Haggerty Captures NCAA Pentathlon Championship; Fitter and Widzgowski Earn All-America

From Stuart Kaufman, Sports Information:

It’s how you finish that counts.

Sitting in sixth place after the shot put, Keene State College’s Janel Haggerty put on her rally cap and came up with personal best performances in the final two events, the long jump and 800-meter race, to capture the national championship in the five-event pentathlon at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships at Naperville, Ill. on Friday.

“It absolutely makes the hard work and training all worthwhile,” said Haggerty, a senior from Guilford, Conn. “Who would’ve thought a girl without a track could become a national champion? I wasn’t expecting it whatsoever. I was hoping, praying for top eight, but this just tops if all off.”

Haggerty becomes the 21st track national champion for the Owls, and the first to earn the honor in the pentathlon.

After watching Haggerty capture the national championship in the pentathlon on Friday night, Ryan Widzgowski and Maggie Fitter made sure they wouldn’t leave the national meet empty handed, racing to All-American honors at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships at North Central College in Naperville, Ill. on Saturday.

With the addition of Haggerty, Widzgowski and Fitter, the list of Keene State indoor track All-America now stands at 67.

For more detail, see the full story on the keene.edu news site.