W&J’s Anderson running into record book
It is a good thing Claire Anderson was such a bad volleyball player. For Washington & Jefferson College would not have found out what a gifted and outstanding distance runner she is.
The self-proclaimed “clumsy” kid from Jamestown has built a legacy and owns a national stature that allows her to be recognized as one of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference’s greatest distance runners ever.
“I was homeschooled for most of my life,” Anderson said. “I didn’t start going to public school until the 10th grade. I had done gymnastics for a few years prior, but I got too tall for the equipment. I had to quit and when I started going to high school, I wanted to do a sport, and I really wanted to do volleyball. I tried out for the volleyball team. I was so bad at it. Tryouts went absolutely horrible. I was talking to the coach after and I told her I really wanted to do a sport and she was like, ‘Oh, sweetie, I understand, but I really don’t think (volleyball) is for you. But you could try the cross-country team because they’ll take anyone.’
“I heard that and I was like,: ‘Wow! OK. I guess I’ll give it a shot, because I have always been a bit stubborn. I wasn’t exactly coordinated, but I thought running was maybe something I could do. Stubbornly, I forced myself into it. I tried out for the track team.”
There was one problem. She went roller skating.
“And I broke my ankle,” she recalled. “The moment I broke my ankle, I was laying there in the skating rink. The first thought that entered my mind was, I can’t try out for running. So, it was like a whole year. It was bad. I have a metal plate in there. I finally, going into my senior year, was able to run cross country.”
The 5-8 senior will graduate May 9, earning her degree after double-majoring in political science and philosophy.
“I just absolutely fell in love with running,” Anderson said. “I started running on my own, outside of practice, as much as I could. Thanks to cross country, it just started going super well and I started hearing from coaches. I wanted to keep running. So, I thought maybe giving college a try. That’s what brought me to W&J. I got really close with that Coach (Derek Workman).”
Accomplished
To summarize Anderson’s many accomplishments:
She holds several W&J records, including indoor mile (4:59.98) set in 2024, 3,000 meters (9:41.89, in 2026), 5,000 meters (16:48.20, in 2025), distance medley relay with Maria Gilles, Myleigh Mashburn and Cali LaRue (12:14.84, in 2026), and outdoor 800 meters (2:17.78, in 2023) and 1,500 (4:29.59, in 2023).
· Was first team All-PAC in cross country in 2025, helping W&J win the PAC team title.
· In 2024, she received Division III All-America honors (finished in 23rd place), Mid-Atlantic Regional champion (first ever by a W&J women’s runner), USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Athlete of the Year, USTFCCCA All-Region, All-PAC first team.
and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District.
· In 2023, Anderson qualified for the Division III Cross Country Championships and Earned All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors (10th place). She was PAC Runner of the Year.
“Claire has been just a special student-athlete for us, and her accomplishments speak for themselves,” said Scott McGuinnes, W&J’s athletic director. “I remember when she first came to W&J, (Workman) really felt that she was going to be someone special. We didn’t know because you never know when you’re recruiting. But he felt that she was the type of athlete who could put W&J on a national stage and she certainly has done that. To finish third (out of 294 qualifiers) in the country at the North Carolina cross-country championships as a senior and to push through some tough moments throughout the season to get there is special. It is really one of the best moments in W&J athletics history. And not only W&J athletics but for a cross-country runner, it’s the one of the best performances, if not the best performance, in Presidents’ Athletic Conference history.”
“You could tell by the way she carries herself that she’s matured a lot throughout her four years. It hasn’t been all easy. She’s someone who’s kept at it. She’s peaking right now and performing her best, as a senior, which is what you want from an athlete. And so, she’s proving that she’s put in time, put in the effort and it’s really paying off.”
End game
Anderson will participate in the PAC Championships May 1 on Friday.
“It’s been unbelievable,” W&J track and field and cross country coach Andy Upton said. “I would say she was a good high school runner. … I came in her sophomore year, and she was one of the first people I met with. I knew she was good. I met her when I was at the NCAA Championships when she (qualified) in the 1,500 her freshman year and I was a coach at Bethany.
“It probably didn’t take a week for us to get to know each other well. She’s just one of the most personable people you could be around and her personality is second to none. The athletic abilities that she has, those are with all the other intangibles she brings. She’s an unbelievable person and it’s just been so much fun to watch what she’s done and how she’s grown over the last three years.”
Anderson said the time has gone fast and the experience has been incredible.
She plans on taking a gap year before beginning a dual program in law and political science. In the meantime, she plans to run for Pro Bike + Run ELITE, a Pittsburgh-based team. Anderson received an NIL deal.
“When everything hit, it felt like my life changed,” Anderson said. “Every sort of milestone I’ve hit has felt just like this huge switch that I didn’t see coming. From starting to run late to deciding on college late to having a surprise performance that I didn’t think I was capable of, it’s been great. I’m not ready to go.”