Sara Puthoff (2009) - Hall of Fame - Bowling Green State University Athletics

Sara Puthoff

Induction:
2009
Class:
1998

(women’s basketball; 1994-98)

Sara Puthoff, a native of Chickasaw, Ohio, was a stellar scorer for coach Jaci Clark’s Falcons. She scored 1,678 points in the Brown and Orange, the second-most in school history at the time of her graduation.

Puthoff earned some sort of major MAC award in each of her four years at BGSU. The MAC Freshman of the year in 1994-95, she was a second-team all-league selection in her sophomore year, before earning All-MAC First-Team honors in both her junior and senior seasons.

Puthoff averaged 12.4 points as a freshman, finishing 11th in the nation in three-point field-goal percentage (42.7%). She shattered the existing three-point records at the time, and also shot nearly 85 percent from the free-throw line.

In her sophomore year, Puthoff led the Falcons with 15.5 points per game, ranking second in the MAC. She set the school record for three-point attempts in a season, and also earned the AT&T Long Distance Award for the month of January, holding the best 3-point pct. of any Division I player in the country during that month. A two-time MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week that season, Puthoff earned Academic All-MAC First-Team and GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-District Second-Team honors.

As a junior in 1996-97, Puthoff averaged 16.1 ppg, ranking fifth in the MAC. She became only the fourth junior in school history to surpass the 1,000-plateau, and she led the entire nation in free-throw accuracy (89.7%), sinking 130-of-145 shots from the stripe. Puthoff earned a pair of MAC Player-of-the-Week awards, with her second coming after back-to-back 30-point games, vs. Toledo and Ohio. In the UT game, Puthoff scored 28 points in the second half alone, en route to a 32-point effort vs. the arch-rival Rockets. She again earned Academic All-MAC honors.

In 1997-98, Puthoff averaged 16.3 points en route to her second-straight all-conference first-team selection. She was named to the All-District 4 First Team as well as the GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team. In addition to scoring, Puthoff led the team in steals and three-pointers made and attempted. Her 26 double-digit scoring games that year included 11 games of 20 or more points. Puthoff helped the Falcons to 21 wins and a berth in the WNIT in that senior season.

For her career, Puthoff scored in double digits in 86 of her 111 games, including 35 games of at least 20 points. She left school as the second-leading scorer in BGSU history, and averaged 15.1 ppg in her career. Puthoff also finished as the BGSU career leader in free-throw percentage (353-for-416; 84.9%), three-point field goals made (173) and attempted (453). In addition to points, she was second in BG history in points per game and field goals attempted, third in field goals made and fifth in three-point pct.

Through the 2008-09 season, Puthoff still ranks third all-time in scoring at BGSU, and is second in three-pointers made. Puthoff also ranks second in field goals attempted and third in free-throw pct., and remains in the BGSU career top-10 on several other lists as well.

After receiving her undergraduate degree in 1998, Puthoff remained at BGSU for graduate school, earning a Master’s degree in Developmental Kinesiology in 2000. She opened a health and fitness club, Ultimate Health and Fitness in Maria Stein, Ohio, and is a corrective exercise specialist and a licensed massage therapist there.