Abbey Cooper Explained

Abbey Cooper
Birth Name:Abbey D'Agostino
Birth Date:1992 5, mf=yes
Birth Place:Topsfield, Massachusetts, U.S.
Residence:Asheville, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:5 ft 2.5 in
Weight:104 lb
Event:5,000m, 10,000 m, Cross country running
Collegeteam:Dartmouth Big Green
Club:New Balance Boston
Turnedpro:2014
Coach:Chris Layne
Highestranking:(52nd-2014) (25th-2015) (14th-2016) 5,000 meters
Pb:800 m: 2:08.11
1500 m: 4:08.78
Mile: 4:28.31
3000 m: 8:51.88
5000 m: 14:52.37
10000 m: 33:10.38
Usa:5th (2012) 6th (2013)[1] 3rd (2015) 2nd (2016)
Show-Medals:yes

Abbey Cooper (née D'Agostino; born May 25, 1992) is an American middle- and long-distance runner.[2] [3] Cooper is the most decorated Ivy League athlete in track and field and cross country running. She is the first Dartmouth female distance runner to win an NCAA title.[4] [5] She won a total of seven NCAA titles (1 – cross country; 4 – indoor track; 2 – outdoor track) in her career. In 2014, she became a professional runner for New Balance.

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she received considerable international media attention following an incident during a 5000m heat in which both she and New Zealander Nikki Hamblin fell. The two women helped each other finish the race and were allowed to compete in the final; however, Cooper had suffered a torn anterior crucial ligament and meniscus and wasn't able to participate further. Both athletes were praised for their sportsmanship and "Olympic spirit",[6] and were subsequently awarded the Rio 2016 Fair Play Award by the International Fair Play Committee.[7] [8]

Personal life

Cooper attended Masconomet Regional High School in Boxford, Massachusetts. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 2014. Her mother Donna competed for the UMass-Dartmouth Corsairs. She has two younger sisters, Lily and Julia.[9]

She is a devout Christian.[10] [11] She married Jacob Cooper in July 2018, who played football in college at Taylor University and now works as the clinical sport psychologist at Appalachian State University.[12] The couple had their first child, a daughter, in January of 2023.

Dartmouth

In 2013 Cooper became the first Ivy League athlete, male or female, to win an NCAA Cross Country National Championship.[13] After winning her 2013 NCAA Cross Country title and 5th NCAA title in her career, she praised coach Mark Coogan for the preparation for championship running and close finishes;[14] She won the NCAA cross country title by outdistancing[15] Emma Bates by a few seconds. She is the first Ivy League athlete to win 7 individual NCAA Championships.[16] She is also the only woman ever to have won both the 3000 meters and 5000 meters NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships twice in a career which she did in 2013 as a junior and again in 2014 as a senior.[13] Cooper broke Ryan Pandolfini’s (née Fagan) long-standing 10K record by over a minute in 2014, and is the current Dartmouth record holder in the 3K, 5K, and 10K.[13] She won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's best female collegiate cross country runner in 2014.[17] [18]

Cooper earned her final Ivy league titles May 2014.[19] She graduated with a degree in psychology in 2014.[15] [20]

Year Ivy League cross country NCAA Cross Country Ivy League Indoor NCAA Indoor Ivy League Outdoor NCAA Outdoor
2010–11 3000 7th 5000 1st 5000 3rd
2011–121st XC 3rd XC Mile 1st; 5000 2nd DMR 3rd; 3000 8th 4x800 2nd; 3000 1st; 1500 1st 5000 1st
2012–132nd XC 4x880 yards 3rd; 5000 1st; Mile 1st5000 1st; 3000 1st 4x800 3rd; 3000 1st; 1500 1st 5000 1st
2013–141st XC 1st XC 5000 1st; 4x800 1st; Mile 1st DMR 8th; 3000 1st; 5000 1st 3000 1st; 5000 1st; 10000 1st 5000 3rd

Professional

2012

Cooper's 5th place at 2012 Olympic Trials 5000 meters and nearly clinching a spot on the Olympic team is one of the closest finishes in Olympic Trials distance races (less than 0.19 seconds between 3–4–5).[21] In 2012, at 20 years of age her platform as a star in the NCAA created a national following.[22]

2014

After graduating from Dartmouth in 2014, Cooper earned a sponsorship with New Balance based in Boston, Massachusetts. Abbey was coached by her college coach Mark Coogan under whom she was a 7-time NCAA champion from 2014-2018.[23]

Cooper is ranked 19th[4] in the world in the 5000 meters[24] and 65th[4] in the 10,000 meters in 2014.[25]

Cooper debuted as a New Balance athlete in October 2014 in the 24th Mayor's Cup presented by the Boston Athletic Association[26] placing fourth behind winner Rachel Hannah of Canada and the Boston Athletic Association's Juliet Bottorff and Jen Rhines.

