Division I athletes are elite competitors, to be a member of any Division I team speaks volumes to an individual’s athletic ability, excelling at their craft and competing with other equally capable athletes. Yet some are especially talented, able to compete at a high level on multiple teams.
One such multi-sport athlete is freshman Sarah Gorden, who competes in the Big East as a member of both the DePaul women’s soccer and track and field teams.
Gorden, a defender on the women’s soccer squad, started all 17 matches she played in this past season, highlighted by a golden goal she scored against Minnesota Sept. 11, giving the Blue Demons a 2-1 overtime victory. On the track and field team, Gorden is exclusively a hurdler, most recently winning the 100m hurdles event at the DePaul Invitational April 21.
“It’s always been hard to do both [sports], especially competitively,” said Gorden. “But I stuck with it in high school and ended up pretty Illinois.”
As a hurdler on Conant’s track team, Gorden was a three-time All-State performer, winning the 100m high hurdles title and finishing second in the 300m low hurdles at the 2011 IHSA state track meet as a senior. She was also the indoor state champion in the 55m high hurdles.
On the road to becoming a DePaul athlete, Gorden has had a great support system. Most notable are her parents, both of whom are DePaul alumni and former Blue Demon athletes. Her father Jeff was a dual sport athlete himself, competing in both track and cross country, while her mother played tennis. Gorden said they have both had “a huge influence on my sports, especially my dad,” who ran the 800m and the mile in track. “He’s crazy about track. He loves soccer, but he’s a big track about.”
Gorden began track workouts at the end of November of last year, but did not include hurdle practice until March. Now, practicing every day at either Lane Tech High School or the Ray Meyer Fitness Center, Gorden has improved drastically and has thrived without early morning soccer workouts. And with the spring season over halfway complete, Gorden is well aware of the goals she hopes to accomplish next year.
“For soccer, my goal is definitely for us to make the Big East Tournament next year,” said Gorden. “Hopefully we’ll win a few more games. I think our team’s gonna be better next year, we’ve been working on our chemistry getting along and stuff. For track, I definitely want to break at least one of the hurdle records. And I definitely want to place in the Big East and make it to Regionals.”
With these goals in mind, Gorden is confident in her abilities and the progress she has made with both sports.
“This year was difficult, just being a freshman and getting into everything,” said Gorden. “But next year, I have my goals and I know the work I have to do to achieve them.”