KEENE, N.H. 3/6/13 – Friday can't come quick enough for Keene State College's Janel Haggerty.  Starting just after 10 o'clock that morning, the senior from Guilford, Conn. will realize a dream come true when she competes in the formidable five-event pentathlon at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in Naperville, Ill.

"I get chills just thinking about going," said Haggerty, who is seeded second in the multiple event that includes high and long jumps, 60-meter hurdles, 800-meter run, and shot put. "I don't care if I'm ranked second.  All that matters to me is what happens that day." 

There's not much wiggle room among the 15 competitors in the talented field. Just three points separate the top three athletes in the pre-meet standings.  The top-eight will earn All-America honors. Haggerty, who is breaking new ground as the first KSC athlete to qualify for the nationals in the event, is seeded second with 3,433 points. She is sandwiched between top seed Megan Stringer, a senior from Illinois College (3,435 points) and third-ranked Jaclyn Konopka, a junior from MIT (3,432 points).  "It's a very talented field. One bad event could sabotage everything," said KSC Coach Peter Thomas.

Competing in multiple events in a short period of time is both a mental and physical strain.  You have to take it one event at a time. "If you clip a hurdle or struggle in one event you can't let it affect you," said Haggerty.  "You have to get your mind focused to whatever event you're doing at that time."  

Moving from event-to-event is nothing new for Haggerty. She just did it in another sport – gymnastics.  Tumbling at the age of two in "Mommy and me" classes and performing at the age of five, Haggerty became enamored with the sport.  "It was very competitive and took a lot of time and dedication, but I loved it," said Haggerty. "It got me used to doing more than one event."

Her favorite event was the balance beam. "I had the right body type for it and I was fearless," Haggerty said. 

Possessing the physical power for vaulting, Haggerty also enjoyed floor exercise where she got to pick her your own music and make up her own routine, allowing her personality to come through.

Although Haggerty performed mostly at the club level, she also had the opportunity to compete in high school.   Since Guilford didn't have a gymnastics team, Haggerty hitched on with the Neighboring Madison High School squad as a one-man team.  "It was strange, but I knew all the girls from private gym classes," said Haggerty.  "We were very close, so they cheered for me like I was a member of their team."

Haggerty's transition to track took place her junior year when she suffered a rotator cuff injury. "I tried to do both, but I got scared because I was injured," she said.  "You can't have that mentality in gymnastics.  If you're afraid of doing something it's just not going to work out."  

Torn between the two sports, Haggerty eventually fell head over heels in love with track, initially concentrating on the high jump before venturing into other events, including the heptathlon. Haggerty found some similarities between the two sports.  "It was just as competitive and intense and that's what I was looking for," she said.   

One of the top high-jumpers in the state as a senior and her teams' MVP, Haggerty narrowed her college choices down to Sacred Heart and Keene State.  Although competing at the Division I level was enticing, Haggerty picked Keene State. "Division I was like signing your life away for the next four years," said Haggerty.  "As much as I love the intensity, I wanted to have a college life too." 

After an adjustment period, Haggerty began to make her mark on the track.  Earning All-American honors as a member of KSC's distance medley relay team as a sophomore, Haggerty placed third in the pentathlon at the New England Division III Championships as a junior, being named the Little East Conference indoor field athlete of the year. 

Not one to turn down a challenge, Haggerty embraced the idea of doing multiple events. Why do one when you can do five?

But there's a limit, even for a driven athlete like Haggerty.  Competing in five consecutive pentathlons in order to get enough points to qualify for last year's NCAA Championships, Haggerty ran out of gas, missing the qualifying mark by just a few points.  "That was really hard and frustrating," Haggerty admitted.    "But at the same time I was almost relieved. "I was so drained and exhausted. I was ready for the season to be over."  

If competing wasn't tough enough, Haggerty has had to be innovative as well as willing to travel in order to train.  Without the luxury of having a track, Haggerty sets up mats on the basketball court to practice her high jumping and travels to Milford with assistant coach Tom Pickering to work on hurdles and her long jump runs.  A lot of time is spent on strength training and lifting. 

"People ask me all the time if I'm envious of athletes who have a track and I tell them it would be great to have a facility, but at the same time, I don't really mind," said Haggerty.  "I just think it makes me tougher. I can go to nationals or any other meet with the confidence of knowing I've gotten this far without a track."

Entering this season with a healthy body not to mention a positive mindset, Haggerty has approached each meet like it's her last.   

Warming up by winning the high jump at the LEC championships, Haggerty shattered her own school record in the pentathlon (3,308 points) at the Tufts Stampede meet two weeks later. 

Just getting started, Haggerty exceeded her own expectations at the New England Championships at Boston University.  Competing against Division I athletes, Haggerty finished third in the pentathlon with 3,433 points, jumping up to second in the national Division III rankings. 

Unlike last year where she let a poor performance get her down, Haggerty was in the control of her emotions. "This year I was nervous going in, but confident," she said.  "It was like a clean slate. Let's see what happens."

Setting personal best marks in the high jump, 800 and shot put, Haggerty stamped her ticket to the nationals in Naperville. 

"Friday is my day," said Haggerty. "I have an outcome in mind that I would like to happen, but I'm going to take it one event at a time." 

"I have high hopes, but all the hard work and dedication I put in overrides whatever the outcome will be," she added. "I'm just glad that I was finally able to qualify for the NCAA Championships and say I made it."