Massachusets shtatining Natik shahrida John va Linda Whalen oilasida tugʻilgan Sara singlisi Debora bilan Nyu-Yorkning Greenlawn shahrida oʻsgan va yahudiydir<ref>[{{Veb manbasi |sarlavha=„A TALK WITH / Soccer Player Sara Whalen / She Gets a Kick Out of Being the Best / Sara Whalenʼs had a year of highs since the World Cup victory“ {{!}} ''Newsday'' |url=https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/a-talk-with-soccer-player-sara-whalen-she-gets-a-kick-out-of-being-the-best-sara-whalen-s-had-a-year-of-highs-since-the-world-cup-victory-1.477810 „A|kirish TALKsanasi=2022-08-12 WITH|arxivsana=2018-07-05 |arxivurl=https:/ Soccer Player Sara Whalen / She Gets web.archive.org/web/20180705151951/https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/a Kick Out -talk-with-soccer-player-sara-whalen-she-gets-a-kick-out-of Being -being-the Best / Sara Whalenʼs -best-sara-whalen-s-had-a-year-of-highs-since-the-world-cup-victory-1.477810 World Cup victory“ | ''Newsday'']}}</ref><ref name="soccertimes1">{{Veb manbasi|url=http://www.soccertimes.com/usteams/roster/women/whalen.htm|sarlavha=Soccer profile: Sara Whalen|nashriyot=SoccerTimes|kirish sanasi=December 23, 2010|arxivurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20001206174500/http://soccertimes.com/usteams/roster/women/whalen.htm|arxivsana=December 6, 2000}}</ref><ref>{{Veb manbasi|url=http://www.jewishsports.net/medalists.htm|sarlavha=Jewish Olympic Medalists|nashriyot=Jewishsports.net|kirish sanasi=December 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Veb manbasi|url=http://www.jewishsports.org/jewishsports/detail.asp?sp=209|sarlavha=Jewish Sports Hall of Fame|nashriyot=Jewishsports.org|sana=March 25, 2001|kirish sanasi=December 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Kitob manbasi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dAq4TGQsWwwC&q=Sara+Whalen+jewish+soccer&pg=PA340|title=Day by day in Jewish sports history|isbn=9780881259698|accessdate=December 23, 2010|last=Wechsler|first=Bob|year=2008}}</ref>. U oʻz shahridagi Harborfild oʻrta maktabida oʻqigan, u yerda u sprinter sifatida futbol, basketbol va trek bilan shugʻullangan.
Whalen Konnektikut universitetini psixologiya boʻyicha tamomlagan. U Fordham universitetida psixologiya boʻyicha magistr darajasini va Fairleigh Dickinson universitetida doktorlik darajasini oldi<ref name="autogenerated2">[https://www.self.com/story/sara-whalen-hess-career-ending-crisis-meaningful-new-life-path „How Soccer Star Sara Whalen Hess Turned Crisis Into Opportunity“ | ''SELF'']</ref><ref>{{Veb manbasi|sarlavha=Where Are They Now: U.S. WNT Defender Sara Whalen|url=http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Centennial/03/Where-Are-They-Now-Sara-Whalen.aspx|nashriyot=United States Soccer Federation|kirish sanasi=December 25, 2013|sana=March 15, 2013|arxivurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226082026/http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Centennial/03/Where-Are-They-Now-Sara-Whalen.aspx|arxivsana=December 26, 2013}}</ref>.
=== Konnektikut Huskies ===
Konnektikut universitetida u Huskies ayollar futbol jamoasining himoyachisi va hujumchisi edi. Konnektikutda futbol oʻynaganida, Whalen uch karra Butunamerikalik boʻlgan va 1997-yilda NSCAA 1-divizionida yilning eng yaxshi milliy oʻyinchisi boʻlgan, shuningdek, 1990-yillardagi Futbol Amerikaning oʻn yillikdagi kollej jamoasiga kiritilgan<ref>[https://today.uconn.edu/2017/11/len-tsantiris-retires-37-years-head-womens-soccer-coach/ „Len Tsantiris Retires After 37 Years as Head Womenʼs Soccer Coach“ — ''UConn Today'']</ref>. U 1997-yilgi NCAA Final Four yarim finalida Notr Damga qarshi oʻyinda ikkala golni ham urdi, chunki Konnektikut 2-1 hisobida gʻalaba qozonib, ilgari magʻlub boʻlmagan irlandiyaliklarni magʻlub etib, NCAA ayollar futboli tarixidagi eng katta xafagarchiliklardan birini qayd etdi<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=dAq4TGQsWwwC&pg=PA340&dq=%22Sara+Whalen%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjixLmt64fcAhVTHDQIHTcwDPEQ6AEINTAC#v=onepage&q=%22Sara%20Whalen%22&f=false ''Day by Day in Jewish Sports History'' — Bob Wechsler]</ref>. Whalen 1995 va 1996-yillarda Sharqning eng yaxshi himoyachisi boʻlgan, u oʻzining katta mavsumida hujumchi oʻynashdan oldin oʻz jamoasini gol urish uchun 21 ta gol va 22 ta golli uzatmani qayd etgan<ref name="soccertimes1">{{Veb manbasi|url=http://www.soccertimes.com/usteams/roster/women/whalen.htm|sarlavha=Soccer profile: Sara Whalen|nashriyot=SoccerTimes|kirish sanasi=December 23, 2010|arxivurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20001206174500/http://soccertimes.com/usteams/roster/women/whalen.htm|arxivsana=December 6, 2000}}</ref>. UConndagi soʻnggi mavsumida Whalen Hermann va MAC Trophy finalchilari deb topildi. U shuningdek, mamlakatning eng yaxshi futbolchisi sifatida Honda Sports mukofotini qoʻlga kiritdi<ref>{{Veb manbasi|url=https://issuu.com/uconnhuskies/docs/2010_media_guide_with_updates_and_covers|sarlavha=2010 UConn Women's Soccer Guide|ish=Issuu|til=en|kirish sanasi=2020-03-20}}</ref><ref>{{Veb manbasi|url=https://www.collegiatewomensportsawards.com/archives/soccer|sarlavha=Soccer|ish=CWSA|til=en|kirish sanasi=2020-03-29}}</ref>. U kollejdagi faoliyatini 23 gol va 43 golli uzatma bilan yakunladi. Ular uning 8-raqamli formasini isteʼfoga chiqarishdi.
