Hall of Fame
Distance running star Julia Kirtland was, without doubt, one of the most accomplished athletes ever to wear the Macalester colors. Eight national championships in cross country and track, 22 MIAC titles, and 16 All-America certificates attest to her dominance in the mid-Eighties. In addition to winning the cross country nationals in 1984, Kirtland won NCAA Division III track championships seven times, including both the 5,000-meters and 10,000-meters as a junior and senior. Her academic achievements were just as noteworthy and she is one of just five Macalester athletes to ever receive Academic All-America recognition. Kirtland was honored with one of the highest awards presented to athletes in Olympic sport events - the Olympia Award - in 1986. She also won the March of Dimes Individual Athlete of the Year that same year.
Kirtland continues to be an elite distance runner. She won the U.S. National Marathon Championships and represented the U.S. team at the World Championships in Athens, Greece, in 1997.
