MALIBU, Calif. " Pepperdine alum Sarah Attar will make history once again as reports came out today that she will run for Saudi Arabia at a second consecutive Olympic Games.

Saudi Arabia had never sent a female athlete to the Olympics prior to 2012, but Attar became one of two to represent the country in London, as she competed in the 800 meters.

Attar was heading into her junior year at Pepperdine at the time. She became the first Pepperdine student-athlete to compete in track and field at the Olympics since 1972. Though she was born in the United States, her father was born in Saudi Arabia. That enabled her to attain dual citizenship and run for the country, which has strict rules against female participation in sport but was under pressure from the International Olympic Committee.

In 2016, Attar is one of four female athletes that will represent Saudi Arabia at the Rio Olympics. It's not yet known which event she will compete in, but she ran in distance events while at Pepperdine and has taken part in the Boston Marathon multiple times in recent years.

Attar graduated in 2014 with a degree in art and earned four letters in cross country and three in track. She earned West Coast Conference All-Academic honorable mention her final three years, and made the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll "silver" list all four years.