Sammy Towne, who was a standout defensive player for Karen Hoppa's Auburn soccer teams from 2007-10, has served as the Director of Soccer Operations for the past two seasons.

She plays a very important role in organizing the behind-the-scene efforts of the program that includes team travel and budget, among other aspects. 

"I'm beyond thrilled to be returning to Auburn after formerly being a player and part of the team for five years," Towne said. "The program's immense success in recent years has been one that I've followed with the utmost respect. I hope to use the experience and skills I obtained under head coach Michael Coll while at UNC Greensboro to further propel the program's momentum of competing for a national championship."

Towne, from Royal Palm Beach, Fla., returned to Auburn after spending the 2012-15 seasons as an assistant coach at UNC Greensboro, where she worked primarily with the defenders and helped coordinate recruiting, travel and the budget.

"We are so excited to have Sammy return to Auburn as a part of our staff," Hoppa said. "Her playing experience here along with her four years of coaching experiences makes her a huge asset to our program."

"I also want to thank Karen Hoppa and her staff for providing me with this opportunity," Towne said. "This is an environment that strives for excellence both on the field and in the classroom and I couldn't be happier to return to my Auburn Family. War Eagle!"

During Towne's time at Greensboro she helped Georgia Brown earn all-conference honors three consecutive years, including a First Team selection in 2015. Under Towne's guidance, UNCG had three all-conference selections in 2015. Ashley Eddleman and Regan Lehman joined Brown in earning all-conference selection for a team that went 9-9-3.

During the 2014 season, Towne was instrumental in helping Brown earn second team all-conference honors while Rebecca Burrows was a second team all-conference selection as the team went 9-8-3.

In Towne's second season at UNCG, she coached a defense that produced 10 shutouts as the team went 10-6-4 and earned the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. She coached a pair of all-conference selections in Brown (all-freshman) and Burrows (second team and all-freshman) as the team allowed just 16 goals in 20 games, including three over the final seven.

In her first season as an assistant, Towne helped UNCG earn their ninth SoCon regular season championship, finishing the campaign with a 12-7-1 overall record and a 9-1-1 SoCon mark. She helped produce two all-conference defenders in seniors Cat Barnekow (first team) and Stephanie Partenheimer (second team).

Towne spent 2011 as a defensive assistant student-coach at Auburn, helping Hoppa's team win its first-ever SEC Tournament championships and a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Under her assistantance, Auburn posted a 15-7-2 overall record, posing eight shutouts.

Towne was a four-year varsity letterwinner for Auburn and a two-time team captain. She led Auburn to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances, totaling 43 wins and 26 shutouts, anchoring Auburn's defense.

Towne was named Second Team All-SEC as a junior and senior and earned All-SEC Tournament accolades as a junior as Auburn reached the tournament semifinals.

Towne earned her bachelor's degree from Auburn in 2012 in human development and family studies.