Sandra Petway was among the inaugural group of coaches named in June of 1974 to spearhead the original seven programs to begin women’s sports in the Rutgers Athletics Department. At 24 years old and only three years after graduating from Trenton State (currently The College of New Jersey), Petway could already be considered an old pro when it came to building programs.
The Trenton State women’s track & field program did not exist when the Vineland, New Jersey native joined the freshman class in 1967. However, by her sophomore year Petway and Estelle (Cookie) Sey formed TSC’s first women’s varsity track team. She would go on to compete in the long jump, high jump, 440-yard run and 440-yard relay. Petway then stayed on at Trenton State to earn her master's degree and help coach the track team. Petway was inducted into the Trenton State College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
Coach Petway first arrived at Rutgers during the 1973-74 academic year serving as a physical education instructor and would go on to share her time with the cross-country team, indoor club track team and outdoor varsity track & field team, in addition to teaching academic courses and remaining an active AAU competitor in the long jump.
The women’s track & field cross country program started as an AAU club team. It became an intercollegiate sport at Rutgers in 1976 with Petway as the head coach.
After coaching the women’s cross-country team to an undefeated season in 1976 and coaching the outdoor track & field team to a 4-0 record with a state championship, Petway became the first women’s full-time coach at Rutgers. Coach Petway remained the head coach until the fall of 1980. During her tenure, 19 Scarlet Knights earned AIAW All-American status.
