SUNY Cortland Athletics

This is part of a series of interviews that Cortland track and field/cross country runner Shannon Imbornoni '21 conducted in 2020 with former Cortland track and field and/or cross country individual national champions.

Interview Menu

Heather Swarts Webster ’96

Heather Swarts Webster is a one-time individual NCAA champion, a four-time team NCAA champion in cross country and an eight-time All-American. She was named Co-C-Club Female Senior Athlete of the Year in 1996 along side her twin sister, Heidi. Webster won the Cortland cross country Red Letter Award in 1995. The Dansville native currently lives in Honeoye Falls with her husband and two children.

Some of the questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.


Why did you choose Cortland?
I chose Cortland because it had what I was looking for academically and athletically. I did not want to go to a huge school or far away [from home], as I was a quiet person from a small town. Also, my older sister ran at Cortland and had a great experience. I was impressed with the team and Coach Jack Daniels.
 
What do you remember about your national title season(s)?
My freshman year, [the women’s cross country team was] a powerhouse with quite a bit of depth. I made the top seven and we broke the [NCAA Division III] record for lowest score that year with 18 points. My sophomore year, I remember that we kept going back and forth in the polls with Calvin College. I remember everyone on our team was concerned over this. However, for some reason I wasn’t; I really thought we had the upper hand and would pull through. However, I do remember Coach Daniels saying he thought it was going to be close and that it was going to be up to our fourth runner.  It occurred to me after he said that, I was our fourth runner at that point in time. Then I started to become a bit concerned and nervous. Luckily, I ran well at nationals and was our second runner for the team that day and we pulled out the win. My junior year, we had competition from Calvin College again. I remember we had a new team cheer and belted it so loud before the NCAA race. I broke into the top-10 [nationally] in that race. My senior year was probably my most memorable team title. We had won three-straight years and were hoping for a fourth title. I just remember being so nervous because we wanted to win and because it was my last college cross country race. I wanted to perform well. I can remember being so nervous that it took me forever to eat my breakfast the morning of nationals. We won and it was like this amazing sense of accomplishment knowing that we won four in a row. I also placed second individually and was very pleased with my finish.
 
Indoor track season of my senior year, I won an individual title in the 5,000m. The season actually started out a little rocky as I was battling my first collegiate injury, which was tendinitis in my IT-band. I rehabbed all season long and it did get better, but it lingered throughout the season with less and less soreness as the season went on. I ran the 5k earlier in the season to qualify for nationals. Then for the rest of the season, I ran the 1,000m, the 1,500m and the occasional 3,000m. I remember the last meet before nationals Coach Daniels asked me what I wanted to run. I planned on running the 5k at nationals and I hadn’t run one since early in the season. He asked me what I thought and told me what his concerns were. He wanted me to feel confident going into the 5k and was worried I may not be if I did not get another one under my belt. I was worried that if I ran another 5k at the last meet before nationals and it didn’t go well, that it would affect my confidence. He said I could run the 3k as an alternative to the 5k if I wanted to do that instead. I will never forget this conversation because he asked me what I thought and helped me weigh the pros and cons, but he left it up to me to decide. I decided to run the 3k at our last meet leading up to nationals and it went well. I walked into nationals, ran my PR [personal record] and won with only running one 5k all season.
 
What was winning your first title like?
My first team title in my freshmen year was exciting, although, a little overwhelming. I was not happy with how I ran at nationals but I was thrilled to be part of the team that broke the [NCAA Division III] record for lowest points. My first individual title my senior year was probably most memorable. I remember being in the back of the pack and thinking the pace was so fast in the beginning. I would’ve never believed that I was going to win that race in the beginning when it went out so fast. I worked my way up to the front where there were about five of us running together for a while and then with about a thousand meters to go, we were down to three of us. With about 200 to 300-meters left in the race, I took the lead and just ran as hard as I could. I remember feeling so much joy and excitement crossing the finish line.
 
What is your favorite memory of Cortland?
There are so many great memories I have of Cortland, it is hard to pick one. I had some wonderful teammates and fun times with them that I will never forget. I think winning four-consecutive team cross country titles and the sense of accomplishment I had finishing up my cross country collegiate career that way was amazing. Also, my individual title is something I will never forget. I guess to sum that all up, I would have to say just being part of such a powerhouse team gave me such a sense of pride and accomplishment that I will cherish forever.
 
What have you taken from being a part of the team?
I think the biggest thing I have taken from being part of the team is a sense of pride. I was so proud to run for Cortland and dominate Division III cross country for four years. We were a force to be reckoned with and I am so thankful for all my teammates that made that possible. We worked hard and wanted to do well individually but above all, we knew we needed one another to win as a team.
 
What are you doing now?
I am married, have two boys, who are nine and eleven, and I am a counselor. I still run and compete as a Masters runner at national and local competitions for a local running club.
 
Do you have any advice for Cortland XC/TF athletes now?
My advice would be to be consistent with your training and you will see results. My freshman year did not go as well as I would have hoped, but I think the adjustment to college can be difficult. I gradually got better every year after my freshman year. Don’t waste your time by not working hard because before you know it, your college career is over, so take advantage of the time that you have. Take it seriously but enjoy it and have fun as well; there is room for both!