Furman’s Haughey ready for NCAA regional

After running to five state championships in cross country and track at Daniel High School, Sinead Haughey developed a list of goals for her collegiate career. While she has met quite a few of them in three years at Furman, the junior says her biggest thus far gets crossed off today.

Haughey will compete at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field East Regional, along with Furman men’s track team members Tripp Hurt and Tanner Hinkle. The regional, which is being held in Jacksonville, Florida, runs through Saturday. Hurt will be competing in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, while Hinkle will run in the 10,000.

Haughey earned her invitation by posting a school record time of 34 minutes, 32.57 seconds in the 10,000 on May 10. That time, the best in the Southern Conference this season, was 37 seconds faster than the previous school record -- also owned by Haughey.

Making the NCAA regional “has been a priority for the past two years. This year, everything just clicked into place,” said Haughey. “It’s an amazing opportunity just to compete against some of the top runners in the country.”

After also setting the school record in the 5,000 at 16:57.99 -- another mark she first broke as a freshman -- Haughey was voted team MVP for the outdoor season. She has multiple All-Southern Conference selections while competing in the indoor, outdoor and cross country seasons, including selection last year as Most Outstanding Female Track Performer after winning the 5,000 and 10,000 at the league outdoor meet.

Building on success is challenging enough, but Haughey had to overcome an entirely different personal hurdle this season -- a severe case of anemia.

“She had a ferritin level of six, which is disastrous,” Furman assistant coach Rita Gary said. “She stuck with it, even when it felt terrible to run. … We had to be creative in how we trained, but she worked her butt off.”

Haughey said she has dealt with anemia for a few years, but this past winter was the worst it has been. Iron supplements and slight changes to her diet have helped her recover.

“From now on, I’ve got to monitor my iron better,” said Haughey. “With my iron where it should be, I’ll be able to compete where I need to be competing.”

Competing is what she loves to do. Given her family background, it’s something she believes she was meant to do.

Haughey’s father, Jim, is a Clemson Hall of Fame member and was a four-time All-American track star for the Tigers. Her mother, Laurie, ran cross country and track at Clemson.

“I’ve been so lucky to have parents that know a lot about running, and they’ve been nothing but supportive in all the right ways,” said Haughey.

While not discounting Haughey’s running genes, Gary believes her work ethic has paved the way.

“She runs twice a day and about 75 miles a week,” Gary said. “She’s also done a really good job of keeping herself healthy down the stretch, which is why her performances have really come around these last few meets.”