Sara Lungren Walkup
Born: Caldwell, Kansas Graduated: Caldwell High School, 2003/ Wichita State University, 2007

There are many positives to growing up in a small town.
For Sara Lungren Walkup, tiny Caldwell, Kan., with a population of just over 1,000, afforded her the opportunity to play volleyball, basketball, track, and softball during high school (2000-03). Not highly recruited by NCAA Division I schools, Wichita State liked Lungren Walkup’s versatility and signed her to a volleyball scholarship – despite her not being part of a club volleyball program. That was rare then and unheard of today.
After redshirting her first season with Shocker volleyball, Lungren Walkup quickly made a name for herself. She was honored as Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 2006 and 2007 as a junior and senior.
An outside hitter, she was awarded MVC All Academic honors three times, including first team recognition, two times. During her collegiate career, Lungren Walkup recorded 1,269 kills (ranks seventh overall at WSU).
After being a part of Wichita State’s first NCAA Tournament in 2004 (winning the MVC Tournament that same year) and capturing three regular-season titles, Walkup Lungren was inducted into the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.
Graduating from college with her degree in Elementary Education, Lungren Walkup teaches social studies, physical education, and health at Cheney Middle School, while coaching volleyball at Cheney High School.
At Cheney, Lungren Walkup directed the volleyball team to third in the state playoffs in class 4A in 2009, second in class 3A in 2013 and 2017; and third in 2016. Lungren Walkup surpassed 400 wins in November 2021, and currently is in her 15th season coaching.
Lungren Walkup and her husband Casey have two daughters, Blakley and Brogan.
Photo Courtesy of Wichita State University