Sadie McMullen's power, strength, speed and work ethic have made her one of the most accomplished long jump/sprinters in Cowgirl track and field history.
She was looking forward to completing her collegiate career this season as a graduate student with even more impressive performances for the Brown and Gold.
But something totally unexpected got in the way of that plan.
The 2026 Olympic Games in Italy, not as a track and field athlete, but as a bobsledder!
"Believe me, bobsledding was not on my radar," she says of her improbable road to earning a spot on the USA Bobsled 2024-25 World Cup Team.
But under the category of, 'you never know', that's exactly where she finds herself.
Instead of her collegiate track and field career at Wyoming ending in late spring she will be competing in the bobsled World Cup, joining the team in Europe in late December following the fall academic year. The World Cup will be taking her to places like Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Norway.  The World Cup Championship will be at Lake Placid, N.Y., a great opportunity for her family to see her compete.
Sadie can thank associate head coach and jumps coach Quincy Howe for this exciting and totally unique journey.  He initially planted the bobsled idea with Sadie.
"USA Bobsled/Skeleton typically sends inquiries to track and field coaches looking for candidates," says Howe. "Many track and field athletes have transitioned to bobsledding because their abilities and training fit perfectly with the sport." 
Nine of Sadie's teammates have competed in collegiate or professional track and field prior to their time with USA Bobsled/Skeleton.
"With her raw numbers I knew she was in the upper performance percentile that they were looking for," Howe says.  "While she was focused on having a strong senior season I knew she felt like she had some unfinished business with us, I felt that this would be attractive to her long term. What about after college, knowing that her competitive fire, that itch would still be there once her Wyoming career was over, what then? So we had some talks about it, and I even leaned on her a little bit to take a look at this opportunity."
Sadie was definitely interested, but certainly unsure. "I didn't have a clue about the bobsled world," she says.  "But Quincy, who I have the utmost respect for, convinced me that I had the numbers that they were looking for.  He really wanted me to grab this opportunity. After thinking about it a lot, I finally decided why not give it a try and experience something totally different, something that might keep me competing long after college."
Based on her numbers involving strength and speed, McMullen was invited to the U.S. Bobsled Combine Camp in Salt Lake City last August.  What the USA coaches saw at the combine impressed them enough to invite her to their bobsled rookie camp in Lake Placid, N.Y.  After spending three weeks there she was selected to be one of six "push" athletes as part of the USA Bobsled World Cup team.  She is a member of the two-person sleds, a pilot and a pusher.
"I knew once they saw her they would be impressed with her," Howe says proudly.  "Her athleticism, her acceleration and strength are exceptional.  Her work ethic and her presence are special.  I knew they would love her."
Howe was right, the team has four female pilots and six brake-persons/pushers among four sleds.  Depending on how many sleds qualify, McMullen could be headed for the XXV Olympic Winter Games February 6-22, 2026, in Milano-Cortina Italy.
"I've been drinking from a firehose that's for sure," she says. "I was starting from step one.  While I have enjoyed the experience, and really like the people involved, it was a very difficult decision for me to forego my last season at Wyoming."
Sadie did have one condition when making the team.  She wanted to finish her graduate degree (kinesiology and health science), and the Committee agreed to her missing the first two races of the World Cup season.  The Cup tour begins Dec. 7, and she will not be joining the team until late December.  Her last event as a Cowgirl track athlete will be the annual Power Meet Dec. 7 at the Hager-LeBar Indoor Track & Field Venue at War Memorial Fieldhouse.
In the meantime she will continue training for both track and the bobsled with Howe and track and field's strength and conditioning coach, Josh Little until she leaves Dec. 28. The track and bobsled workout regimens are very similar, both events lend themselves to each other.
"Sadie has one of the best work ethics I've ever been around," Howe says.  "Her desire, her willingness to sacrifice to accomplish what she wants is unparalleled. I would say she has had a meteoric rise in the sport because of all she brings.  In talking with her coaches it sounds like she has a real shot at being highly successful." 
Sadie laughs about how simple her job is. "The sled weighs 280 pounds, and in my position as a brake-woman/pusher I have to push as hard as I can for 45 meters, then I get in, hold on, and pray!"
She is relatively young in the bobsled world.  "Elana Meyers Taylor is the veteran," Sadie says. "She has experienced 22 World Cup tours.  She took me under her wing, and I really appreciate how much she has helped me.  I would say the pilots range from age 27-28 and up to the early-to-mid 30's."
Thus far this could not have worked out better for her.  "You know so many of us think about what's next after collegiate athletics.  We don't want to just stop competing.  Competition is what drives us.  This experience is so cool because it gives me an end goal to work on.  I was going to be up in the air after the season, if this opportunity had not come along.  I had thought about competing in track professionally, but I just wasn't sure.  Now I definitely have something to work at, and compete for."
Sadie had even thought about being a whitewater rafting guide which is what her dad, Todd, does.  That may be down the road for her someday anyway.  She loves it.
McMullen qualified for the NCAA West First Round last outdoor season in the long jump and competed in sprints throughout the year.  She currently holds the No. 2 indoor and No. 3 outdoor long jump marks in Cowgirl history.
Her family has a small ranch near Morrison, Colo.  Todd, her mother, Wendy, and brother, Sean, are understandably thrilled for her. "They are super excited," she says.  "They came to see me during the selection races, and they are planning to come to the world championship at Lake Placid."
A superior student, Sadie is working on a master's in bio-mechanics and wanted to finish before going off to the World Cup circuit. "My coaches were fully supportive of me finishing school."
Coaching could be a future possibility as well. "I came to Wyoming because of Quincy Howe, the small town and the exceptional kinesiology program," she says. "Wyoming has been unbelievably good to me and for me.  But I respect Quincy so much, I would enjoy giving to young athletes what he has given to me.
"I'm really proud of what I have been able to do here," she continues.  Making the podium at the conference meet, and placing high at some big meets are proud moments for me.  I'm especially very proud of earning Academic All-America honors.
"But I will remember most the people of Wyoming, my teammates, coaches and professors. I will never forget my teammates and how we were there for each other, pushing each other and being there when things weren't going so well.  I also will always appreciate and be thankful for my FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) mentors."
We're not going to forget you, either, Sadie for what you've accomplished at Wyoming, and for what you are about to accomplish for your country.  It will be fantastic to see you in Italy!