North Central College Cardinals

Sara Sterner ’26 joined the North Central women's wrestling coaching staff as an Assistant Coach in the fall of 2026.

As an undergraduate at North Central, Sterner had a stellar four-year career on the mat for the Cardinals, competing at 124 and 131 pounds. She helped lead the women's wrestling program to a national title in 2023, two national runner-up finishes in 2024 and 2025, the National Duals Championship in 2026, four Region IV Championships, and four CCIW Championships. Individually, she was a four-time All-American, reaching the national finals and finishing as the runner-up at 131 pounds at the National Collegiate Women’s Wrestling Championships in 2025. She is also a multiple-time USA Wrestling All-American and was the runner-up at USA Wrestling’s U23 World Team Trials at 57kg in 2026. She is currently ranked third in the United States at 55kg and holds a spot on the Senior National Team. She will represent Team USA at the U23 World Championships in the fall of 2026.

A four-time NWCA Scholar All-American, Sterner graduated in the spring of 2026 with a degree in Sociology.