Get To Know: Sarah Wommack

STARKVILLE – Sarah Wommack didn't know it at the time, but goofing off during a training session in the fifth grade would inevitably lead to her becoming a Division I goalkeeper.

Wommack started her soccer career like most goalkeepers, playing in the field. She was a striker. During a training session, Wommack's coach disciplined her for not taking things seriously and sent her to train with the goalkeepers. That move marked the start of a long career in goal.

Although she stands six feet tall now, Wommack was not always the tallest person on the pitch.

"I was actually projected to be a really small kid," Wommack said. "I even failed to meet all of the growth requirements growing up. I was 5-5 for a good bit of my life. It wasn't until sophomore year of high school when I finally hit my growth spurt."

It is clear that there are big shoes to fill between the posts in Starkville with the departure of All-American goalkeeper Maddy Anderson, but Wommack sees Anderson's success as a path to follow.

"It's awesome to see how far she's gone," she said of Anderson. "It's inspiring to see someone in my position already sign professionally. That's exactly what I want to do."

Wommack is optimistic about all of the new arrivals in Starkville this spring, but she also knows the expectations the reigning SEC Regular Season Champions will have this fall. She doesn't dismiss the fact that with a new coaching staff there has been a shift in standards in Starkville.

"We have a great team here now. I think with all of the new players coming in, we'll be able to have a really good season," Wommack said. "[Last season's team] set the standards high, and it has given us a lot to work towards. I'm looking forward to just being able to keep working hard every day."

Being coached by Mississippi State's goalkeeper coach, Kat Stratton is one thing that Wommack is most grateful for since transferring to State. Stratton has a proven track record of success. Her keepers and the defenses they've anchored have set school records three years in a row for shutouts and fewest shots allowed per match.

"Kat runs sessions so well," Wommack said. "She is always super excited, and you can tell that she wants to be there with us. Her goals and what she focuses on in training are very dependent upon what we need personally. She will ask us what we need help with, and I just think her sessions are so well run. I look forward to training every single day."

Anderson is just the latest professional player that Wommack can look to as an example. Growing up, she admired a lot of professional women's soccer players that paved the way for girls like her. From watching Alyssa Naeher to Casey Murphy to Hope Solo, Wommack has always aspired to be a professional keeper one day.

"Watching the U.S. women's national team growing up I would think, 'That's my dream – to play pro,'" she said.

After transferring in from Appalachian State, Wommack is now hoping to join the ranks of Bulldogs that made the leap to the world of professional soccer. It's a club that's more than doubled over the past two years, with five Bulldogs signing professional contracts in the last six months alone.

Mississippi State University Athletics

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