Shippensburg head swimming coach Tim Verge has announced that Carlisle native and former Penn State standout Sarah Haupt has been named assistant swimming coach. The Trinity High School graduate will pursue her master's in Community Counseling at Shippensburg this fall as a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate scholarship recipient.

"Landing Sarah Haupt as our assistant is one of the best things that has happened to our program since my time here," said Verge. "She is one of the finest student-athletes to ever come out of the mid-state. Her understanding of what it takes to get to the next level is a tremendous asset for our team. She is very excited and our kids will love her."

As an assistant, Haupt will work with both the men's and women's swimming programs that finished third and fifth, respectively, at the 2006 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Swimming Championships. The Red Raiders finished the season ranked No. 17 in Division II by collegeswimming.com while the Lady Raiders were ranked at No. 18.

Haupt was a three-time All-American, nine-time Big Ten Champion and five-time Big Ten record holder for the Nittany Lions. This past year, she helped lead the Penn State women's swimming and diving team to its second consecutive Big Ten championship, earning her fourth All-Big Ten First Team honor after the Big Ten individual title in the 100 backstroke. Haupt also made her fourth appearance at the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, capturing 14th in the 100 backstroke and 13th in the 400 medley relay to garner All-American honorable mention status. She currently holds the school and Big Ten record in the 100 backstroke was part of the 400 medley relay team that holds the school and Big Ten records.

As a result of her work in the classroom, Haupt was the 41st student-athlete at Penn State to be a recipient of a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship and third member of the Nittany Lion women's swimming and diving program to receive the honor. The NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship Committee awarded her a $7,500 grant for a part-time or full-time postgraduate study at the university or professional school of her choice. She graduated from Penn State in May with a baccalaureate degree in psychology and a 3.6 grade point average.

Haupt was also a recipient of the 2006 Ernest B. McCoy Memorial Award, presented annually to one senior female and male student-athlete who has combined successful athletic participation with academic excellence. A four-time CSCAA Academic All-American and ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Women's At-Large Second Team honoree this year, she also received the Medal of Honor from the Big Ten, given annually to a student in the graduating class of each university that demonstrated proficiency in scholarship and athletics.

While at Penn State, Haupt worked as a research assistant for the Health and Human Development College during her junior year and as a senior, worked as a research assistant for the Psychology department. She also volunteered with Penn State's LifeLink and "Penn" Pal program that enables student-athletes to correspond with elementary and middle school students, giving them the opportunity to tour the campus, visit college classes and interact with student-athletes.

Upon receiving her master's from Shippensburg, Haupt has aspirations of counseling adolescents and children.