Athlete of the Week | Coogan leads on and off the course in cross country

Elizabeth Pacheco Sports Editor

Looking at this season’s results from Vassar’s women’s cross country meets, you’ll notice a common theme. In every race in which honorary captain Laura Coogan ’09 has competed, she has placed first for the team and no lower than 12th overall.

“[Coogan] has really stepped it up a lot this year,” said Women’s and Men’s Cross Country and Track Head Coach James McCowan. “Distance running and cross country really require patience and time spent. More than anything she did dramatically, [Coogan] has been consistent, focused and dedicated.”

This year’s successes began with the Vassar Invitational on Sept. 8. Despite extreme heat conditions, Coogan finished first for the second year in a row, leading the team to its third consecutive Vassar Invitational title. Her performance also earned her recognition from the Liberty League as its Runner of the Week.

This year, she finished third at the Seven Sisters Invitational, first place at the James Early Invitational (at Westfield State College) and fifth at the Liberty League meet, where she also earned a spot on the First Team All-League Team for the second time.

“At Westfield, [Coogan] beat several All-Americans, and she did it in a time that was only nine seconds off the course record, a time last run by Vassar’s last female national qualifier,” said McCowan. “She has been running excellently, very strong, and it’s great to notice that she’s up in there in the front of the results.” Vassar belongs to the Atlantic Region, one of the country’s strongest regions of runners, making Coogan’s performances especially noteworthy.

Coogan began running the second half of her freshman year of high school, when she joined the track team. She joined the cross country team the following fall and has been running ever since.

During the spring, Coogan is also a member of Vassar’s track team. Though she will be abroad next semester, Coogan hopes to return strong for cross country and on the track,, where in the past she has broken school records in the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter races.

While cross country may seem to be focused on the individual, Coogan doesn’t agree. “Working and running together with your teammates really builds an extremely strong bond,” she said. “After spending hours and hours with each other, you end up being really close.”

Traditionally, the men’s and women’s teams each vote for two captains, usually seniors. However, McCowan recognized that Coogan was receiving a lot of votes from her teammates as someone who was “putting in the work and representing the team’s values.” As an honorary captain, “[Coogan] is not overbearing or bossy with her leadership. Rather, she is leading by example, going out there and running strong,” said McCowan.

Coogan will need to continue running strong as she competes in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) meet on Nov. 3 and the National Collegiate Athletics Association Regional meet on Nov. 10.

“It’s nerve-wracking to say in words what I really want,” said Coogan. “I feel like all the races sort of lead up to the upcoming two, and those are the two I’m really focusing on.”

Since times fluctuate from course to course, Coogan plans for a high placement rather than a personal best time. If she places in the top seven at the ECAC meet she will qualify for the ECAC team, and if she is within the top 35 at the regional meet, she will qualify for nationals.

“Clearly of the one things we’re shooting for is to get [Coogan] to nationals,” said McCowan. “You have to get there before you can worry about anything else.”