Former Rochelle student-athlete and Athletic Hall of Famer Sarah Meadows began coaching basketball at Geneva High School nearly two decades ago. Since taking over the varsity program from Gina Nolan in 2011, Meadows has helped the Vikings become arguably the most successful team in Illinois.

Meadows has already recorded over 180 victories as the head coach at Geneva. She’s led the Vikings to seven conference championships, five regional titles, four sectional championships, three supersectionals and back-to-back state championships over the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

Her greatest achievement came this past season, when the Vikings finished 31-3 (the most wins in one season under Meadows) and successfully defended their championship against state powerhouse Montini. Her efforts were officially recognized by the National Federation of State High School Associations in November, when she was presented with the association’s Illinois State Girls Basketball Coach of the Year Award.

“It is an honor for me to receive this award,” Meadows said. “I am blessed to work in the district I do and I am blessed to work with the athletes I have. They are wonderful student-athletes… We brought back a big part of our success from the season before. We had kids step up and our kids were determined to have the same if not more success from the year before.”

Meadows began coaching Geneva’s freshman team 16 years ago before working her way up the ladder and becoming head coach of the Vikings roughly one decade later. The former Lady Hub standout graduated RTHS in 1997, and she was enshrined into the RTHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.

“I started as the freshmen ‘B’ coach and I have had the opportunity to move up within the program,” Meadows said. “I have been able to work with some of the best kids out there. I am very lucky to have the athletes and families I have, from past to present. Our kids and families really make sacrifices and they come every day and work hard and they are dedicated to what Geneva basketball is all about.”

The Vikings are currently 5-2 over their first seven games this season despite losing many of their state championship players. Meadows said that her honesty and her positivity with her students-athletes have led to consistent success within the program during her tenure.

“I try to get the very most I can out of kids,” Meadows said. “I try and build confidence in kids because I want them to be the best athlete and person they can be. After a person would watch us play for the first time, I would want them to describe us as hard working, playing with passion and always working together.”