University of Richmond Athletics
Former Spider Student-Athlete To Compete In 2008 Summer Olympics
10/23/2007 | Women's Track & Field
Oct. 23, 2007
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Former Richmond Spider track & field and soccer standout Sarah Mergenthaler will compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics. The 2001 graduate has emerged as one the top female sailors in the United States, and her team has earned an Olympic berth, thanks to its Olympic trials win last week.
Along with teammate Amanda Clark, the duo won the women's 470's sailing championships in Long Beach, Calif. to earn a berth to the 2008 Olympic Games next summer in Beijing, China.
"We are ecstatic and honored to represent the United States at the Olympic Games next summer," said Mergenthaler following the race. "We won the women's fleet by a 14-point margin, but racing was very tight through the first 12 races. We ended strong with a blazing first place finish in the 15th round."
Mergenthaler and Clark, who won the women's event by 14 points, actually out-dueled the men's champ (by three points) for the first time in U.S. Olympics Trials history.
But firsts are nothing new for Mergenthaler. While in high school at Marlboro in New Jersey, she became the first female in state high school history to kick a field goal and stands as the lone athlete in district history to earn varsity letters in five different sports - cross-country, basketball, track, soccer and football. She garnered all-district, all-conference and all-state recognition in all but football.
At Richmond, she broke the school's 20-year old javelin record in 2001 and became the first female Spider to earn back-to-back conference championships titles in the event. Additionally, she was a standout soccer player for the Red & Blue and helped the program to Top-20 national rankings in 1999 and 2000 as the team reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2000.
"Now that the Trials are over, we plan to take a much needed rest period at home," said Mergenthaler. "But we'll continue to pinch ourselves over the next couple days to make sure this is all still real. Then we will spend November and December training in Australia for the upcoming 2008 Worlds this January in Melbourne, Australia. But I must send out a huge thank you to all of our supporters and sponsors, especially the Bell Family of Long Beach for housing us over the last two months. We couldn't have done it without them."
Although Sarah continued to sail in local regattas throughout high school, she focused primarily on soccer with the goal of playing for a Division I team in college. Upon graduating from high school, Mergenthaler was named the News Transcript "Female Athlete of the Year," NJSIAA Outstanding Senior Athlete, Windmill Athlete of the Year, Women's Sports Foundation Athlete of the Year and ESPN Outstanding Senior Athlete.
After enrolling at Richmond on a soccer scholarship in 1997, she spent her summers sailing at the Barnegat Light Yacht Club and played for the New Jersey Splash, a women's semi-pro soccer team. In 2000, Mergenthaler was awarded UR's prestigious Fannie Crenshaw Scholarship for excellence in the classroom and in athletics.
She graduated from the University in 2001 with a double major in business administration and sport management and a minor in marketing. She took a position with a money management firm for four year, but now sails full time and gives sailing lessons in her spare time.
