Mayer leads by example for Coyotes

A native of Wausau, Wis., Sara Mayer started her Coyote swim career as an extremely homesick freshman. Almost four years later, she has come completely full circle, welcoming a member of her home to the Coyote family.

During her first few months on campus, Mayer said she remembers Head Coach Jason Mahowald telling her he was surprised she made it past week three due to how hard the transition to college life had been for her.

Since those tough first weeks, Mayer has persevered and found herself a place in the record books. 

During the 2023 season, Mayer finished her 100 Butterfly and 200 Butterfly events with a time quick enough to secure her spot as the second and third fastest in Coyote history, respectively. 

On top of her individual success, Mayer has also gotten her name in the record book as part of the relay teams that broke the record for the 800 Freestyle Relay and the 400 Medley Relay. 

Mayer said she remembers the moment her team broke the 800 record vividly, from the night before the race when she was announced to anchor the team, to the support the team received after the last member touched the wall, the whole experience is one Mayer won’t forget. 

“The last couple of strokes into the wall, knowing I did that, I was so excited,” Mayer said. “Then looking up at the board and seeing that we broke a record and the whole team is jumping up and down, it was a great feeling.”

With the Summit League Championships right around the corner, Mayer is extremely optimistic about the team’s ability to perform well.

“I’m specifically really excited for this year because I feel like we’ve been training a lot harder this year than in previous years, and I feel like we could see a lot more records broken this year,” Mayer said.

While Mahowald was worried about Mayer’s ability to survive in Vermillion during those first few weeks on campus, he is now extremely grateful for the leader she has become for the team and her ability to guide the next class of homesick swimmers to success.

“Sara is a great, unbelievable leader for us. She is someone I think a good chunk of the team looks to as confidant and someone they can go to for almost anything,” Mahowald said. “I would say she is probably one of the best leaders I’ve seen in my time here at USD.”

Now, as Mayer wraps up her junior season and looks towards her last, she knows this one will be especially memorable for her because she is welcoming a part of her home to Vermillion, her brother. 

Mayer’s younger brother has decided to join the Coyote swim family next season as he is one of 21 new commits to the team. Mayer says this is a full circle moment for her, going from the extremely homesick freshman to a senior getting the chance to swim with her younger brother at her side. 

“To spend three years away from my brother has been hard because in a way I don’t get to see him grow up,” Mayer said. “But now that he’s coming here, I think it’ll be nice to be on the same team again and practice together.”