Hannah, Noah, and Sarah Mehrle chose to be student-athletes at different UAA schools, but all ended up at Case Western Reserve one weekend of competition. Hannah played softball at WashU and later served as an assistant coach at CWRU, where Noah played baseball. Sarah went the furthest from home in Ohio and played softball at NYU.
“I visited a few different schools and really wanted to major in engineering,” Hannah recalled. “It was not possible to do that and play softball at bigger schools. The WashU campus is beautiful and the school checked every box for me.”
“Hannah was the stud athlete of the family. I was right on the cusp of a low Division I school or I could do Division III and play. I went to a camp at Case, which I knew about through Hannah being at WashU,” Noah explained. “It was still in Ohio, about 3½ hours from home (Liberty Township). Our parents grew up in Columbus and I could still go to Ohio State games.”
“I wasn’t the stud of the family,” Sarah joked. I thought about going to Ohio State to do nursing and thought it would be really cool to go to Case so I looked there. I never thought of NYU, but I went to a camp and met (then NYU head softball coach) Now-Allah (James). Hannah recognized him and he knew her from coaching against her. He asked me to visit and I thought it would be a really cool opportunity to go to New York City. Being a nurse in New York has been great.”
When Hannah decided to go to law school at Case, Noah mentioned it to his coach Matt Englander, who in turn told CWRU softball head coach Josie Henry. “She offered me a chance to help coach and that was good for me because I didn’t know anyone in Cleveland except Noah,” she described.
NYU softball traveled to CWRU with four games scheduled the weekend of March 29-31, 2019, the only time all three siblings were together during their playing/coaching careers. “I remember the weather was bad and we were only able to play one day (a doubleheader on Friday). I pinch-ran in the first game (she scored the final run in a 4-2 NYU win). Noah wasn’t there because he had his own game (home against WashU),” Sarah remembered. Although Noah did not get to see his sisters compete against one another, the three did get together for meals.
Hannah and Noah have remained in Cleveland, living just 10 blocks away from one another. Hannah is an intellectual property lawyer at Jones Day and gave birth to her first child, a daughter, in December. Noah is a senior tax associate at PwC and is also a real estate agent who owns two properties.
Sarah continues to live in New York City, working at an orthopedic hospital recovery room while also attending school to become a nurse practitioner since the fall. Because I am attending part-time, it will take me another two years to become a nurse practitioner. I have made many great friends in New York. I am really glad I went to NYU. A lot of people are looking to move to big cities, but I already have that experience. I don’t plan to stay here forever. I want to move to Florida where our parents have a second place. I love the sun and beach. It would be great if our whole family was there. I think I can get Noah there, but not Hannah,” she laughed.