Already one of the top athletes in Hope history, Sara Schermerhorn raced to a historic finish.
The sprinter won the NCAA Division III national championship in the 400 meters, Hope’s first indoor national championship and third overall, on Saturday, March 14, in Birmingham, Alabama.
“Being able to compete in the championship atmosphere is such an amazing feeling,” Schermerhorn said. “I am beyond grateful to come away with a win in such a competitive field.”
The senior from Traverse City won the 400 meters in a school-record 54.406 seconds, edging Grace Yarkosky of Plattsburgh State by just 0.004 seconds in a dramatic finish.
Schermerhorn joined Nora Kuiper and Erin Herrmann as national champions at Hope. Kuiper sprinted to the outdoor 100-meter title in 2009. Herrmann raced to the outdoor 3,000-meter steeplechase crown in 2017.
“Winning is so hard. For her to do that is such an incredible accomplishment. I feel so proud of her,” Hope coach Jordan Bartolazzi said. “The very first time I talked with her after being hired as head coach, she told me she wanted to win a national title. I got to watch her do everything right for the last nine months to put herself in that position. Today was the culmination of a ton of hard work and commitment from her. It’s an incredible accomplishment.”
Schermerhorn competed in the 200-meter final an hour later, placing eighth overall (24.79) and earning All-American honors for the sixth time in her career.
“Sara executed our race plan so well,” Bartolazzi said. “Our plan was to race from the gun, win the break line, and have her give it her all on the second lap. To watch (Yarkowsky) close on Sara was nerve-wracking, but Sara is such a great competitor. She felt her coming on and was able to surge to the finish.”
Hope finished 19th overall.
Hope’s Molly Durow, a senior from Glenview, Illinois, finished 15th with a time of 4 minutes, 53.49 seconds to earn second-team All-American.
In the men’s meet, junior Dylan Terpstra, (Hudsonville) finished 18th in the 400 meters (48.90).
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Hope’s Sara Schermerhorn sprints to historic NCAA track championship
Reporting by Dan D’Addona, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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