Sarah White, an NCAA All-American and ACC Champion, has left the team at the University of Virginia, and for now has ended her swimming career.
As a freshman in 2012, White was the ACC Champion in the 200 IM, NCAA qualifier, a member to the national junior team as well as a semi finalist at the most resent Olympic trials. Last season in 2013 she was an NCAA All-American in the 200 fly, finishing 16th at the championships. White was also an Olympic Trials semi-finalist in 2012 in the 200 IM, winding up placing 15th in Omaha.
She was also awarded the team’s “Hardest Worker” and “Heart of the Team” awards in each of her first two years with the Cavaliers.
White said that she didn’t expect to be done with her colligate career after two years.
“I’ve always had a love for swimming, but I have never let it be my only outlet,” the Norfolk native explains. “My mom is an artist, and so I’ve grown up around art my whole life.”
But certain circumstances changed over the summer.
“I feel good about leaving my career here. I accomplished everything that I wanted to accomplish in the sport, I just did it a lot sooner than I thought I would.”
White had a very close relationship with former head coach Mark Bernadino. “After Mark left this summer, I stayed active, but I knew I was going to have to work hard to get back into training shape fall,” White said.
“When I got to campus this fall, with the new coaching staff, things had changed for me. With Mark leaving and how close we were and still are…I was as surprised as anybody, but I haven’t been in the water in a month, and I haven’t missed it.”
White has recently decided to add a second focus to her degree plan, and will now double major in Sociology and studio art with a focus on sculpture and painting.
“I love Virginia, and I intend to see out my education here,” White said. “I wish nothing but the best to the group of my former teammates and my forever family.”
I think its great for someone to have the maturity to stop doing something on their own terms and not just go through the motions because its what is expected of them. She wouldn’t be helping herself or the team if she wasn’t fully committed to the program. However, she most definitely quit the team! To say that she “retired” is ridiculous. I don’t think the “quitter” label is accurate though, because that carries such a negative connotation. Someone can in fact quit something without it being this dramatic act that somehow marks them as “lesser than” for having decided to go a new direction. This young lady obviously knows what it means to dedicate herself to sport otherwise she… Read more »
AARP – very interesting points. I didn’t realize that Zach Gunn had left UGA.
Good for her for having the courage to do what was right for herself. Most athletes go on to have lives that extend way beyond the sport they excelled in.
Sarah White quitting will hurt the women’s program a little. It is quitting when you do it mid season. I am sure she had good reasons.
Berdardino hurt the program more. Based on info from many sources, Bernardino messed up. He put the program in a recruiting pickle for this year. (fact – he did a lot of good for the program for many years, too)
Luckily, UVA has TONS of talent already. Just need UVA’s current swimmers to swim harder and quite the critics. It’s up to the swimmers!
ACC is to swimming as SEC is to football.
Everyone else is like ‘okay’ and just watches the debate unravel.
Peter I know you ARE joking when you said that right.
Dutch — the stormy sentiments among the UVa alums were more of disappointment / outrage over how Bernardino’s “resignation” exit took form, and how it was subsequently handled by the Athletic Department stonewalling any explaining. I don’t agree that the UVa faithful strung up any negatives at Augie Busch. Frankly he was just someone caught in traffic from the start, and that was unfair. But clearly he handled it very well, which is immense praise for him over how the UVa administrators handled this. Time to just move on…I don’t see where other theories about negatives onto Augie are of any merits.
Joel
While I was wrong about White, we’ll have to agree to disagree on this one…there were quite a few who expressed concern over Augie’s hiring both on this board and behind closed doors. While I agree that a lot of the bitterness was toward the way Mark was let go, you must admit there was was quite a bit of skepticism into the hiring of a head coach from Houston as well, with only 2 years of previous HC experience.
If you recall from the trainwreck of a thread it was, I was very supportive of the decision to hire Busch, and fought back against those who thought it the wrong hire.
I would love to know where these closed door meets are. I have yet to find anyone connected with the program who was upset with the hire. The way Mark was let go created an uproar and anyone coming in to replace an icon was going to get some scrutiny.
After hearing a more in depth version of the story I stand corrected…quite a strange turn of events and I apologize for jumping to conclusions about White and her reasons for leaving the team.
As for WahooStrong…Your first two points are correct, the third is a bit off. The general sentiment among the UVA faithful on these boards was/is that Augie was/is not good enough to run UVA’s program. I simply pointed out the arrogance of those types turning their nose up at a coach who was not only groomed by one of the sports all-time greats, but came from a perennial top-5 staff and with two national championships as well.
I am a UVA faithful and I do not think that. Nor does my child who swims at UVA. Quite the contrary, the swimmers (and the parents) were excited for Augie. I can tell you my child LOVES swimming for him. Happy swimmers = fast swimmers!
A few negative posts (including yourself) does not equal the “general sentiment.” Most of us don’t reply.
You are dead wrong about the sentiment among UVA faithful; Yes we all deeply regret Mark Bernardino’s departure, especially the circumstances, but as a past 4 year swimmer and alumnus, I have not heard any negative sentiments about Augie – to the contrary, I think most feel that while Mark’s departure was not wanted, if it had to occur, Augie is a great replacement – about as good as we could possibly have hoped for given the circumstances. No one is turning their noses up at him – rather the UVA swim family will always stand behind the program and its swimmers and staff. I have all confidence that the program will continue the success of Bernardino.
Dutch – I appreciate your response. I know on one of the threads after Mark “retired”, there was someone supposedly named “Kathy” that appeared to be a UVA swimming alum who made outrageously snobby remarks. I think they were a plant to further stir up controversy. Others have said it, but I can tell you from personal experience that those who have kids currently in the program were in deep shock on July 1. It was like having a 35 year old seasoned rug ripped out from under your feet in one fell swoop. We had about 9 days of some pretty strong feelings…sadness, anger, resentment and concern for the program having to hire a new head coach in July.… Read more »
JOEL LIN- It’s a negative for the team. The team is handicapped by a ” star ” leaving at this point in the season. I’m sure all the kids have her back as well as the coaches but it does hurt their cause to repeat as ACC champions. She’s probably a wonderful kid but a commitment is a commitment and not only to yourself but also to your teammates. Hope she doesn’t look back at this next year and say I could have helped them win another championship.
It’s my understanding she has been a walk on since day 1. That she has inquired about scholarship every year and every year been denied. What else must she do to receive scholarship from the coaching staffs both past and present. If her decision hurts the program in some way, too bad IMO.
There is nothing mean meant by this post… What is the difference between quitting and retiring? I don’t know this young lady, nor do I know anything about her situation, but if this were to happen on my college team, it is called quitting.
question – interpretation of words is in the eye of the beholder, especially in the English language.
This is not a case of quitting. Walk a mile in someones shoes before you call them a quitter. She is still loved and supported by many if not all of her teammates even after her choice, that speaks volumes.