When Sarah Bingea walked to the free throw line to seal a pivotal win against I-94 rival UW-Stout, Zorn Arena was in a frenzy. Two made shots from the charity stripe meant that the four year starter would eclipse 1,000 points for her career, something done by only 15 other Blugold women’s basketball players in the school’s history.

Bingea sank the first, and the cheers grew louder. She proceeded to calmly sink the second, and a loud standing ovation ensued, as everybody in the building was aware of the individual accomplishment she had just achieved.

Everybody but her.

For those that know Bingea, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the last thing on her mind was herself, said Tony Spanier, Bingea’s high school coach at Delano High in Delano, Minn. He said she has always been humble and never wears around the “superstar” sleeve.

“That’s part of what makes her a unique and special person,” Spanier said. “She doesn’t see herself that way.”

Instead, getting the best out of other people is what drives Bingea. She grew up as the daughter of a teacher and plans to follow in her father’s footsteps as she will become an elementary school teacher after graduation. She said she brings that teacher’s mentality with her on the basketball court.

“I want to help other girls reach their dreams and goals as well,” she said.
Playing for Spanier at Delano High, Bingea achieved the Triple “A” award, given annually to one boy and one girl in the state of Minnesota.  The award recognizes seniors who excel in athletics, academics and the community in which they live.  It is arguably the top honor for a high school athlete in the state of Minnesota.

When UW-Eau Claire women’s head basketball coach Tonja Englund was recruiting her out high school, she knew she was getting the ultimate package that would fit the exact mold of
her program.

“She’s not only a great basketball player, she’s a great person and she is a great student,” Englund said.  “That’s what we look for in our program is that triple threat.”

Bingea’s commitment to being great has motivated her throughout her playing days. She does it all for the team, and her unselfishness on the floor has been on a part of her game since she was young. It’s a trait that has made Spanier think incredibly highly of her.

“She’s a coach’s dream,” Spanier said.  “She’ll do anything you ask her to without a complaint.”

She carried that team-first mentality with her to Eau Claire, as Englund has asked her to play several positions throughout her Blugold career.  She has also been asked to play a lot of minutes.  She has remarkably started every single game she has played in during her college career, and this season, in fact, she leads the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in minutes played.

This season, she was the only returning starter and had to be depended on to play a lot and also a lot of positions.

It’s something that Englund gives her a lot of credit for filling in where needed.

“She looked at our team, knew what some of our weaknesses were, and stepped in and filled some of those areas that I really thought would be a struggle for us,” Englund said.

Bingea played a huge role while captaining a Blugold team that won the WIAC and advanced to the second round of the National Tournament just a season ago. But after Eau Claire graduated 90 percent of the scoring from last season, Bingea came into this season knowing that she would have to be a strong leader for this year’s squad in which nine out of the 18 players are freshmen.

“The main thing was that I wanted the freshmen to feel comfortable coming in,” she said.

Englund said that all of the girls look up to Bingea and that she is a terrific influence for her younger players.

Bingea has not only been a great basketball player for her, but she has also served as someone to look up to and model the student athlete idea after.

Checking in with a 3.96 GPA, Bingea has all of the qualities to make a great leader, which will only serve her well as a teacher.

“She has a genuine excitement and care about everyone around her that will make her a great teacher,” Englund said.  “I’ve watched her grow into a strong female role model.”

So when fellow senior Leah Rempert had to inform her that she had just scored point number 1,000, Bingea smiled.  Not just because she had reached a milestone, but because her last game in Zorn Arena ended in team success.
“I felt like the team played so well and that’s why it was perfect,” Bingea said.