Background

Raised in rural Greenwood, Maine (population 802), where “people thought I was nuts running all the time,” Anna was state high school champion in cross country and track (800m and 1600m). She was also a shooting guard on the basketball team, good enough to be recruited by a couple of Division III colleges. Track was her first love, though (“Plus I’m 5-3, what am I going to do in basketball?”) so it was off to Brown University to run track. A 2006 Brown graduate with a degree in environmental studies, Anna ran her first steeplechase as a junior, filling in for an injured teammate on just two weeks of training. She broke the school record in her first race. By the time she was finished at Brown, Anna would hold 10 school records (1000m, DMR (indoor and outdoor), 4x800m (indoor and outdoor), 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 3000m steeplechase and the 5000m) and was named 2006 All-Ivy First Team in the steeplechase and 4x800m.

But it was in her final outdoor season of eligibility, which she used at the University of Michigan while earning a master’s degree in sports management, that Anna really came into her own. After getting a chance to train through the cross country and indoor seasons, the new Wolverine broke the collegiate record in steeplechase on her way to winning the 2007 NCAA title. On her way to that triumph, Anna was named Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year after winning titles in the steeple, 1500m and 5000m and the top female performer at the Penn Relays for her contribution to NCAA records in the 4x800m and 4x1500m relays. Anna was also honored at Michigan’s 2006-2007 Female Athlete of the Year.

Just a few weeks after winning her NCAA title, Anna finished a close second in the US national championships to make her first World Championship team. “First I was so disappointed that I didn’t win,” said Anna, who was running on a left ankle she jammed in the semi-finals. “But then I reflected on it: I’m going to Worlds!”

In 2008, Anna can say "I'm going to Beijing!" after winning the US Olympic Trials in a then-American Record time of 9:27.59, which remains the fastest time ever run in the United States.