Vassar Cross Country:
“A Team of Huggers”—and Winners

Haley Schoenegge ’27 ran one of the best races of her short Vassar cross country career on October 28, 2023, finishing third overall at the Liberty League Championships at Seneca Lake State Park in Geneva, NY. But cross country is a team sport, so Schoenegge immediately turned her attention back to the course and saw three Vassar teammates heading for the finish line. About 20 seconds later, Norah Reade ’27, Cayley Swaim ’27, and Anika Mueller-Hickler ’26 posted 8th-, 9th-, and 10th-place finishes, respectively, and when Anna Kaigle ’25 garnered 19th place, the team had earned its first-ever Liberty League championship.

When the results of the race were officially announced a few minutes later, the 14 Vassar runners who competed that day collapsed into a group hug—“We’re a team of huggers,” Reade explained—and a photo of that celebration now hangs on the wall in Schoenegge’s dorm room.

As Head Coach James McCowan and members of the team reflected on that day’s historic accomplishment, they said they had a hunch the 2023 season would be a special one. “I knew I had a strong class of first-years,” McCowan said, “but I’ve learned from experience not to count too heavily on them because the transition from high school to college can be stressful—it’s a big life change.”

The coach said he also knew he had a talented group of sophomore, junior, and senior runners to help guide the first-years, and as he watched the team chemistry develop, he became increasingly optimistic about the season. “Coaching can be about pushing and pulling sometimes,” he said, “but with this group, I didn’t have to do that; it was more about pointing.”

Swaim, who helped the team record its best-ever 23rd-place finish at the NCAA Division III Championships three weeks after the Liberty League race, said she wasn’t surprised by the team’s success. “We talked with [McCowan] before the season started about our expectations, and he let us define our goals,” she said. “We developed rituals that binded us.”

Reade said she and the other first-years felt the positive energy even before the season began. “James let us know what he wanted from us in the summer,” she said, “and by the time the season began, we all just blended right in—it was easy.”

McCowan recalled he had met Acadia Helfand ’27 at an indoor track meet last winter after she had been accepted to Vassar on Early Decision. “I remember making some comment in passing as we parted like, ‘Hey let’s go get a team to NCAA’s,’ and her replying, ‘Well that’s the plan; that’s what I’m coming to Vassar for.’ And I thought to myself, ‘This is gonna be a good crew.’”

What’s next for this history-making team? McCowan is optimistic. “The plan is still to just cultivate that habit, culture, and mindset of high performance, being excellent at what we do, and being great people,” he said. “If we do that, the results will take care of themselves.”