April 25, 2013
Anna Corrigan is not your ordinary newcomer to the Cal track & field team. A graduate student in environmental engineering, she came to campus this past fall already armed with her undergraduate degree and several years experience competing at one of the nation's more prestigious universities.
Yet the drive to learn at the No. 1 public institution in the country and compete alongside world-class student-athletes brought her to Berkeley just the same.
Under NCAA guidelines, a student who wants to pursue a graduate degree program not offered at his or her original school may transfer and compete immediately. Such was the case with Corrigan, but she is not the only Golden Bear to take advantage of the rule. Teammate and fellow distance runner. Joseph Greenspun arrived at Cal this season after earning a degree in electrical engineering from Boston University to work as an M.S./Ph.D. student in electrical engineering.
Last year, middle-distance specialist Dylan Isaacson studied for his master's in public health after receiving his bachelor's degree in neuroscience from Columbia.
Corrigan, meanwhile, compiled an impressive list of credentials during her four years at Virginia. An Academic All-American and three-time member of the ACC honor roll, she was the conference runner-up in the indoor 3000 meters and earned all-region honors in cross country. She also finished her requirements for a degree in systems engineering with a minor in civil engineering.
As an academic senior last year, Corrigan looked ahead to graduate schools without any indication she would have remaining athletic eligibility. Cal quickly rose to the top of her list.
"Cal had the most interesting research by far of all the programs," Corrigan said. "To start with, it's the top civil and environmental engineering school in the country."
Corrigan was also intrigued by research being conducted by Kara Nelson, an associate professor in the engineer-ing school who was studying ways to design better drinking water treatment for Third World countries - which matched her interest exactly.
"That was my main reason for coming to Cal before I even knew I had track eligibility left," Corrigan said.
One week after she signed her fellowship papers to join the master's program in Berkeley last March, Corrigan received the results of an MRI test that revealed a stress fracture. With her final spring season on hold, she realized that could still compete a year later, but this time as a Golden Bear in 2013.
"I was just lucky that this was a program that had produced world-class athletes and we had a wonderful coaching staff," Corrigan said.
It also helped that Virginia head coach Brian Fetzer is a former Cal assistant, and all it took was one phone call to connect Corrigan with director of track & field Tony Sandoval and the Golden Bears. Soon enough, Corrigan settled into her new environment in the Bay Area and was back training again. Coincidentally, her Cal debut came against her former Virginia colleagues in an April 6 tri-meet with Michigan at Edwards Stadium.
Once Corrigan completes her master's requirements in May, she has several options to consider. She may con-tinue her education for a Ph.D., but more than likely will first find time to put her studies to work either here in the United States developing water systems or working on the ground oversees. Like so many students who come through Cal, Corrigan hopes to make the world a better place to live.
By Herb Benenson
