George Washington University Athletics
Buff & Blue Forever: Margaret Coogan & Kathryn Nohilly
5/18/2022 12:30:00 PM | Women's Track/Cross Country
Graduate students Margaret Coogan and Kathryn Nohilly have helped GW women's cross country/track to new heights over five distinguished seasons.
The highlights have included competing at the NCAA East Preliminary meet together in the steeplechase last spring and helping the program earn its first Atlantic 10 cross country title in the fall. At their final outdoor conference championship earlier this month, they topped the podium in the steeplechase by finishing less than a second apart.
Here, Coogan and Nohilly take a look back in the latest installment of our Buff & Blue Forever series.
As we reflect on our time at GW, we realize how many of our most-cherished moments were together, here representing the Buff and Blue.
As wide-eyed freshmen in Foggy Bottom for the first time, we found a home and a community within GW Athletics. We soon realized that we could depend on the network of athletes, advisors, coaches and countless other individuals provided to us by the department.
Our five years as student-athletes have grown our love for the sport of running and our understanding of commitment, teamwork and leadership.
Our sport is often focused on individual accomplishments, and it is easy for an outsider to forget about the team aspect of running.
Throughout our time at GW, we have watched our program grow, and now in our final year, it is amazing to see the goal-oriented culture and winning mindset fostered by the care and love our team shows for one another.
That level of camaraderie and support helps all of us reach our personal and team goals. It has been an incredible experience to see that play out as we have continued to improve over the years.
When we both qualified for the NCAA Outdoor National First Rounds in the steeplechase last spring, it was a testament to our individual dedication and improvement.
We had set a goal and put in the day-to-day work to achieve it. The pride we felt at that meet came from earning that spot for GW and representing the program among the most elite teams on the East Coast.
In the fall, our team won the A-10 Cross Country Championship, a long-awaited goal made possible by the effort and dedication of our entire program.
Earning a title together started out as a dream, quickly became our goal and ultimately, became our proudest moment here.
We will never forget the feeling of crossing the finish line and turning to each other to celebrate as our team accomplished what we had been waiting for since day one. You could feel the excitement, love and pride that pushed us through that race.
Looking back, those tremendous memories representing GW in NCAA competition and winning an A-10 team title only highlight the hardware. The real key moments for us are scattered along with our favorite D.C. running routes, in the hotels before race day, at our team pancake breakfasts and every day at practice.
Our time at GW has been well spent. The success would have never been possible without the support of our coaches and former teammates. We thank Coach Weir for our five amazing years here, and we thank the athletic department for giving us the opportunity to not only succeed in running but to learn and grow.
Raise High,
Margaret Coogan & Kathryn Nohilly
More in the Buff & Blue Forever series:
Lauren Bennett, Women's Rowing
