East Union High School freshman Sarah Phillips didn’t end her summer with an extravagant trip to Disney World or a camping trip to some remote mountain.

She ended it the same way she started it — atop a medal podium at the peak of amateur judo competition.

Phillips was third at the Judo Nationals on July 11 and third at the Junior Olympics on July 24 in Orlando, Fla. Her acceptance of a purple belt at the Stockton Judo Club on July 30 was icing on a very large and impressive cake.

“In the last six or eight months, you could really see how she has focused on improving her judo with some variety in her attack and technique,” Stockton Judo coach Steve Ikeda said. “She is becoming a more well-rounded competitor.”

Phillips’ next action on the mat won’t be a judo match but participation with East Union’s budding wrestling program and a potential trip to the Regional Girls Tournament and California State Girls Championship.

It’s not an easy road for a freshman with virtually no wrestling experience, but Phillips’ cousin, Samantha Phillips, turned a judo career into a college scholarship at Oklahoma City University, and Sarah would love to do the same.

“It’s been really exciting to go to so many places through judo, and I am looking forward to traveling with East Union’s wrestling team,” Phillips said. “This whole summer has been a lot of fun, even though I devoted a lot of it to judo.”