Sara Langworthy

Sara Langworthy delivered in a big way in her time at Warrensburg Jr./Sr. High School, both in the classroom where she achieved valedictorian status, and in the sports of field hockey, basketball and softball where she not only excelled, but also served as a team captain in each of them.

“Sara truly embodies all of the characteristics necessary of being a student-athlete,” Warrensburg athletic director and varsity girls’ basketball coach Scott Smith said of the Capital District Sports Women of the Year honoree. “She is motivated, dependable, focused and goal-oriented. Sara will never stop pushing herself until she has reached the goals that she has set.”

Langworthy played five seasons of varsity field hockey and four seasons of varsity basketball and softball, yet the National Honor Society member still found the time and energy to put together a superb academic resume while additionally serving other Warrensburg students as her class secretary and a student council and Varsity Club member.

She graduated with a 4.0 career GPA, and earned the Saint Michael’s College Book Club Award for Academic Achievement and Social Conscience, St. Lawrence Augsbury Scholarship, and University of Rochester George Eastman Scholarship.

“Probably in ninth or 10th grade it was, ‘We’re going to do this,’” Langworthy said of her valedictorian spot in the Warrensburg 2021 class of 45. “I made it a goal. I wouldn’t have been happy with myself if I didn’t get it because I knew it was attainable.”

During her many scholastic pursuits, the 18-year-old would often think of Mary Ann Bump, the longtime, popular and enthusiastic Warrensburg field hockey and softball coach who passed away several years ago.

“She was very inspirational for me,” said Langworthy, who was twice named to the all-state field hockey team. “She taught me the game when I was growing up, but many other things like how to be a good student and a good teammate, and how sports are about more than winning.”

Langworthy took her team captaincy as seriously as a major exam.

“I have always wanted to help others. That’s the career I’m getting into,” said Langworthy, who will work toward a nursing degree at the University of Rochester. “My thought has always been, ‘What if I was in that position?’ If I had a bad day or I wasn’t the best player, I would want someone there to offer help and offer guidance.”

Smith said Langworthy was like another coach during the winter.

“Unfortunately, our basketball season this year was not like our normal basketball season due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Smith said. “We had a much more condensed season and played less than half the games we normally do. One of the things that I remember most from this season though, is the way Sara worked so hard with our underclassmen on their skills and development. When it was uncertain if we would even have a season at all, that is when Sara stepped up and provided leadership and guidance to the rest of her teammates. I will be forever grateful to her for that. She truly understood what it meant to be a part of our program and to be a leader.”

Langworthy left a lasting impression on Warrensburg varsity softball and field hockey coach Teresa Colvin, too.
“Younger athletes look up to her and I couldn’t ask for a better role model,” Colvin said. “She willingly does the tasks that often go unnoticed just because it is the right thing to do.”