Athletes of the Week: Margaret Coogan & Gwen Wallace

As the captains to the more than 40 members of the girls’ track and field team, seniors Margaret Coogan and Gwen Wallace serve as leaders for a large subset of campus. Their dedicated, supportive and outgoing personalities make them successful leaders, athletes and friends to their teammates.

Wallace and Coogan have both been running for their entire time at Exeter and are role models for the rest of their teammates. Although they compete in different events, Wallace in sprints and jumping and Coogan in distance races, they both enjoy the tight knit and intimate environment of the track team. “I’m glad that I’m on a team that’s so big because then I get the opportunity to meet so many people. It’s nice to be put in a room and interact with people I wouldn’t normally interact with, had I not run track,” Coogan says. 

Coogan has many fond memories of running on the Exeter trails with the close-knit group of distance runners. “Getting to go out and run for an hour with a group of girls that are so awesome is really amazing. We have a really close and caring group of girls who know a ton about each other and will hang out outside of track, check in with each other and, even on Sundays when we don’t have practice, we’ll meet up to run together.” She said the continuous struggle together brings everyone on the team close.

Coogan remembers one time in particular, saying, “We had spent the whole day basically running through the Exeter river because it had rained for the four days prior. We found a bridge and and put it in the water and swam it downstream to a place where there needed to be a bridge.”

“She has always been a caring and inclusive leader on and off the track. She not only inspires us to work hard in our runs and meets but also to let our personalities shine through into our lives in general.”

One of Coogan’s teammates, senior Nicole Shi, says, “[Margaret] is a super fun, supportive, kind, and hilarious person that anyone would be lucky to know!” She also remarked on Coogan’s determination at competitions, saying, “She began [the 4X400m] at a faster pace than anyone believed she could hold and kept it up to secure a win for her team. I could see from her expression how hard she was pushing herself and how determined she was to help the team win.”

Another of Coogan’s teammates, lower Grace Gray, reminisced on a similar experience, saying, “Margaret showed us some new trails to run on. Before we knew it, we were covered in the mud made from the melting snow and laughing throughout the entire run. Margaret has always put a smile on my face, and I’m so lucky to have been able to learn from her and have fun with her during my time at Exeter.” She also recalls the impact Coogan had on her as a new runner and new student at the Academy. “She has always been a caring and inclusive leader on and off the track. She not only inspires us to work hard in our runs and meets but also to let our personalities shine through into our lives in general,” Gray said of her captain. Lower Ogechi Nwankwoala spoke of Coogan’s ability to motivate people across all event groups, saying, “She’s the type of person to just talk to you and make you laugh whether you’re a sprinter or on distance.”

Wallace began participating in track and field after she came to Exeter, participating in only winter term track and field during her prep year and and both winter and spring track and field during her lower year. The senior accredited coach Olutoyin Augustus-Ikwuakor for encouraged her to join the team after watching Wallace excel at track during prep spaz.

After joining the team, the seniors and captains at the time took Wallace under their wing. “[They] taught me how to behave at track meets, how to run properly, and how to talk to the trainer,” the co-captain said. Inspired by these “amazing seniors,” Wallace explained that she approaches her role as captain of the team by trying to foster the same supportive and fun environment she experienced as an underclassmen. As captain, Wallace explained that she acts as the liaison between the coaches and her teammates. In addition, Wallace plans events to bring the team together.

Lower and teammate Nkemjika Emenike praised Wallace for being patient and helpful toward newcomers on the the team. “Whether it’s learning how to long jump or doing homework, Gwen has always been someone who has helped everyone on the team in one way or another,” Emenike said.

Emenike also expressed her admiration for Wallace’s performances in competition, “[Wallace] constantly gives her all at every meet and her results reflect that,” Augustus-Ikwuakor echoed Emenike’s sentiments, praising the senior for her skill and determination in the sport.  “Gwen is a talented athlete with a desire to improve,” she said. Wallace expressed that track and field appeals to her as a sport because of the variety and different challenges the sport offers. “In a meet, I go from running 100 meters, to passing a baton to jumping through the air,” she explained. “There’s a lot of encouragement for everyone to try a lot of different events.”

Emenike reflected fondly on the leadership of Wallace and Coogan, saying, “I think they are good captains because they are both always positive and they both understand that being a captain isn’t about controlling the team, it’s about leading it.”