Sara Beegle was just the third woman in Washington College Athletics history to earn All-America honors in three different years and she was the first to do so in the sport of rowing. Making that achievement even more remarkable is that Sara did not pick up the sport until attending the College.
A natural athlete, Sara powered the Shorewomen’s first varsity eight during one of the most successful eras in the team’s history. The Shorewomen were ranked first in the Mid-Atlantic throughout her career, but the region was not guaranteed representation at the NCAA Division III Championships. During that time, the Shorewomen were also a fixture in the NCAA Division III Top 10, peaking at second in the nation during the spring of 2003.
Sara was in the seven seat of the Shorewomen’s first varsity eight when it pulled off what was, at the time, the most important victory in the team’s history. The Shorewomen took first place at the Atlantic Collegiate Sprints League Championships, beating out perennial national powerhouse Ithaca College for the first time in the process. Sara and the rest of the first varsity eight were named ECAC Crew of the Week on the heels of that win.
Sara was named to the All-America second team as a freshman in 2001 and then landed on the first team in 2003 and 2004, making her the team’s first-ever two-time first-team All-American. She was the co-female winner of the College’s Thomas Reeder Spedden Medal as a senior. She held all of the team’s ergometer records at the time of her graduation and those records stood for nearly a decade after.
Washington College considers it an honor and privilege to induct Sara Beegle into its Athletic Hall of Fame on this 17th day of October, 2015.
