Wrestlers · Career complete
Sara Fulp-Allen
3x Women's College Nationals champion for Menlo; 2005 U.S. Open champion at 48 kg; 3rd at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Trials
El Granada, CA · Half Moon Bay HS · Menlo College
By Joe Spisak, Pennsylvania state champion and 4x NCAA qualifier at Virginia · Published September 28, 2026
Sara Fulp-Allen wrestled for Half Moon Bay High School in California. She is the older daughter of Lee Allen, a two-time Olympian and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Greco-Roman coach. She won three straight California girls' state titles and the USGWA girls' high school national title in 2002 and 2003.
At Menlo College, coached by her father, she won the first Women's College Nationals at 48 kg, about 106 pounds, as a freshman in 2004. She also won the 2004 Pan American Championships in Guatemala City, pinning both opponents. At the 2004 Olympic Team Trials she lost the challenge tournament final to Clarissa Chun of the Gator Wrestling Club in overtime and placed third.
She won again at 48 kg in 2005 on Menlo's home mats in Atherton and won the U.S. Open. At the Junior World Championships in Vilnius, Lithuania, she won three matches before losing the final to a Russian 2004 Olympian. She added a bronze at the World University Games in Izmir, Turkey.
As a senior in 2007 she moved up to 51 kg for the nationals at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. She beat her younger sister, Katherine, a Menlo freshman, in the semifinals and won the title. She and Alaina Berube of the University of the Cumberlands became the first three-time women's college national champions.
She made seven U.S. National Teams and lived at the Olympic Training Center from 2007 to 2012. In February 2008 she pinned Chun in the Dave Schultz Memorial International final. At the Olympic Trials in Las Vegas that June, Chun won their semifinal and she took third again. In July she took silver at the University World Championships in Greece.
Now known as Sara Bahoura, she coached three U.S. boys at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China.
She lives in Virginia and serves on the Virginia Wrestling Association's executive council as vice president for women's outreach, growing the girls' and women's side of the sport in the state.
Results
| Season | Level | Event | Weight | Place | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Age group | FILA Junior and Cadet Nationals | 46 kg | 1st | National champion in both the Junior and Cadet divisions. She also placed fifth at the U.S. Open that year. |
| 2002 | Age group | Junior Nationals, Fargo | 101 lb | 2nd | Runner-up at the national championships in Fargo, North Dakota. |
| 2003 | High school | USGWA Girls High School Nationals | 1st | Her second straight USGWA girls' high school national title, after 2002, in her senior year at Half Moon Bay. She also won three straight California girls' state titles. | |
| 2004 | College | Women's College Nationals, Marshall, Mo. | 48 kg | 1st | As a freshman at the first women's college national tournament, hosted by Missouri Valley College. |
| 2004 | Senior | Pan American Championships, Guatemala City | 48 kg | 1st | 2-0. She won both of her pool matches by fall. |
| 2004 | Senior | U.S. Olympic Team Trials | 48 kg | 3rd | Seeded third in the challenge tournament, she lost its final to Clarissa Chun (Gator WC) 5-3 in overtime. The first of two third-place finishes at the Olympic Team Trials. |
| 2005 | College | Women's College Nationals, Atherton, Calif. | 48 kg | 1st | As a sophomore, on Menlo College's home mats. |
| 2005 | Senior | U.S. Open | 48 kg | 1st | Won as a college sophomore. |
| 2005 | Age group | Junior World Championships, Vilnius | 48 kg | 2nd | 3-1. She beat Lyudmila Balushka (Ukraine), Yuki Katafuchi (Japan) and Cristina Croitoru (Romania), then lost the final 0-3, 0-3 to a Russian 2004 Olympian. |
| 2005 | Age group | World University Games, Izmir | 48 kg | 3rd | Bronze medal. |
| 2007 | College | Women's College Nationals, Forest Grove, Ore. | 51 kg | 1st | As a senior, at Pacific University. She beat her sister Katherine (Menlo) in the semifinals. Her third title made her, with Alaina Berube (Cumberlands), one of the first two three-time women's college national champions. |
| 2008 | Senior | Dave Schultz Memorial International, Colorado Springs | 48 kg | 1st | 4-0. She pinned Clarissa Chun (Sunkist Kids) in the final and was named the women's freestyle Outstanding Wrestler. |
| 2008 | Senior | U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Las Vegas | 48 kg | 3rd | 3-1. She pinned Emily Martin (Blackwidow Wrestling Club) in 1:17, lost the semifinal to Clarissa Chun (Sunkist Kids) in three periods, beat Alyssa Lampe (Sunkist Kids) for third place, then beat Mary Kelly (New York AC) in the true third-place match. |
| 2008 | Age group | University World Championships, Greece | 48 kg | 2nd | Silver medal. Her sister Katherine won gold at 51 kg at the same championships. |
What we could not confirm
Anything not on this page, a high school record, a final score, a season, was left out because no primary source stated it when this was written. If you have a bracket, a program, or a clipping, send it to the operator, Joe Spisak, at joe@spisak.co and the page gets the number.
