A member of the first varsity softball team in the history of Illinois athletics, Sarah Baumgartner has risen from walk-on to scholarship athlete to her new position as the deputy director of athletics at Big Ten opponent Rutgers. The Wheaton native spearheaded a wildly successful fundraising effort for the Scarlet Knights in her previous role as senior associate athletic director for development, cementing her status as one of the rising stars in athletic administration. Baumgartner, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the UI in 2004 and a master’s in sports administration in 2005, caught up with our Marcus Jackson to talk about her new role and the Illini:
How’s the new gig treating you?