Wheaton College Athletics

Sara Johnson arrived at Wheaton in 2002 to play her sophomore season after transferring from Eastern Illinois University where she played as a freshman the previous season. She earned All-CCIW recognition in each of her three seasons at Wheaton, and as a junior in 2003 she was named the CCIW's "Player of the Year". Sara was a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) First Team All-Region selection in her junior and senior seasons.
 
As a team captain, Sara helped lead Wheaton to the 2004 NCAA Division III Championship with 18 goals and eight assists. At the time of her graduation, Sara's 50 career goals ranked third on Wheaton's all-time goal-scoring list; a mark that now ranks sixth. She tallied 18 assists in her three seasons with the Thunder.
 
Sara would go into coaching following her playing career. She served has the head coach of the Wartburg College women's soccer program in 2010. She was the head coach at Carthage College from 2011-17.
 
Wheaton's head women's soccer coach Pete Felske recalls, "What sticks out to me most about Sara's career at Wheaton was her no-nonsense business-like approach to the game.  She was a tough-minded, physical goal scorer with a strong and confident presence on the field.  She showed up every day and did her job well; scoring 50 goals in only three years, after transferring to Wheaton her sophomore year. That was God's plan and it was pretty cool to watch all the pieces come together for the run to our first National Title.  She fit in perfectly with our squad and the relationships she made with those players continue today.  I consider her a true friend and I'm thankful for the time we had with her and the impact she had on our program."
 
Sara reflects on her arrival at Wheaton, "When I transferred to Wheaton after my freshman year it was such a fresh of breath air to be playing alongside teammates whose focus was not just on wins and losses, but on playing for an audience of one. That unique environment is hard to find and I was so thankful for my time at Wheaton." She adds, "Even after coaching at other colleges and seeing the experiences the players have, I know that Wheaton is such a rare place to grow friendships not only with teammates, but classmates, coaches and teachers as well. A big part of who I am is because of playing at Wheaton"
 
Sara says of the impact Pete Felske had on her, "Something that stuck with me when I became a collegiate coach myself was how Pete would give me his full attention whenever I came into his office. I had lost my father during my sophomore year and Pete was someone who poured into me as a father type figure. He never was too busy to sit and chat with me. I didn't realize it at the time how much work it takes to run a successful college program the way he does and all those meetings that were unexpected for him never seemed to bother him. It meant a lot to me to have someone that I could come and chat with who was a mentor to me. There aren't many coaches who would have done that, but it just showed what a man of God Pete was and knew that pouring into just one of his players was beneficial. It also showed me that taking time to be invested in one person can have such an investment in the Kingdom. I took that with me when I started college coaching and now have some great memories and friendships from my former players."