Student Spotlight
UT student athlete Sarah Bowman is making great strides, both on and off the track. As an athlete competing in both track and field and cross country, Bowman has a growing list of accomplishments, including eight Southeastern Conference championships and three All-SEC nods. She was the only collegiate competitor to advance to the finals of the 1500 meters at this year’s U.S. Olympic Track and Field Team Trials, where she went on to finish eighth. However, Bowman’s commitment to excellence doesn’t stop when she leaves the track. As a senior in the College of Business Administration, Bowman is majoring in human resource management with a cumulative grade point average of 3.85---an achievement that has not gone unnoticed. The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association named Bowman as its 2008 Women’s Division I Indoor Track Scholar Athlete of the Year. Add to that honor recognitions for second-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American, first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV, USTFCCCA All-Academic Team for cross country and track, SEC Female Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year, and SEC Academic Honor Roll. Has all the attention gone to Sarah’s head? Definitely not!
“My experience at the University of Tennessee has been great,” said Bowman. “It is difficult to balance both school and sports, but in doing so I have learned a great deal of self-discipline, teamwork, and the importance of a strong work ethic. Being a student-athlete also has given me opportunities to travel to new places and meet new people. My years at the University of Tennessee have helped shape me into the person I am today and have better prepared me to handle my future career.”
Bowman’s accomplishments in athletics and academics have not been at the expense of those around her. She receives praise from her coaches and teachers for her hard work and determination along with her leadership among teammates and classmates. Her focus on academics goes above and beyond expectations of the college’s faculty.
“Once (Sarah) notified me that she would not be in class because she just had emergency surgery---the next class, she was back. Few students would have been that (focused). She simply said that she felt fine and didn’t need to miss class,” said Randal Pierce, one of Bowman’s human resource professors in the College of Business Administration.
Please join the College of Business Administration faculty and staff in congratulating Sarah Bowman on her academic and athletic success!