Record-setting Distance Runner Finishes 11th at NCAA Div. I Championships
Image by Brendan Maloney
06/06/2019
By Ed Brennen
wrapped up his bachelor鈥檚 degree in civil engineering almost a month ago. But the Burlington, Mass., native still had one final remaining.
Hogan capped his record-setting distance running career at 51视频 by becoming the track and field program鈥檚 first All-American. Competing in the finals of the men鈥檚 10,000 meters at the 2019 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin, Texas, Hogan achieved second team All-American status by finishing 11th in a time of 29 minutes, 42.60 seconds.
鈥淚t was really hot, and I didn't feel great,鈥 says Hogan, who finished 26 seconds off the winning pace on a muggy night at the University of Texas at Austin. 鈥淚n the last 10 laps, I had to play the mental game and stay focused. I had a bit left in the tank, and I thought about all the hard work that I'd done. I had to stay mentally tough. I just focused on the guy in front of me and kept pushing.鈥
"He was patient; he hung in there and ran tough in horrible conditions,鈥 says Coach Gary Gardner. 鈥淗e was fantastic. We're really proud. To finish his career as an All-American is awesome.鈥
Image by Brendan Maloney
Hogan was the first River Hawk to compete in the Div. I track and field championships since the athletics program completed its transition from Div. II in 2017. Last fall, Hogan competed at the Div. I Cross Country 10K National Championships, in a field of 255 runners.
鈥淨ualifying for nationals in track was definitely the big goal since the beginning of the season,鈥 says Hogan, who rewrote the UML record books during his illustrious career, setting three outdoor marks (3,000, 5,000 and 10,000) and two indoor records (3,000 and 5,000). He won his final seven America East Championships races in cross-country, indoor and outdoor track, and won the NCAA Northeast Regional Cross Country Championships last fall.
鈥淗e has helped to enhance and establish the school's reputation on a national level,鈥 says Gardner, who鈥檚 led the track and field and cross-country programs since 2002. 鈥淗e's the one who led us to the national championships after the transition (to Div. I) was complete."
Every Minute Counts
Hogan discovered his love for running back in grade school, when he would routinely win races in gym class. He also comes from an athletic family; his mom Marsha has run more than a dozen marathons.
At Burlington High School, Hogan was national champion in the indoor 2-mile in his senior year and a two-time All-American. He chose UML because of its strong athletic and academic reputation, and for the fact that it was close to home.
鈥淚 knew they had a good engineering program. It made sense to go here,鈥 says Hogan, who originally majored in mechanical engineering (his father Paul鈥檚 profession). He switched majors to mathematics before settling on civil engineering with a business minor. With all the maneuvering, Hogan spread his four years of athletic eligibility over five academic years.
Image by Ed Brennen
Despite the demands of competing year-round in cross-country, indoor track and outdoor track, Hogan excelled in the classroom. He was named 鈥淎ll Academic鈥 by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association this year with a 3.57 cumulative grade point average. He has also been a regular member of various America East All-Academic teams.
鈥淚t takes a lot of discipline and time management,鈥 says Hogan, who estimates that he runs about 80 miles a week. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 regard myself as the smartest kid in the world, but I feel like I work hard and use my time wisely.鈥
Hogan says his engineering professors and his athletic academic coordinator, Mike Anderson, were always available for support.
鈥淪ome semesters were really hard,鈥 Hogan says. 鈥淚 literally had to utilize every minute of my day. You can鈥檛 stay up studying until 2 a.m. and think you鈥檙e going to do well in your workout the next day.鈥
Gardner says Hogan developed a maturity 鈥渓ong before we got hold of him.鈥
鈥淗is drive, in and out of the classroom, sets him apart,鈥 Gardner says. 鈥淲hen he decides he wants to accomplish something, he鈥檚 all in. And he does all the little things right, like going to bed early and getting his rest. He鈥檚 not falling into some of the pitfalls of college life.鈥
Hogan credits Gardner鈥檚 guidance for getting the best out of him.
鈥淕ary鈥檚 a great coach. He can be tough, like a football coach, but he also has a softer side,鈥 says Hogan, who won the 2018 Lester H. Cushing Award as UML鈥檚 top male student-athlete.
Bloodied but Unbowed
Image by Bob Ellis
鈥淚 remember warming up as a team,鈥 Hogan says. 鈥淲e were all together, chanting some song. It was great.鈥
When the race began, Hogan, the defending champion, got out to an early lead. But as he was coming down a muddy, rocky slope in the woods, disaster struck: Another runner spiked the back of Hogan鈥檚 foot, sending him and teammate Benjamin Drezek tumbling.
鈥淔or a split second, I was shocked,鈥 says Hogan, who didn鈥檛 realize he鈥檇 cut his head and had blood dripping on his jersey.
He and Drezek got back on their feet and spent the next mile catching up to the pack. In the final mile, a bloodied Hogan separated himself from the field and won by 15 seconds, in a time of 24:19.7. Drezek, who needed stitches to close a gash on his right knee, took seventh. Every place mattered, as the River Hawks won the team title by one point.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 one race I鈥檒l always remember,鈥 says Hogan, whose resilience caught the attention of Chancellor Jacquie Moloney; she used the story as a parable in a speech to faculty and staff later in the year.
Hogan鈥檚 collegiate career has ended, but he isn鈥檛 about to slow down. He plans to work in construction management or structural engineering while also continuing a competitive running career. He would love to follow in the footsteps of UML Hall of Famer and Olympian Ruben Sanca 鈥10, who occasionally volunteers with the team.
Having watched Hogan develop over the past five years, Sanca wouldn鈥檛 bet against him.
鈥淚鈥檝e enjoyed watching him accomplish his goals and engage his teammates in raising the level of excellence within the entire program,鈥 says Sanca, who notes that Hogan鈥檚 willingness to ask for help and use his support system have been instrumental in his development. 鈥淚鈥檓 confident that he can have a very prosperous career in distance running if he chooses to continue pursuing the sport.鈥
Looking back at his River Hawk career, Hogan doesn鈥檛 focus much on the records he鈥檚 set.
鈥淚t鈥檚 satisfying, but records don鈥檛 mean much at the end of the day; they鈥檙e always going to be broken,鈥 Hogan says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 more about the experience I鈥檝e had. That鈥檚 what I鈥檓 doing this for.鈥
He now has the experience of earning All-American status on the NCAA championship stage.
鈥淚t's not the last race that I'll run; I plan to continue to compete,鈥 Hogan says. 鈥淏ut it was a special race. I'll always be a River Hawk.鈥