Sara DeCosta-Hayes

Sara Ann DeCosta (born May 13, 1977) is an American ice hockey player. She won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics, and a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics.

Sara DeCosta-Hayes
Born	(1977-05-13) May 13, 1977 Warwick, Rhode Island, U.S.
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	140 lb (64 kg; 10 st 0 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	Providence
National team	United States
Playing career	1995–2002
Medal record Representing  United States Women's ice hockey Olympic Games 1998 Nagano Tournament 2002 Salt Lake City Tournament IIHF World Women's Championships 2000 Canada Tournament 2001 United States Tournament

Biography

She is the daughter of Nancy and Frank DeCosta.[1] She was born in and grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island, and is Jewish.[2][3][4][5] She is an alumna of Toll Gate High School, where she played goalie on the boy's hockey team.[6] DeCosta is married, and the couple has three children.[6]

She attended Providence College ('00), where she was a hockey goalie, and allowed only 177 goals with 2,324 saves in 85 games.[7] She graduated with a degree in social science, with concentrations in sociology and psychology.[7]

She won a gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics (she had three wins, one a shutout, with a 1.59 goals-against average and a .875 save percentage) and a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics , where she had the best goals-against average and save percentage.[6][7][8]

She won a World Championship silver medal in 2000, had the best GAA (0.50) and the best SVS% (.975) at the 2001 World Championship where she again won a silver medal, and had the best GAA (1.00) and the best SVS% (.948) at the 2002 World Championship where she again won a silver medal.[8]

DeCosta was USA Hockey Women's Player of the Year in 2000.[4] In 2002-03, she was a volunteer coach for the women's hockey team at Providence.[4] She was the goaltending coach for the Harvard Crimson women's ice hockey team in 2008-09.[4][8]

DeCosta was named by Brandeis University, a contemporary Jewish sports heroine.[9][10]

Awards and honors

• 2000 and 2002 USA Hockey Women's Player of the Year Award (also known as the Bob Allen Women's Player of the Year award) [11]
• 2004 - inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.[12]
• 2018 - inducted into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame.[10]

See also

• List of select Jewish ice hockey players

References

1. "Document Title". www.jwen.com. Retrieved Apr 25, 2019.
2. DeCosta, Sara: Jews In Sports
3. Goldman, David J. (Jan 1, 2014). Jewish Sports Stars: Athletic Heroes Past and Present. Kar-Ben. p. 74. Retrieved Apr 25, 2019 – via Internet Archive. Sara DeCosta.
4. "Sara DeCosta Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved Apr 25, 2019.
5. Wechsler, Bob (Apr 25, 2008). "Day by Day in Jewish Sports History". KTAV Publishing House, Inc. Retrieved Apr 25, 2019 – via Google Books.
6. Elsworth, Peter C. T. "R.I.'s Sara DeCosta-Hayes, ex-hockey Olympian, works out to stay fit and have fun / Gallery". providencejournal.com. Retrieved Apr 25, 2019.
7. "For love of the game: Olympic medalist Sara DeCosta-Hayes '00". PC News. Retrieved Apr 25, 2019.
8. "Sara DeCosta at eliteprospects.com". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved Apr 25, 2019.
9. "Contributions of long-overlooked Jewish sports heroines finally recognized" (PDF). Brandeis University. The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute. Retrieved 12 September 2009.
10. Fontaine, Pete. "RI Hockey Hall of Fame to honor six inductees". Johnston Sun Rise. Retrieved Apr 25, 2019.
11. "Annual Awards - Through the Years". USA Hockey. Archived from the original on 13 January 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
12. "Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame: Sara DeCosta (Hayes), Inducted 2004". Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2020-02-03.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com