2015

Cooper ran the 5000m in 15:42.79 at Payton Jordan Invitational in Stanford, CA (USA) on May 2, 2015.[27] She won the 5000 meters at the Hoka One One Adrian Martinez Classic in 15:23.66[28] [29] on June 4.

Cooper earned a US Roster spot to the IAAF 2015 World Championships in Athletics by qualifying in the 5000 meters in 15:06.59 at the 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. On July 18, she finished 3rd in 15:03.85[30] in Heusden, Belgium. On August 27, she finished 23rd in 16:16.47 at 2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 5000 metres.[31]

2016

On January 2, Cooper ran a personal best in a mixed gender 3000 meters at Boston University in 8:51.88.[32] On March 12, she placed second in women 3000 meters in 8:57.31 at 2016 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships to represent the United States at 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres.[33] She finished in a time of 8:58.40 in 3000 meters at 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships to place fifth.[34]

On June 17, Cooper placed third in 5000 meters at 2016 Adidas BOOST Boston Games in 15:22.29.[35] On July 10, she placed fifth in 15:14.04 at 2016 United States Olympic Trials (track and field) and was selected to represent USA along with Team USA teammates Shelby Houlihan and Kim Conley at Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics - Women's 5000 metres when Molly Huddle and Emily Infeld passed to focus on their 10 km race in Rio de Janeiro.[36]

On August 16, with about 2000 meters to go in a qualifying heat for the women's 5000 meter race at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Cooper tripped over Nikki Hamblin who had fallen in front of her.[37] Instead of immediately continuing the race, she first helped Hamblin up, encouraging her not to quit.[38] Cooper herself, however, had torn her ACL and meniscus.[39] Despite her obvious pain, she nevertheless finished the race, after which she and Hamblin embraced. Cooper, Hamblin and Jennifer Wenth were advanced to the final because of the incident, but Cooper wasn't able to compete because of her injuries.[40]

On August 20, for their actions at the Rio Olympics, Cooper and Hamblin received Fair Play awards from The International Fair Play Committee (CIFP), with the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).[41]

2017

Former NCAA champs Molly Seidel & Abbey Cooper return to action at Franklin Park (Boston) 2017 Mayor's Cup Cross Country Championships and chart paths to healthy futures[42] finish 1st and 2nd respectively for 5 km after running the first half slow picked up the pace for the final 8 minutes to times of Seidel 16:18 to Cooper 16:48.[43]

On November 4, Cooper competed in her road debut at US 5 km road championship hosted by New York Road Runners Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5 km where she finished 7th in a time of 16:00.[44]

2018

Cooper left Mark Coogan and Boston after getting married in July 2018. She began being coached by Chris Layne in Asheville, North Carolina. Cooper won 5 km at 2018 Johnson City Turkey Trot in 16:58.[45] [46]

2019

June 1, 2019 marked Cooper's first return to the track following the Rio Olympics. Cooper competed at the 2019 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 5000 meters race where she finished 14th.[47]

2021

In a stand out solo effort in the first heat of the 5000m meters at the 2020 United States Olympic Trials (track and field), Cooper met the Olympic standard with a time of 15:07.80.[48] Cooper finished in 4th place in the final three days later on June 21.[49]

Cooper achieved a new personal best of 14:52.37 in the 5000m at the Prefontaine Classic on August 20, 2021.[50]

Competition record

2015World ChampionshipsBeijing, China22nd5000 m16:16.47[51]
2016World Indoor ChampionshipsPortland, Oregon5th3000 m8:58.40
20162016 Summer OlympicsRio de Janeiro, Brazil18th5000 meters17:10.02

USA National Championships

2012US Olympic TrialsEugene, Oregon5th5000 m15:19.98[52]
2015USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsEugene, Oregon3rd5000m15:06.59[53]
2016USA Indoor Track and Field ChampionshipsPortland, Oregon2nd3000 m8:57.31[54]
2016US Olympic TrialsEugene, Oregon5th5000 m15:14.04
2017US 5 km Road Championships hosted by
Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K
New York, New York7th5000 m16:00[55]
2019USA Outdoor Track and Field ChampionshipsDes Moines, Iowa14th5000m15:56.20[56]
2021US Olympic TrialsEugene, Oregon4th5000 m15:31.05

