A national champion across town

A hearty congratulations and NICELY DONE to our friends over at Vassar College for the National Championship earned and won by senior Heather Ingraham in the 400-meter dash at the NCAA D3 Championships up at St. Lawrence. Heather was an All-American last year when she finished fourth at nationals, and from the second that race finished last May, she and her coach – Marist Running Alum Justin Harris – have been planning for a run at the very top of the podium in 2015. Most times, the best-laid plans do not always come to complete fruition. This time, they did. Heather had an incredible run during her career at Vassar, and she capped it with a school record and fastest D3 time this year in 53.89 seconds for the 400.

We are happy and proud for Justin, who meticulously guided Heather’s process the whole way, and for head coach James McCowan, who has built a tremendous all-around program at his alma mater, where he was a record-breaking runner in his own right. But mostly, the praise and congrats should always go to the athlete, Heather, who had to spike up and defend her position as top dog in the nation all year, something she did right to the end. National Champion. Good stuff.