Sports Reporter Sara Cardona Quits Her Job, Teases Her ‘Next Steps’

Sara Cardona is making moves in her career. Earlier this month the sports reporter announced she is leaving her job at ABC 36 in Lexington, Kentucky. Her last day was on May 5, and she teased what’s next in her career in a social media post. 

“Life update: I have some bittersweet news to share,” Cardona wrote in an Instagram post. “Today is my last day at ABC36. I’ve made so many amazing memories in Lexington in the last year and a half that I will cherish forever. Thanks to my coworkers and viewers for embracing me and making me feel at home. I’m going to miss all of you so much! As for my next steps—I’ll be sharing that very soon so stay tuned!”

It’s not clear what Cardona will be doing next, but her announcement comes three months after she was spotted attending a college basketball game with Clayton Echard of The Bachelor. The two were seen attending a University of Kentucky basketball game and separately shared photos from the event via their Instagram stories. Echard was recently in a relationship with Susie Evans, who won his season of . However, the couple decided the call it quits in September, six months after The Bachelor finale aired on ABC. 

“With incredibly heavy hearts, we wanted to share that we have decided to go our separate ways. For anyone who has ever loved, knows this was a painful decision to make and not one taken lightly,” the duo said in a joint statement at the time, per Us Weekly. “We understand that there will likely be a lot of questions about this decision — social media is definitely a highlight reel and much of our experiences together we have kept private as I’m sure most can understand. But we will share this — although this last year together has brought us so much joy and so many laughs, there has also been a significant amount of pain.”  

Cardona joined ABC36 as a sports anchor in November 2021. She was born in Columbia but grew up in Nashville. According to her Linkedin profile, Cardona worked as a sideline reporter for ESPN3/ESPN+, covering Middle Tennessee State athletics. She also worked for CBS4 in Gainesville, Florida, covering Florida Gators football, basketball and baseball games.