By Sports Information Student Assistant Matt Tully
BEREA, OHIO -- For Baldwin-Wallace College senior basketball and volleyball standout student-athlete Sarah Gordon, success in all areas has always been a large part of her life.
Starting at Wooster High School, Gordon played three sports, earned nine varsity letters and was a member of the Honor Roll. Since coming to B-W, Gordon has earned two letters in volleyball and three in basketball and has helped both programs reach the NCAA Division III National Tournament. In the classroom, Gordon is a scholar-athlete, an All-Ohio Athletic Conference selection in both sports and Academic All-American candidate in both sports. On campus, she is a team captain in two sports, a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Despite her current success at B-W, success at the collegiate level didn’t happen right away for Gordon. Following graduation from Wooster H.S., Gordon gave Division I basketball a try at Bucknell University. After a semester at Bucknell, Gordon decided that she needed a change. Enter Baldwin-Wallace College.
While at Wooster H.S., Gordon remembered B-W women’s basketball coach
Cheri Harrer and Harrer’s words of advice to her when she decided on going to Bucknell.
“Coach Harrer congratulated me on my decision and wished me all of the luck in the world,” said Gordon, who carries a better than 3.7 grade point average overall and had two perfect semesters with a 4.0 grade average a year ago. “She recruited me very hard in high school and we had developerd a solid relationship, and that stuck with me.
“Coach Harrer did not try to disuade me from going to Bucknell,” said Gordon. “But she did say that if things did not work out and I wanted to make a change that there would always be a place for me at B-W. I am glad that I came back to Ohio and I am glad to be at B-W. I know at B-W that academics come first and athletics come second. It was a great decision for me.”
And it was a great decision for B-W, too!
To say that Sarah’s collegiate athletic career has been good would be an understatement. The psychology/ business administration major who plans to attend graduate school is a member of the Dean’s List, serves as a team captain in both sports and is a member of both the SAAC and FCA.
In volleyball, Gordon has played two seasons and in both years has helped B-W do something that it have never done before -- have success at the OAC Tournament and win an OAC regular season title. Due to her transfer, Gordon did not play volleyball as a freshman. As a sophomore, she split time at outside hitter with current teammate and sophomore Emily Bowen (Tiffin Columbian High School) and helped B-W win its
first-ever OAC Tournament title and advance to the NCAA Division III National tourney. A year ago, she received All-OAC honors, was a Verizon Academic All-District IV choice, an OAC Player of the Week and named to the Calvin (Mich.) College All-Tournament team enroute to helping B-W tie for first place and its first-ever OAC regular season title. In her two years on the volleyball court, Gordon has 664 kills, 740 digs and 78 service aces. Her 63 aces last season ranks fourth in school history for a single season.
Over the course of her two-year volleyball career, Gordon has developed into a great leader according to veteran Head Coach Vicki Brault.
“Sarah has great leadership and poise and sets a good example with her outstanding work ethic,” said Brault, who won her 200th career match a year ago. “I will look for her to lead the team and take the freshman players under her wing this season.
"Sarah is a very vocal person and leads by example," said Brault. "She is not afraid to speak up to her teammates or coaches. She has an intense desire to excel and succeed."
In basketball, Gordon has the talent and ability to be one of the best players in Division III. In each of her first three years at B-W, Gordon has helped ther Yellow Jackets win 20 or more games, capture OAC titles in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001, advance to the OAC championship game last winter and advance to the NCAA Division III Tournament Elite Eight as both a freshman and sophomore.
Statistically, Gordon ranked third on the team in both scoring and rebounding with 10.0 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game last season enroute to being named second-team All-OAC. She enters her senior season with 527 career points despite missing half of her freshman season because she was at Bucknell and all but six games as a junior after
suffering a season-ending injury. In addition, Gordon annually starts a bit slow because of the cross-over between volleyball and basketball season.
Heading into this winter, Yellow Jacket veteran Head Coach Cheri Harrer is hoping that Gordon will have her best season yet.
"Sarah has the potential to be an outstanding player and leader," Harrer said. "She works very hard in practice and has an outstanding attitude. She also has a great repore with her teammates.
"Once Sarah gets the needed shooting repetitions and conditioning after she joins our team (from volleyball), she is an excellent scorer and defender for us," said Harrer. "When Sarah is both healthy and in basketball shape, she is one of the best players in the OAC and Great Lakes Region.
"In addition to her athletic success, Sarah Gordon is also a great student and leader on our campus," said Harrer, who also serves as athletic director in addition to being the winningest women's basketball coach in school history. "She had a 4.0 grade average last year, is a team captaijn in two sports and is both a SAAC rep and involved in FCA. We are very pleased to have a young woman the quality of Sarah Gordon at Baldwin-Wallace College."
Practicing for two sports and studying every night is just another day for Gordon. She doesn't seem to feel any pressure when it comes to hitting the books.
"I think I was introduced very early in my college days to the thought that I needed to study and not procrastinate," said Gordon. "However, I feel added pressure now to keep my grades up so that I can get into graduate school. I also want to serve as a role model for my younger teammates."
Gordon understands that in order for her teams to keep improving, she must make a large contribution as a team-leader and one of its top players. And, she is more than up to the challenge.
"I feel that I am required to lead by example," said Gordon. "Actions certainly speak louder than words. I need to be a leader in every sense of the word. I am a senior captain and that responsibility puts me in a position of leadership. I also want to continue to have fun playing the games I have grown up playing."
All this practice and hard work is in preparation so that Sarah can lead both of her teams to an OAC title and an NCAA tournament berth.
"My number one goal is that we use every ounce of our God-given talent to compete as well as we possibly can, and that is all I could ever ask of my coaches, my teammates, and myself," said Gordon. "I hope to win an OAC title and advance in the NCAA tournament in both sports. It is truly an amazing experience that few can say they have accomplished. And winning a national title would be the ultimate."
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