Hall of Fame
Erin Raggio Eriksen ‘03CC made her mark on both the Columbia track & field and cross country programs during her tenure with the Lions.
Upon completion of her first season in 2000, Raggio won the Women’s Track & Field award, which went to the athlete who had the most outstanding contribution, performance competitive spirit, development, and team leadership. Raggio set both the indoor and outdoor 800m school record during her first season, clocking an indoor best of 2:09.51, and an outdoor record of 2:07.86. These results almost stood the test of time, as the indoor record was hers for 10 seasons, and the outdoor record stood for 12 years. She went on to win a 4x800m relay title at Indoor Heps, and took second in the 800m at both the Indoor and Outdoor Ivy League championships.
The following fall on the cross country course, Raggio was one of seven Lions who qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Two seasons later, Raggio earned her second of three Ivy League titles, winning the 4x800m relay at Indoor Heps alongside with Meaghan Gregory, Caryn Waterson, and Vanessa Yonan, while also earning second team All-Ivy honors in both the indoor and outdoor 800m. Also during the indoor season of 2002, Raggio was part of the distance medley relay team that qualified for the NCAA Championships.
In the fall of 2002 during the start of her junior year, Raggio helped Columbia win its first of four consecutive Ivy League titles in cross country, which was the first in program history. She went on to take second in the 800m at both Indoor and Outdoor Heps, ending her career with nine All-Ivy League awards.
A 2003 Academic All-Ivy League selection, she also won the Gustave A. Jaeger Memorial Prize that year, which is awarded to a member of the Columbia College track or football team who, in the face of unusual challenge and difficulty, persevered to achieve significant success during his or her athletic career.
Raggio’s name can still be seen throughout the top-10 performance list in two different relay and a pair of individual events.
