Liberty Athletics Hall of Fame
Heather (Sagan) Zealand
- Induction:
- 2011
- Class:
- 2002
Women’s Cross Country/Track & Field – 1999-2002
Heather (Sagan) Zealand was Liberty’s first Division I national champion. She was named the 2002 Virginia NCAA Woman of the Year and Eastern Track Athlete of the Year after winning the NCAA Division I Indoor national championship in the women’s mile and earning an additional All-America honor with a second-place finish in the outdoor 1500.
The distance runner also was named to the 2002 CoSIDA Academic All-America women’s cross country/track & field team and USTFCCCA Division I Women’s Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She became the first collegiate athlete since 1987 to capture the Olympic Development mile title that year at the Penn Relays. She was a 14-time Big South champion, the most by any female student-athlete in program history.
The native of Warrenton, Va., was a two-time Big South Outstanding Women’s Track Performer and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She still held five Liberty records, including three Big South records in the indoor mile run (4:38.52), indoor distance medley relay (11:52.36), and outdoor 1500 run (4:14.71), at the time of her induction.
After graduation, the track & field standout represented the United States at the 2003 World Cross Country Championships and made the 1500 finals at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials. She went on to serve as an assistant coach for the Liberty track & field and cross country programs.
Heather (Sagan) Zealand was Liberty’s first Division I national champion. She was named the 2002 Virginia NCAA Woman of the Year and Eastern Track Athlete of the Year after winning the NCAA Division I Indoor national championship in the women’s mile and earning an additional All-America honor with a second-place finish in the outdoor 1500.
The distance runner also was named to the 2002 CoSIDA Academic All-America women’s cross country/track & field team and USTFCCCA Division I Women’s Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She became the first collegiate athlete since 1987 to capture the Olympic Development mile title that year at the Penn Relays. She was a 14-time Big South champion, the most by any female student-athlete in program history.
The native of Warrenton, Va., was a two-time Big South Outstanding Women’s Track Performer and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She still held five Liberty records, including three Big South records in the indoor mile run (4:38.52), indoor distance medley relay (11:52.36), and outdoor 1500 run (4:14.71), at the time of her induction.
After graduation, the track & field standout represented the United States at the 2003 World Cross Country Championships and made the 1500 finals at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials. She went on to serve as an assistant coach for the Liberty track & field and cross country programs.
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