Naval Academy grad from Maumee will compete in her first Ironman

Sam Schofield graduated from the United States Naval Academy in late May and was looking for another challenge. She decided to begin training for the Sandusky Ironman 70.3. "I love to compete and wanted something to look forward to," Schofield said. "I started training a couple weeks after my last basketball game and here we are." Schofield, from Maumee and a graduate of Anthony Wayne High School, commissioned with the Marine Corps after graduating from the Naval Academy on May 24. She plans to become a pilot. But her seven-month preliminary officer training at The Basic School in Quantico, Virginia, doesn't begin until September, so the second lieutenant is on temporary assignment in Annapolis working with plebes and the women's basketball team until she heads to Quantico. Schofield played 64 career games as a 5-foot-8 women's basketball walk-on. She scored 97 points in her career and made 29 3-point baskets in four seasons. She will compete in the triathlon in and around Sandusky with her mom, Janet. "My mom does marathons like it's her job," Schofield said. "She's done more of them probably than years I've been alive." Ed and Janet Schofield both retired from the Navy and were pilots. Ed was a Naval Academy graduate and was a Hall of Fame water polo player. He reached commander status. "I spent many days of my childhood at the academy playing basketball at the gym," Schofield said. Janet, who competed in track & field at Ohio State, reached captain status. Schofield's uncle, Jim Schofield, also graduated from the Naval Academy. Schofield said she signed an air contract with the Marines "just to be different." She said the Marine Corps culture appealed to her. "They're so squared away," Schofield said. "It's kind of intense and you know what's at stake. It's about the people I've met. The Marine pilots I met at the Naval Academy, I connected with as mentors." After Schofield is done at Quantico she'll held to Pensacola, Florida, for flight training. She made her first solo flight as a pilot in August 2023 in a single-engine Piper Warrior. Schofield said the most appealing part to flying is "either the thrill or the quality of the people in the aviation community in the military." Schofield, 22, was a standout athlete at Anthony Wayne. She was a Division I third-team All-Ohio basketball player as a senior in 2019-2020. In soccer, the Generals went 22-1 and were state runners-up in Schofield's senior season. She was a team captain in both sports. She was a National Merit Scholarship Commended Scholar and competed in the National Spelling Bee in 2013. It's safe to say that Schofield is no stranger to preparing for big events. She has laid the groundwork for the Ironman 70.3 with a couple recent challenges: a sprint triathlon in Boca Raton, Florida, in April and and Olympic distance triathlon in June in Virginia. She completed both races with her mom. The Ironman 70.3 is a step up in distance, and Schofield said "completion is the goal." "I've put the work in to finish it," she said. "Swimming is my favorite part; I love swimming. I'll put a good amount of effort into that. I had never biked for anything; that's definitely been a learning curve. I'll try to keep a consistent pace on the run and not die at the end."