Notes and References

  1. Web site: USA Track & Field – Results – Full . Usatf.org . August 20, 2016.
  2. Web site: Abbey Cooper Twitter . Twitter . December 19, 2019.
  3. Web site: Abbey Cooper IAAF profile . . December 19, 2019.
  4. Web site: Abbey D'AGOSTINO . Profile of Abbey D'AGOSTINO . All-Athletics.com . August 16, 2016 . August 20, 2016.
  5. Web site: Lorge . Sarah . Abbey D'Agostino's Unlikely Domination at Dartmouth Runner's World . Runnersworld.com . August 26, 2013 . August 20, 2016.
  6. Web site: A fall in the 5,000 delivers an uplifting moment. . August 16, 2016.
  7. https://www.olympic.org/news/fair-play-awards-recognise-true-olympic-champions-in-sportsmanship Fair Play Awards recognise true Olympic champions in sportsmanship – Olympic News
  8. Web site: Rio Olympics 2016: Hamblin wins fair play award – Sport – NZ Herald News. Nzherald.co.nz . August 21, 2016 . August 27, 2016.
  9. Web site: 99: Abbey D'Agostino - Purpose-Based Identity . C Tolle Run.
  10. Web site: Olympic runner who helped fallen competitor finds inspiration in God :: Catholic News Agency (CNA) . Catholic News Agency . November 18, 2015 . August 20, 2016.
  11. https://www.si.com/vault/2017/07/19/olympic-recovery Olymipic Recovery - The ACL Evolution
  12. News: Zaccardi . Nick . 2020-08-11 . Four years later, life changes for runners who shared Olympic moment . en-US . NBC Sports . 2021-04-11.
  13. Web site: Abbey D'Agostino . Abbey D'Agostino Bio – DartmouthSports.com—Official Web Site of Dartmouth Varsity Athletics . Dartmouthsports.com . August 20, 2016.
  14. Web site: Abbey D'Agostino Interview . Garycohenrunning.com . August 20, 2016.
  15. Web site: Endurance sports – Dartmouth's Abbey D'Agostino is adding to her impressive accomplishments . Espn.go.com . March 5, 2014 . August 20, 2016.
  16. Web site: Abbey D'Agostino . Emerging Elites . May 25, 1992 . August 20, 2016.
  17. Web site: The Collegiate Women Sports Awards Presented by Honda. ivyleague.com. en. 2020-03-29.
  18. Abbey D'Agostino of Dartmouth Named 2014 Honda Award Winner for Cross Country. 2013-12-04. CWSA. en. 2020-03-29.
  19. Web site: Abbey D'Agostino at Dartmouth . Track & Field Results Reporting System (TFRRS) . August 20, 2016.
  20. Web site: Abbey D'Agostino ready for pro challenges – Endurance Blog- ESPN . Espn.go.com . July 11, 2014 . August 20, 2016.
  21. Web site: The Women's 5,000 Final – The Olympic Trials At Its Absolute Best . Letsrun.com . June 28, 2012 . August 20, 2016.
  22. Web site: U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field – Videos – Abbey D'Agostino 5th Womens 5,000m Final Post-Race 15:19.98 – USA Olympic Trials Track and Field Championships 2012 . Usaoutdoor.runnerspace.com . June 29, 2012 . August 20, 2016.
  23. Web site: 7-Time NCAA Champ D'Agostino Joins Team New Balance . . June 18, 2014 . December 19, 2018.
  24. Web site: 5000 Metres – women – senior – outdoor – 2014 . iaaf.org . August 20, 2016.
  25. Web site: IAAF women 10000 m 2014 world ranking . . December 19, 2018.
  26. Web site: Abbey D'Agostino Reflects On Professional Debut, Eyes Future . LetsRun.com . August 20, 2016.
  27. Web site: USA Track & Field – Outdoor Women . Usatf.org . August 20, 2016.
  28. Web site: Abbey D'Agostino Takes Down Desi Linden in 5k, Robby Andrews Crushes The Mile Field – Full Recap of 2015 Adrian Martinez Classic . LetsRun.com . August 20, 2016.
  29. Web site: Abbey D'Agostino Pleased with Progress at 2015 Adrian Martinez Classic . YouTube . June 4, 2015 . August 20, 2016.
  30. Web site: Timetronics Commentator Information System . Timetronics.be . August 20, 2016.
  31. Web site: 5000 METRES WOMEN 15TH IAAF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS PR OF CHINA BEIJING (NATIONAL STADIUM), PR OF CHINA 22 AUG 2015 - 30 AUG 2015 . . December 20, 2018.
