Cresey Stewart Maher ’87, a cross country and track athlete who broke a DIII national record in 1987, will be inducted into the college’s Athletic’s Hall of Fame during Homecoming and Family Weekend Oct. 20-22, according to Director of Athletics Communications Kelly Young. According to the Oxy Athletics website, the 2023 Hall of Fame class also includes the 1974-75 and 1975-76 Men’s Basketball Teams, Nadine Felix Guest ’70 and Walt Rohlfing ’66.
“The Occidental College Athletics Hall of Fame honors members of the Occidental community,” Young said via email. “The essential factor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame is [to have] demonstrated exceptional contributions to the Athletics Department.”
Maher was a cross country and track athlete at Occidental, and won the 1500-meter race at the 1987 Division III Track and Field championships in 4:27.11, a DIII national record at the time. According to Maher, in addition to being a two-sport All-American and national champion, she graduated cum laude with a degree in mathematics. Maher said she felt surprised and very honored at her induction into the Hall of Fame.
Maher said that she began running track when she was 9 years old and always knew she wanted to continue to run in college. According to Maher, by the time her senior year came she had received many offers to run collegiately, including a scholarship offer to run at a Division I school. However, she said she chose to run track for Occidental because the coaches had faith in her.
Maher said that Occidental coach Bill Harvey had a lasting impact on her student-athlete experience. During her junior year at Occidental, Maher suffered a stress fracture on her foot which required her to wear a back brace and cut her track season short. According to Maher this injury, paired with financial aid issues, led to her decision to transfer to California State University, Long Beach, a Division I university. Maher said she stayed at California State University, Long Beach for just one year before transferring back to Occidental her senior year.
“My experience running Division I my junior year just really reinforced that that was not the place for me,” Maher said. “I don’t think I would have been as successful there as I was in my senior year, had I stayed there.”
With the support of her friends, family and Harvey, Maher said she was able to have a smooth transition back into the college senior year. Harvey’s personalized training was crucial after a foot surgery following her stress fracture, Maher said, and credits Harvey with helping her continue running track for the remaining duration of her college years.
“It was [Harvey’s] faith in me that gave me faith in the process and the training. And so that was the year that I was national champion, and I don’t think that would have happened without him,” Maher said.
Before nationals, Maher said she qualified for both the 800-meter and 1500-meter races. As a senior, she said she expected to run one race, the 800. As the championships approached, Maher said she was surprised to find that Coach Harvey had assigned her to run the 1500-meter race, as her specialty was the 800-meter race. However, Maher said she trusted her coach, and when the day to compete had arrived, Maher said she remembers walking towards the track and seeing a bumper sticker titled ‘Sh– Happens,’ which helped ease her nerves.
“That’s what made me feel like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m really not completely in control of this, and I can only do what I can do. I’ve done what I can do to get here,’” Maher said.
During the race, Maher said she was calm and collected, with her mind focused on running her own race. It wasn’t until the last lap of the 1500-meter race that she felt the heat between herself and an opponent, which consisted of a lot of lead changes in the final stretch. Maher said that the back-and-forth garnered many shouts from the crowd, including Harvey. When it came to the final push, Maher said she remembers feeling a kick of adrenaline and a whole lot of grit and determination.
“I didn’t want to lose, I didn’t want to give up,” Maher said. “I edged her out, and then I had a headache for about two days after that. I overexerted myself, but it was worth it.”
Maher said that it took the sacrifices of others to help her transition smoothly back into the college her senior year.
“All of it was a struggle, but it worked out and I couldn’t have done without the help of so many other people,” Maher said.
Maher said that other than winning a national title, highlights from her time as a student athlete at Occidental include traveling with the cross country and track teams. She said that Harvey always wanted to familiarize the team with new places, so when they arrived in New York City for a meet, they spent the night at Times Square, saw the World Trade Center and visited Niagara Falls.
Maher said she continues to run as a hobby, competing in road races and half-marathons over years. After graduating from Occidental, she said she worked as an internal auditor and is now an attorney. According to Maher, any success in life requires hard work, commitment and perseverance.
“Something might seem impossible at first and just don’t get discouraged. Keep trying,” Maher said. “Something will come to you, and you’ll just be able to get there a different way.”
Contact Karen Palacios Echeverria at palacioseche@oxy.edu
