Bio

Sarah Apgar attended Scripps Ranch High School from 2003 to 2005 where she received numerous academic and athletic awards as well as recognition for being one of the top high school runners in the State of California. She helped her team to the 2003 league championship in cross country while receiving the Breithard Certificate of Athletic Achievement for the 2003 Women’s Cross Country All City Western League Team. She was selected the league’s MVP in 2004 and 2005. She lettered in 2003 & 2004 in cross country and 2004 and 2005 in track and field. Her personal bests in high school were 5:11 for the mile and 18:45 for the 5K.

But Sarah’s drive for excellence extended beyond the cross country course and the track. Notably, she was selected to the League’s All-Academic First Team in 2005, the San Diego Union/Tribune’s All-Academic Teams in both cross country and track during the 2003, 2004 & 2005 seasons. A natural competitor, Sarah was both a winner in the classroom and as an athlete.

In 2005, Sarah enrolled at Southwestern College and graduated with an Associate Degree in Business Management in 2007. Sarah competed in intercollegiate cross country and track for the SWC Jaguars. It was a winning combination from start to finish.

In cross country, she led the team to thePacific Coast Conference (PCC) Championships in both 2005 and 2006 by placing first as an individual runner. Because of this, she was selected the PCC’s Outstanding Cross Country Athlete both in 2005 and 2006. In addition, she received the College’s 2005 Jaguar award for MVP in cross country, the 2006 Pride Award and MVP award for the season, as well as receiving the Female Athlete of the Year award for cross country—2005-06 and 2006-07. Individually, Sarah placed second in the California Community College Cross Country Championship in 2005 and first in 2006—the first female runner in SWC’s history to win an individual state championship.

In addition to her Cross Country success, as a freshman distance runner in Track & Field, Sarah was 2006 SOCAL champ in the 1500 meter with a time of 4:41.93. She went on to the California State Championship meet and won the 5,000 meter in 18:17.70 and finished 2nd in the 1500 meter in a time of 4:47.19.

As a sophomore, Sarah continued her winning ways. At the SOCAL meet, Sarah once again won the 1500 meter in a time of 4:35.90 (a six-second improvement from previous year), she also placed 3rd in the 5000 meter in a time of 18:14.34 (a three-second improvement from the previous year). At the California State Championship meet, Sarah duplicated her results of SOCAL, taking 1st in the 1500 meter in a time of 4:37.63 and 3rd in the 5000 meter.

As a result of her outstanding accomplishments, in 2007, she also received the MVP award in track. She still holds the Southwestern College’s 1500 meter and 5000 meter distance records.

Consequently, Sarah received a full-ride scholarship to attend California State University, Long Beach in 2007 and competed in both cross country and track for the university. In 2010, she received a B.A. in Business Administration with a major in accounting.

Her excellence in athletics continued. While competing at the NCAA Division I Level for Long Beach, she won the 1500 meter race at the State Championships in 2008 and came in second in the 5000 meter race.

Sarah was selected: All-Conference 2007 “Big West” track team, the Century Club Long Beach Player of the Year in cross country and track in 2008; and was chosen as the MVP in cross country and track for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. Her personal bests at CSU, Long Beach were 4:33 for the mile and 16:52 for the 5000 meters.

Sarah’s family consists of her husband Raul Sigala; parents, Lloyd and Rosa Apgar; and, siblings: Noah, Gabriela and Elizabeth. Since 2010, Sarah has been working in the business field for a number of companies with hopes of obtaining an auditing or accounting position with opportunity for growth and advancement. With her hard work ethic and competitive spirit, there is no doubt Sarah will realize her business goals.

Sarah’s best memories of Southwestern College include running away from her coach, Dr. Duro Agbede, as he rode his bicycle next to the team during practice. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t catch her. Her other best memory was the fun she had traveling with the team to away contests.

Congratulations Sarah Apgar Sigala for your unparalleled achievements on the cross country course, on the track and in the academic classroom. It is a distinct honor to induct you into the Southwestern College Athletic Hall of Fame, Class of 2013.