  32. Web site: Cool Running – Boston U Mini-Meet Race Results. Cool Running. January 3, 2016. October 2, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181002143812/http://coolrunning.com/results/16/ma/Jan2_Boston_set1.shtml. dead.
  33. Web site: 2016 USA Indoor Track & Field Championships – 3/11/2016 to 3/12/2016 . usatf.org.
  34. Web site: 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships – Women's 3000 metres final results . IAAF.
  35. Web site: adidas Boost Boston Games – Day 1 Complete Results . Milesplit.
  36. Web site: 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Track & Field . . July 10, 2016. July 10, 2016.
  37. Web site: Abbey D'Agostino & Nikki Hamblin Show the True Meaning of the Olympics as Almaz Ayana Leads Women's 5,000 Qualifiers . LetsRun.com . August 16, 2016. August 22, 2016.
  38. Web site: Runners collide but help each other out and finish race. NBC Sports. August 16, 2016. July 17, 2016. Accessible only in US
  39. Web site: Abbey D'Agostino won't be able to run in 5,000-meter final due to ACL tear . Espn.com . August 17, 2016 . August 20, 2016.
  40. Web site: 5000 METRES WOMEN THE XXXI OLYMPIC GAMES BRAZIL RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL 05 AUG 2016 – 21 AUG 2016 . IAAF . August 16, 2016.
  41. Web site: Fair Play Awards recognise true Olympic champions in sportsmanship . International Olympic Committee . August 20, 2016 . August 22, 2016.
  42. Web site: Former NCAA Champs Molly Seidel & Abbey D'Agostino Return To Action At 2017 Mayor's Cup XC And Chart Paths To Healthy Futures . LetsRun . October 22, 2017 . October 22, 2017.
  43. Web site: Molly Seidel after winning her professional debut at 2017 Mayor's Cup . Youtube . October 22, 2017 . October 22, 2017.
  44. Web site: 2017 USATF 5K Championships 5 kilometers - November 4, 2017, 8:30AM . . November 4, 2017 . December 10, 2018.
  45. Web site: 13th Annual Johnson City Turkey Trot 5K 13th Annual Johnson City Turkey Trot 5K Johnson City, TN Nov 22, 2018 8:30 AM . Johnson City Turkey Trot 5K . November 22, 2018 . December 10, 2018.
  46. Web site: Abbey Cooper to Run First Track Race Since 2016 Olympic 5,000 Meters at Camel City Invitational . Dyestat . December 19, 2018.
  47. Web site: Zaccardi. Nick. 2020-08-11. Four years later, life changes for runners who shared Olympic moment. 2021-07-21. OlympicTalk NBC Sports. en-US.
  48. Web site: Dutch. Taylor. 2021-06-19. How Abbey Cooper Hit the 5,000-Meter Olympic Standard Solo in the Trials Semifinal. 2021-07-21. Runner's World. en-US.
  49. Web site: 2021-06-22. Fans React to Abbey Cooper's Gutsy 5,000 Meter Final: "She is the Definition of a Competitor". 2021-07-21. Women's Running.
  50. Web site: Henry. Mellissa. 2021-08-21. 2021 Prefontaine Classic Distance Night results. 2021-08-22. World Track. en-US.
  51. Web site: 2015 International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships in Athletics . iaaf.org . November 24, 2015.
  52. http://www.legacy.usatf.org/events/2012/OlympicTrials-TF/results/Results14-2.htm 2012 Olympic Trials Women 5000
  53. Web site: Videos – Women's 5000m – USATF Outdoor Track and Field Championships 2015 . Usatf.Tv . June 28, 2015 . August 20, 2016.
  54. http://www.legacy.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2016/USATF-Indoor-Track---Field-Championships/Results/Day-1.aspx 2016 USA Indoor Championships results
  55. Web site: New York, New York - New York Road Runners - Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K - US 5 km Road Championships . usatf.tv RunnerSpace . November 4, 2017 . November 13, 2017.
  56. Web site: USATF Championships - Drake Stadium, Des Moines Results . Flash Results . July 29, 2019 . July 21, 2021.