics

    Jane Sackett was a true women's sports pioneer at West Liberty, serving the institution and its students as a coach, teacher, administrator and inspiration. Sackett and other pioneers like her, were instrumental in pushing women’s athletics into the mainstream because of their willingness to coach in an era of male-dominated sports.
    Sackett’s first coaching job at West Liberty was a two-year stint with the field hockey team, which she led to a conference title in 1975. In 1977, she took over the softball program – which had begun as a club sport – and spent the next 17 years in the dugout building the program into a consistent WVIAC contender. She led three teams to WVIAC runner-up finishes and posted a career record of 166-145.
    In addition to her coaching duties, Sackett was an integral part of the West Liberty Physical Education Department as a full-time instructor until her retirement in 1999. Always involved with the college in general, she performed other duties such as intramural director, student-teacher supervisor, Special Olympics representative, and aquatics instructor for the American Red Cross.