Sara Schermerhorn Makes History as Indoor Track All-American in the 400 Meters

Sara Schermerhorn checked off one item on her ambitious to-do list.

The Hope College sprinter claimed her first All-America honors by finishing seventh in the nation in the 400-meter run at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday in Virginia Beach, Va.

Schermerhorn (Traverse City, Michigan / Traverse City West HS) clocked a time of 56.45 seconds to become the Flying Dutch's first indoor All-American in the event.

"It's been a goal of mine to come home with a trophy since last year going to the national championships and coming back empty-handed," Schermerhorn said. "It feels really good."

Eight runners competed in the 400-meter final. University of Mount Union (Ohio) senior Kenadee Wayt won the 400-meter national title by recording a championship time of 54.72 seconds.

Schermerhorn competed in her first championship race after qualifying on Friday with a school-record time of 56.09 seconds.

The sophomore also raced on Friday in the 200 meters and finished a personal-best 11th.

"She had a great weekend," head coach Kevin Cole said. "It was a lot of fun seeing her run fast and being with the top runners in the nation and breaking a school record. Best of all, there is still a lot of good racing to come yet."

Schermerhorn, the MIAA's 2024 Most Valuable Track Athlete, has quickly established herself as one of the nation's top short-distance runners.

"Part of it is maturing as a runner and learning how to run faster. Part of it is that she works really hard, so she's going to improve," Cole said. "She knows she can beat anybody when she steps on the track now."

Schermerhorn is gaining confidence as she has observed what it takes to compete with the nation's elite.

"I know to take the prelims as hard as possible. Every hundredths of a second count," Schermerhorn said. "[The finals] didn't go as well as I hoped, but it was still a great weekend."

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Sara Schermerhorn: Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Sara Schermerhorn
: Sophomore