St. John's University Athletics
From Time Trial to the NCAA Championships: Nora Haugen’s Rapid Emergence in the 800-Meter Run
6/6/2024 9:02:00 AM | Women's Track and Field
After never running the event four months ago, Haugen readies for nationals at historic Hayward Field
QUEENS, N.Y. - For St. John's track and field athlete Nora Haugen, she never envisioned running more than a single lap. Quite frankly, she never had a strong desire to.
After a 500-meter time trial during a practice in late January, Head Coach Aliann Pompey had a chat with the sophomore about what events she was going to race in the upcoming indoor Metropolitan Championships.
"I remember asking her to put me in the 60-meter dash, as a joke," Haugen said. "Coach Pompey replied "well, what about the 800?"
Two days, later the two met in coach's office and discussed it further coming to a consensus that she was going to race the 800 at the Ocean Breeze Complex in Staten Island.
"I was trying to plant seeds [at first] but she wasn't biting," Coach Pompey said of her suggestion "Once she made the joke about running the 60-meter at Mets, I said the 800 instead and she didn't back down. I thought to myself, this is perfect, we're going to try it."
Haugen entered with uncertainty but her coach was confident she wasn't going to hold back.
"I'd never done it before, not in practice, not in any high school competition, not even when I was 12," Haugen said. "I went into it not knowing anything [about the event]. I wasn't even sure if we were starting with blocks or not."
She figured it out real quickly when the gun went off and went onto outpace the entire field capturing the Indoor Met Championship in the half-mile with a time of 2:11.8 and was named the meet's most outstanding performer.
Three weeks later, she gave the race another go and dropped her time by over four seconds shattering the indoor school record with a lightning-quick mark of 2:07.65 and a fifth-place finish at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships in Chicago.
As the Red Storm transitioned into the outdoor season, Haugen continued to shine in the 800 setting the program outdoor record in the race three times and tallied three top-2 finishes in five races, including a runner-up finish at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships. She was named an all-league performer after setting the school record with a record-breaking mark of 2:04.7.
"One thing I'll say about Nora, she's a lot of fun to coach because she wants to be great," Pompey said of the standout. "Once the door opened for her to be great at this, she ran right through it and here we are… She's not a middle-distance runner, she's a long sprinter."
At the NCAA East Regional final qualifying round in Lexington, Ky., she was in last place halfway through the race. She turned it on over the latter 400 meters to claim fourth place in her heat and 11th overall, clinching a spot in the NCAA Championships. She breezed past the all-time program record she had set in the first round in Kentucky just two days prior, clocking a 2:02.68.
The Sandnes, Norway native will become the first Red Storm student-athlete to race at the collegiate finals since Claire Mooney eight years ago, who shared a similar story.
"The last time we had someone make it to the NCAA Finals [in this event] it was a very similar situation," Pompey said. "She [Mooney} was a quarter-miler, 200-meter runner… We put her in the 800, she was a little more hesitant but she ended up making it all the way to the championships here in Eugene in 2016. Claire went onto compete internationally in the European Championships in the 800 for Ireland."
Haugen's rapid success had not only caught the eyes here in the United States but has also put her native country on notice.
"People we're shocked back home when I started running the 800," Haugen said. "My family, coaches and the national team members in Norway have all set their alarms for 3 a.m. local time, to watch me compete."
Just four months after first racing the event, Haugen is now set to compete for a national title at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. She is set to compete amongst the top-24 800-meter runners in the country.
"Looking at what I've been able to do, [being here] is a great symbol of just trusting the process," Haugen said. "Representing St. John's and all the support I have received has been awesome."
Her heat is set to begin at 10:14 p.m. ET tonight on ESPN2, where she'll race two laps against the nation's best. Just a few short months ago, she would've never imagined having to run two laps.
After a 500-meter time trial during a practice in late January, Head Coach Aliann Pompey had a chat with the sophomore about what events she was going to race in the upcoming indoor Metropolitan Championships.
"I remember asking her to put me in the 60-meter dash, as a joke," Haugen said. "Coach Pompey replied "well, what about the 800?"
Two days, later the two met in coach's office and discussed it further coming to a consensus that she was going to race the 800 at the Ocean Breeze Complex in Staten Island.
"I was trying to plant seeds [at first] but she wasn't biting," Coach Pompey said of her suggestion "Once she made the joke about running the 60-meter at Mets, I said the 800 instead and she didn't back down. I thought to myself, this is perfect, we're going to try it."
Haugen entered with uncertainty but her coach was confident she wasn't going to hold back.
"I'd never done it before, not in practice, not in any high school competition, not even when I was 12," Haugen said. "I went into it not knowing anything [about the event]. I wasn't even sure if we were starting with blocks or not."
She figured it out real quickly when the gun went off and went onto outpace the entire field capturing the Indoor Met Championship in the half-mile with a time of 2:11.8 and was named the meet's most outstanding performer.
Three weeks later, she gave the race another go and dropped her time by over four seconds shattering the indoor school record with a lightning-quick mark of 2:07.65 and a fifth-place finish at the BIG EAST Indoor Championships in Chicago.
As the Red Storm transitioned into the outdoor season, Haugen continued to shine in the 800 setting the program outdoor record in the race three times and tallied three top-2 finishes in five races, including a runner-up finish at the BIG EAST Outdoor Championships. She was named an all-league performer after setting the school record with a record-breaking mark of 2:04.7.
"One thing I'll say about Nora, she's a lot of fun to coach because she wants to be great," Pompey said of the standout. "Once the door opened for her to be great at this, she ran right through it and here we are… She's not a middle-distance runner, she's a long sprinter."
At the NCAA East Regional final qualifying round in Lexington, Ky., she was in last place halfway through the race. She turned it on over the latter 400 meters to claim fourth place in her heat and 11th overall, clinching a spot in the NCAA Championships. She breezed past the all-time program record she had set in the first round in Kentucky just two days prior, clocking a 2:02.68.
The Sandnes, Norway native will become the first Red Storm student-athlete to race at the collegiate finals since Claire Mooney eight years ago, who shared a similar story.
"The last time we had someone make it to the NCAA Finals [in this event] it was a very similar situation," Pompey said. "She [Mooney} was a quarter-miler, 200-meter runner… We put her in the 800, she was a little more hesitant but she ended up making it all the way to the championships here in Eugene in 2016. Claire went onto compete internationally in the European Championships in the 800 for Ireland."
Haugen's rapid success had not only caught the eyes here in the United States but has also put her native country on notice.
"People we're shocked back home when I started running the 800," Haugen said. "My family, coaches and the national team members in Norway have all set their alarms for 3 a.m. local time, to watch me compete."
Just four months after first racing the event, Haugen is now set to compete for a national title at historic Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. She is set to compete amongst the top-24 800-meter runners in the country.
"Looking at what I've been able to do, [being here] is a great symbol of just trusting the process," Haugen said. "Representing St. John's and all the support I have received has been awesome."
Her heat is set to begin at 10:14 p.m. ET tonight on ESPN2, where she'll race two laps against the nation's best. Just a few short months ago, she would've never imagined having to run two laps.
Players Mentioned
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