The Hannah Riggins Era at Del Norte High is nearing an end.
A cross country and track star, Riggins has just a few weeks remaining as a four-year Nighthawk before moving on to college.
Riggins is heading to the Ivy League to run both sports for Princeton this fall.
Almost from her first moment on campus, Riggins was among the top runners in the San Diego Section.
Her best season was last fall when she captured the Division I championship in a time of 17-minutes, 23.6-seconds to edge out Poway junior Tessa Buswell.
With two teammates also finishing in the top eight places — sophomore Emily Russo (4th) and junior Ella Echsner (8th) — Del Norte took home first place as a team as well.
“Winning the team title was special for me,’’ Riggins said. “Cross country has been through a lot over the years, but we were the best one time.’’
Riggins was third in Division I cross country as a freshman, trailing a pair of Canyon Crest runners.
COVID wiped out her sophomore season and she was not at full strength as a junior when she placed 10th.
In her track career at Del Norte, she has yet to claim a CIF title.
As a junior, Riggins was sick the day before the championships but still managed to finish in second place just a second off her PR (personal record) in the 1,600-meter run in Division I.
“I’d love to come away from track with one CIF before I graduate,’’ Riggins said.
In her two best events, Riggins has a PR of 2:08.6 in the 800 at this year’s Falcon Relays and her best run in the 1,600 is 4:46.9 from last year’s state championships.
“I just dabble in the 3,200,’’ Riggins said. “It’s not my favorite race.’’
At Princeton, Riggins will concentrate more on track but will continue competing in cross country as well.
Looking for a new experience, the California born and bred runner looked to New Jersey.
On her recruiting trip there in February, the temperature was in the low 30s and it was snowing when she arrived.
Going for a run proved to be difficult.
“I thought this was way different,’’ Riggins said. “That day I found out the weather was going to be more of a factor than it is California.’’
Princeton remained her first choice.
“The prestige of Princeton has always stood out for me,’’ Riggins added. “I am ready to be an independent person and college is a great place for me to get out of my comfort zone.’’
Riggins plans to major in public policy and international affairs while getting a certificate in sustainable energy.
“I haven’t quite figured everything out yet,’’ she said. “I could work for an environmental consulting company or go to law school and become an environmental lawyer.
“I am pretty ionate about nature because I’m always outside running somewhere and the outside world is so beautiful.’’
The first question she gets from her friends is where is Princeton?
“I tell them it’s between Philadelphia and New York and it’s in New Jersey,’’ she said. “Then they ask where is New Jersey?’’
The former soccer player turned to running in elementary school. She didn’t like that a coach could determine how much playing time she received.
But in eighth grade, despite trying to beat twin brother Luke and his friends on the track, she struggled with anxiety before races.
Running alone and practicing alone took a toll on Riggins.
At Del Norte, she ran behind a group of seniors for several weeks because they knew what they were doing before she emerged as the top runner by midseason.
“Every time she races something special seems to happen,’’ Del Norte coach Chris Jacobs said. “You just don’t know what it will be.
“She puts in the work every day and her teammates learned what to do to stay close to her. She was ready to run when she got here and I’ve just pointed her in the right direction.’’
While she enjoyed the high school experience, it is now time to start learning at Princeton.
| ReplyForward |
