The Miscellany News

It is not common for a school consisting of 2500 students to enroll a national champion.  

Haley Schoenegge ’27, however, overcame those odds at the NCAA Division III National Track and Field Championships last spring when she won the 1500-meter final by a staggering 10 seconds as only a first year. She shocked the world of collegiate running last year, and as this cross country season ramps up, she has continued to turn heads. So far, Schoenegge has defended Vassar’s home turf well. Schoenegge has won twice in Poughkeepsie, once at the Vassar Season Starter and again at the Vassar Ron Stonitsch Invitational, leading the women’s cross country team to two early season victories. With the postseason slowly approaching, hopes for a record breaking season are high.

Schoenegge’s running journey began in her early years with her family in their home state of Kentucky. Her family had a major influence on her running career and the person she is today. Through watching and attending her parents’ run club growing up, Schoenegge was inspired to give the sport a try. She joined her middle school’s cross country team and she has not looked back since.  

Entering collegiate running as an unknown freshman from Prospect, Kentucky is a very different experience than returning as the national champion. The two-time All American shared, “There’s definitely a lot of pride that goes into it [the national title], but it definitely adds a lot to the nerves that I have because there’s new expectations that I give myself and that others might give me.” 

“There’s both good and bad, [the national title] can help create a driving factor of, ‘I know I can do it so I should strive to do it again,’ but then there’s also that sense of ‘I have to,”Schoenegge continued. 

To take away from the pressure, Schoenegge has created a new mindset for herself, one that emphasizes that her life is not scripted and anything can happen. 

“I am trying to approach this season as if last season kind of didn’t happen,” she said. “I’m trying to take each race and each season going forward as its own thing and I can appreciate what I’ve done in the past, but moving on, a new season is a new season. What I did last year doesn’t necessarily affect the cross country season.”  

Schoenegge’s talent is fostered by her ability to stay curious, Vassar Cross Country head coach James McCowan said. 

“One of the things that separates her from her competitors is that she has this capacity to be really open-ended,” McCowan said. “It doesn’t all have to be predestined and I think one of the things that allowed last year to be so successful was her curiosity of ‘oh, I wonder what I can do, lets see how far we can take it.” A good athlete is physically strong, but a great athlete is tenacious: somebody who is willing to give their all to win everything.

Coach McCowan elaborated on Schoenegge’s prowess, sharing, “She can be a ruthless competitor, when the gun goes off, she’s there to win. The Vassar sprint coach Joe Reed would always tease her and call her ‘The Destroyer of Worlds.’ As light hearted, fun and goofy as she is at practice, when the gun goes off, yeah, she’s ‘The Destroyer of Worlds’ and she’s out there to compete.”

Schoenegge’s teammates also appreciate her presence. Cayley Swaim ’27 has really gotten to know the runner, student and person that Schoenegge encapsulates. When asked how she would describe Schoenegge’s work ethic, with no hesitation Swaim replied, “Crazy.” Swaim stated further, “During school, we would spend so much time in the library. I would get distracted, and she would still be grinding on work. It’s obvious how much she cares about her academics.” 

Schoenegge is particularly interested in studying economics, and her work in the classroom reflects the same level of effort, resilience and tenacity that she brings out on race day. In regards to workouts, Swaim commented on Schoenegge, “If [Coach McCowan] has her do some extra reps or tells her to go faster than the rest of us, she just does it. She grits her teeth and gets done whatever she has to get done. She doesn’t complain and she’s happy to do it.” Schoenegge does not only resemble a national champion but also possesses all the qualities of a collegiate athlete. It is her ability to put her best foot forward in every aspect of her life that makes her worthy of all her accolades.

Behind every individual runner is a team that works together every day to build that foundation for success. Schoenegge recognizes this, saying her supportive teammates and coaches are a primary reason for her success. “There’s a sense of doing things for them and with them that brings the desire,”she said. 

Coach McCowan sees her role on the team as the same as every other runner, something Schoenegge embraces. “She’s not on this pedestal, she’s one of the women on the team,” he said. “She and her entire class buy into what we are trying to do as a team.”  

Because of this, the road for her and Coach McCowan to the NCAA Division III Track and Field national championship last spring was bittersweet. While Schoenegge had an amazing experience, it was in a solo event in which she was separated from her team. When comparing the individuality of track nationals to the camaraderie and team effort unique to cross country nationals, Schoenegge said, “It is so significantly more fun to go as a team than to go solo. It feels like more of an accomplishment when you’re with more people because it is something that you can share together.” She continued to add, “When I was at outdoor nationals, the one thing that I really wanted was to have a team there.” Throughout the rest of Schoenegge’s running career, she will always have her teammates to thank for their unwavering support and appreciation for her as a runner and friend.

Important meets for Schoenegge and the team approaching include the Connecticut College Invitational, Liberty League Championships and NCAA Regionals, and if all goes well, the team will finish their season in Terre Haute, Indiana at the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships. 

Remember the name Haley Schoenegge, and in case you forget, just check the headlines in the years to come. Vassar’s young star has only begun her career, and everyone is excited to see what she will accomplish next.