Sources
- https://www.themat.com/news/2017/february/11/sara-fulp-allen-is-first-three-time-womens-college-national-champion · USA Wrestling, February 2017. The story of Menlo College's three-time women's college champion: her 2004 and 2005 titles, the 2005 U.S. Open title at 48 kg, her 2007 title at Pacific University, her married name Sara Bahoura, her coaching at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games and her work for girls' wrestling in Virginia.
- https://nwhof.org/news/wrestling-milestone-ten-years-of-womens-college-national-wrestling-tournaments · National Wrestling Hall of Fame, January 2013. The champions of every women's college national tournament from 2004, with Sara Fulp-Allen of Menlo at 48 kg in 2004 and 2005 and at 51 kg in 2007, and she and Alaina Berube as the first three-time champions.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2014/february/14/family-and-wrestling-katherine-fulp-allen · USA Wrestling, February 2014. Her father Lee Allen was a two-time Olympian in 1956 and 1960. Sara Fulp-Allen was a seven-time U.S. National Team member, a U.S. Open champion, third at the Olympic Trials in 2004 and 2008 and silver medalist at 48 kg at the 2008 University World Championships.
- https://hmbhsathletics.com/page/2013-hall-of-fame-inductees · Half Moon Bay High School Athletic Hall of Fame, 2013 class. Class of 2003, four years on the team, three straight California girls' state titles, USGWA girls' high school national titles in 2002 and 2003, her age-group results and her senior and international record.
- https://menloathletics.com/honors/hall-of-fame/sara-bahoura-fulp-allen-/9 · Menlo College Athletic Hall of Fame, 2019. Class of 2007 and the first women's wrestling inductee: three national titles, three years as team captain, 2007 co-Female Athlete of the Year, the 2005 Junior Worlds silver, the 2008 Dave Schultz title and seven U.S. National Teams.
- https://menloathletics.com/sports/womens-wrestling/roster/sara-fulp-allen/2070 · Menlo College 2004-05 women's wrestling roster. Sara Fulp-Allen, listed as a sophomore from Half Moon Bay, California, in the 105.5-pound class.
- https://tech-fall.com/2008INT/08OTResults.html · Tech-Fall results, 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas. Third at 48 kg for the New York Athletic Club, with every match score.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2008/may/19/2008-u-s--olympic-team-trials--18442 · USA Wrestling, May 2008. The Olympic Team Trials qualifiers at 48 kg, listing Sara Fulp-Allen of Colorado Springs and the New York Athletic Club as third at the U.S. Nationals.
- https://www.virginiawrestling.com/about · Virginia Wrestling Association executive council. Sara Bahoura (Fulp-Allen) serves as Member at Large and Vice President of Women's Outreach.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2004/may/07/fulp-allen-wins-gold--nine-oth-9839 · USA Wrestling, May 2004. Sara Fulp-Allen of El Granada, California, and Menlo College won the Pan American Championships in Guatemala City at 48 kg, winning both pool matches by fall.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2004/may/20/women-s-freestyle-seeds---2004-9945 · USA Wrestling, May 2004. The 2004 Olympic Team Trials challenge tournament seeds at 48 kg, with Sara Fulp-Allen of El Granada, California, and Menlo College seeded third.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2004/may/22/live-time-results---finals-mat-9967 · USA Wrestling, May 2004. Live results from the Olympic Team Trials finals: Clarissa Chun of the Gator Wrestling Club beat Sara Fulp-Allen 5-3 in overtime at 48 kg.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2005/july/07/bernard-wins-gold-medal--fulp--12695 · USA Wrestling, July 2005. Sara Fulp-Allen won silver at 48 kg at the Junior World Championships in Vilnius, Lithuania, winning three matches before losing the final to a Russian 2004 Olympian.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2005/august/15/quotes-from-sara-fulp-allen--m-12878 · USA Wrestling, August 2005. Sara Fulp-Allen on her bronze medal at 48 kg at the World University Games in Izmir, Turkey.
- https://tech-fall.com/2008INT/08Schultz59.html · Tech-Fall results, 2008 Dave Schultz Memorial International at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Sara Fulp-Allen of the New York Athletic Club won 48 kg with a pin of Clarissa Chun in the final and was the women's freestyle Outstanding Wrestler.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2008/july/10/updated--fulp-allen--pirozkhov-19108 · USA Wrestling, July 2008. The University World Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece, where Katherine Fulp-Allen won gold at 51 kg.
- https://www.themat.com/news/2020/july/21/junior-national-memories-of-the-first-junior-girls-event · USA Wrestling, July 2020. Memories of the first Junior girls' event in Fargo in 2002: at 101, Gina Heinzelmann of Michigan pinned Sara Fulp-Allen of California in the final.
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