Saint Michael's College

Joan was a pioneer in the sport of cross country at Saint Michael's. The first woman to ever run the sport at the College, she competed as the only female entrant in every meet in her first two seasons of competition. She was a Top 10 finisher as an independent runner in the Vermont State Championships in 1975 and 1976. After a year of studying abroad in France and England, Joan returned to Saint Michael's in the Fall of 1978, and was the cornerstone of the College's first varsity women's cross country team. She won three races in her senior year, and again was a Top 10 finisher at the State Meet. In addition to cross country, Joan also ran track at Saint Michael's, and was the College's top female performer at the 400m, 800m, and one-mile distances. She was also a leader in the classroom, graduating as co-valedictorian of the Class of '79 with a perfect 4.0 grade point average!