Ria Megnin, the 2000 NCAA New York Woman of the Year, was a four-year member of the cross country, indoor track and field, and the outdoor track and field teams from 1996-2000. She earned All-American honors in the high jump six times (four indoor, two outdoor) and was a GTE Academic All-American in all 12 of her athletic seasons.
Megnin joins former women's swimmer Susan Torell '92 as the only Hartwick athletes to win individual national titles. She was the NCAA Division III indoor high jump champion in 1999 and the outdoor winner in 1998. Megnin broke the NCAA records in the indoor (5 feet, 10 1/2 inches) and outdoor (5 feet, 11 1/4 inches) high jump and still holds the school record in both events at the time of her induction.
She was the national runner-up in the high jump (5 feet, 6 inches) at the 1998 NCAA Indoor Championships, and was the national runner-up in 1999 (5 feet, 11 1/4) and 1997 (5 feet, 3 1/4 inches) at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
As a member of the indoor track and field team, Megnin won three NYSCTC state titles in the high jump and earned two ECAC championships. She won three state titles and two ECAC championships outdoors.
The Hartwick Female Freshman Athlete of the Year in 1997, Megnin received the Hartwick Female Athlete of the Year Award in 1998-99 and 1999-00. In 1999, she was honored as a John Christopher Hartwick Scholar, the College's highest award, and was a Rhodes Scholarship semifinalist. Megnin was the recipient of the President's Senior Scholar Athlete Award and was honored as a NYSWCAA Scholar-Athlete in 2000.
