A long way from Northern Ireland, but Lagan has found a home in Augusta

By Kai Brickey | Special to the Bell Ringer

Cassie Lagan feature video (<—CLICK HERE)

Cassie Lagan is an international student-athlete at Augusta University, and she takes her academic and athletic challenges in stride, despite being so far from her home in Northern Ireland.

A flight from Omagh, Northern Ireland, to Augusta, Georgia is 3,781 miles long. For students like Cassie, the only time she gets to see her family is on her phone. Arriving in the United States in the fall semester of 2020, Cassie began her life abroad at Augusta University. Set with an athletic scholarship, Cassie was ready to venture into the collegiate level of competition for her very first time.

“There’s a lot of people who I competed against in high school who stopped running (after graduating), and I didn’t really want to do that,” said Cassie, who is now a junior at AU. “I felt that there was more in me after high school, because even my coach back home said that if I go to America, I am guaranteed to see improvements.”

Cassie saw quick success upon her arrival in the U.S. with a third-place finish in the 10,000-meter race at the Peach Belt track and field championships her freshman year. She would later carry this success into her 2022 cross-country season where she had a wonderful fall campaign, finishing top-10 in four different races and a second-place finish at the PBC cross-country championships. She made the all-conference team in 2022 and was even named PBC Women’s Cross Country Runner of the Week on Oct. 18.

“Cassie’s been awesome and sets a really good example for the younger athletes on the team,” said AU cross-country and track and field coach Jacob Burgamy. “I’m really glad that Coach (Adam) Ward decided to bring her in, because I loved being able to coach her.”

Ward was the original head cross-country and track and field coach at Augusta University since 2004. He took a new coaching opportunity for the same position at the University of Maine in August of 2022. Ward wanted to leave the program in the good hands of Burgamy, a qualified coach who has also competed for him as a fellow Jaguar, and left with that an impressive roster of talented athletes. Cassie is one of these, and Ward remembers fondly about his decision to recruit her back in 2020.

“Recruiting Cassie was a great experience,” said Ward. “She and her mother came on her visit together, and it was fun getting to know them during that time. Cassie was always very punctual with correspondence which made the admissions and eligibility process very smooth. Recruiting Cassie was an opportunity not only to bring in a great asset for our program, athletically, but someone who could also give her teammates a broader sense of our world.”

In regards to her teammates, the women at AU love having Cassie as their veteran leader. Riley Triplett, a sophomore transfer who originally competed at Emmanuel College, is not only Cassie’s training partner, but also her roommate.

“With us being top two on the team, I feel like Cassie and I have a great dynamic going on,” said Triplett. “But it’s always just about being the best we both can be. We want to see each other succeed, and we are always so happy for each other when we cross the finish line, no matter who wins that day.”

True freshman Madison Kennedy is experiencing a similar stroke of early success as Cassie, with her being the only freshman to score for Augusta’s women’s team at all their races. Kennedy is a consistent heavy hitter and even covered for the dynamic duo (Cassie and Riley) at the NCAA Regional Championships to finish as the first AU athlete that day. Kennedy says that her experience wouldn’t have been the same if it weren’t for the excellent leadership that is seen up front.

“Cassie is a great person to look up to, someone who is always putting in hard work,” said Kennedy. “She is a great leading member on the team, and she inspires me all the time.”

Cassie has now attended and studied at Augusta University for two and a half years. In this time, she has gotten to travel the country, compete at the NCAA Division II championships, and has even gotten married. The star student is currently getting into the teaching program here at AU and plans to continue competing until her degree is finished. She does have an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID pandemic, but she says that she’ll have to play it by ear with how long her degree may take to complete.

“I really do enjoy it, and it feels like home here now,” said Cassie. “I have no regrets about coming here, and I've felt like I’ve had so many opportunities since coming (to Augusta).”

With the spring semester in full swing, Lagan and her teammates turn their attention to the outdoor track and field season. Lagan runs the 5,000 and 10,000 meter, and occasionally the 1,500. She hopes to build on her success from the fall cross-country campaign and her runner-up finish in the Peach Belt Championship.

(Note: Kai Brickey graduated with degrees in Communication and English in December 2022. He also ran cross-country and track at AU.)

Cassie Lagan shows her form in a cross-country meet. She finished second in the Peach Belt Conference Championship in November. At the top of the page, she and teammate Riley Triplett consistently finished on the podium during the fall cross-country season. (photos by Madison Keel)