Tracing a line of success: Sarah Blanding to Sydney McLaughlin

In celebration of the University of Kentucky’s 160th anniversary, this summer series spotlights trailblazing alumni who have made history both on campus and beyond — and, ultimately, paved the way for future generations to follow. From sports and health care to the world of art, their stories reflect the enduring legacy of the Big Blue Nation.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 26, 2025) — A Kentucky native from a small farm near Lexington with a restless mind and ambitions, Sarah Gibson Blanding is one of the most remarkable names that reveals the power of Kentucky in paving the way for a national legacy. 

In 1923, Blanding was one of the few female students to graduate from the New Haven Normal School of Gymnastics at UK — a place where she soon agreed to teach and attend more classes.  

As a trailblazer and one the most pivotal female voices on and off campus, Blanding became the instructor of physical education at the university as well as an assistant professor of political science.  

For 17 years, Blanding served as the dean of women at UK, giving voice to women through the everlasting power of education.  

Blanding’s self-starter spirit had never been timid and was ready to flourish in 1941, when she moved away from Kentucky. After decades of service to UK students and faculty, Blanding expanded her leadership experience, becoming the dean of the New York State College of Home Economics at Cornell University. 

Blanding also earned her master’s degree at Columbia University in 1926 and studied at the London School of Economics, sharing the same space as Winston Churchill’s deputy prime minister Harold Laski. 

Five years later, she was president of Vassar College, a position she held until her retirement in 1964. 

Blanding’s legacy and administration as the first female president of Vassar was documented by The New York Times when she died, March 4, 1985. 

A little girl from Kentucky who grew up playing on a farm becoming a trailblazing woman was worth more than headlines.  

Following the same trajectory of not setting circumstances as her limits, Sydney McLaughlin from New Jersey represents one of the most recent national success stories with UK ties.  

In 2017, UK became the home of one of the most decorated high school track and field athletes in the country who, just one year later, would turn professional.  

Prior to arriving at UK, McLaughlin — at age 16 — had already become the youngest American Olympian since 1976. She competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics where she broke a series of world records, feats which had become a habit in her athletics career. 

During her time as a UK student, McLaughlin also set a new junior world record of 40.36 seconds in the 400 meters at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.  

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, McLaughlin set another world record in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, taking home two gold medals. 

McLaughlin became a synonym for resilience in sports and UK was a launchpad in the life of a young woman passionate about taking new routes. 

In 2022, McLaughlin became the World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year for achievements that run beyond borders. 

Paris 2024 represented one more year where McLaughlin could showcase to the world what was “Running from Fear to Faith,” part of the title of her book, “Far Beyond Gold.” Published at the beginning of 2024, the words represent a set stone on which she stands. 

With a athletics legacy that goes back to when McLaughlin was 14, it was no surprise when members of Kentucky’s sports media voted her as the 44th winner of the Kentucky Sports Figure of the Year award. 

These are lives of women separated by only a matter of time but reconnected by the same fresh spirit.