Following in her mom’s footsteps, senior Sadie Witten has committed to Yale University to continue her gymnastics career on the Division I collegiate level.
Witten has dedicated her life to the sport since she was only 3 years old.
“My parents put me in it because my mom did gymnastics in college,” Witten said. “What keeps me motivated is knowing that this has been my goal since I was little and growing up watching gymnastics on TV has always kept it in the forefront of my mind.”
Witten is a Level 10 gymnast, the highest level in youth gymnastics. She has had two national appearances, winning first place at Eastern Nationals in 2023 as a Level 9 gymnast and going to Nationals in 2024 as a Level 10 gymnast. Witten moved to the Gymnastics Academy of Atlanta in 2021 under coach Jacobo Giron where she began to work toward becoming a collegiate athlete.
“[Her commitment] didn’t happen right away, as she came with some problems we needed to work and fix, but she accommodated very quickly, and a few months after she moved, I had no doubt she could definitely compete at college level,” Giron said.
Witten was looking toward the Ivy League since the beginning of her recruitment process for the balanced athletics and strong academics.
“Basically, from the beginning of the recruiting process, the Ivies were on my radar, and I was on theirs,” Witten said. “I always knew it was the right place for me athletically because, while being D1, they’re on the “lower” end of the gymnastics programs. This was kind of my target area anyways, so it was a great athletic fit.”
Before entering the recruiting process, Witten wasn’t focused on the Ivies due to the intensive academics but changed her opinion after experiencing the programs.
“Academically, I was pretty dead set on not going to an Ivy for a long time because I felt like I ‘wasn’t the Ivy League type’,” Witten said. “However, once I talked to the girls and met the coaches, I knew that I could definitely manage the workload and academic rigor.”
The recruiting process is intensive, but Witten managed well between her athletics and current academics.
“I’ve always had pretty good time management, mostly because I’ve spent such a large portion of my life at the gym; so, I didn’t really struggle much with managing the workloads for both recruiting and school,” Witten said. “I will say though, I did try to schedule one day a week, usually Sundays, to send out videos, emails and texts for recruiting, which made the weekdays less stressful because I didn’t have to worry as much about getting in touch with coaches during the week.”
Witten’s former teammate, Emma Coffin, has seen her grow and progress through her recruitment process.
“Sadie is truly a special athlete,” Coffin said. “I believe her perseverance and enthusiasm for progress sets her apart from many others. She influences others around her by her infectious passion and tenacity; when you see someone working as hard as Sadie does, it’s impossible to not be encouraged.”
Witten ultimately decided Yale was the best fit for her.
“Of course the fact that it’s an Ivy automatically put that into my mind, but I think what stood out the most was how welcoming the team and the coaches felt, I could really just see myself there, fitting in well and enjoying my time,” Witten said.
Giron believes Witten’s personal strengths are a strong match for Yale.
“Sadie knew what she wanted and definitely worked and is still working hard for her goal to compete and represent Yale as a gymnast,” Giron said. “Her work ethic is on point, and she has been a great role model for our younger gymnasts. Sadie is such a smart girl that Yale will definitely help her be the professional she wants to be.”
Coffin believes Witten will leave a lasting impact on her younger teammates and continue to be an inspiration.
“Being Sadie’s teammate, and more importantly, friend, for the past few seasons, l am confident she will succeed and lead by example, and her positivity only betters those around her,” Coffin said.
