Graduate student Abigail Hassman and senior Benjamin Godish wouldn’t have known they were going to become CAA champions in high school, but the pair have taken the Northeastern running program by storm.

The runners, Hassman in her final year and Godish in his second-to-last, gained consecutive titles at the cross country CAA Championships Nov. 1, where Hassman became the first female runner in CAA history to win three individual championships. These wins earned both Hassman and Godish the title of CAA Cross Country Runner of the Year in 2024. It marked Godish’s second time receiving the accolade and Hassman’s third time, making her the first female runner to win three individual titles in Northeastern history. 

Now, the two look to dominate in indoor track for the remainder of the season. Hassman hasn’t wasted any time — at the opening indoor track invitational, she broke her own school record in the 5,000 meter race.

Back in high school, Godish focused on soccer while Hassman balanced basketball and lacrosse, only running cross country in the fall. It was only when they were recruited to run for Northeastern that their star running potential was put into action. 

Godish didn’t originally have high hopes for his college running career, he said; He only got serious about the sport in his junior year of high school. “To be completely honest, I was expecting to be towards the middle or back for most of it,” he said of entering into the collegiate running field. 

He turned that trajectory around when he adjusted to the team. “I think once I got the gist of what [associate head] coach [Matt] Lonergan was all about, what the team was all about, that really helped me excel individually,” Godish told the Huntington News.

Godish is now one of only 10 male runners in the program’s history to become an individual CAA cross country champion. 

Meanwhile for Hassman, collegiate running was her first experience running competitively year round, compared to just one season per year in high school. 

“It’s a hard transition — running three seasons, no matter what. I always played sports, but training long distance races all year is a bit different. So it was an adjustment,” Hassman said. 

The two have been able to knock off full minutes from their first-year times over their careers at Northeastern. 

During his freshman year in Spring 2022, Godish ran a personal best of 14:21.01 in the outdoor track 5,000 meters, winning bronze in the CAA championships. As a sophomore he made second place on the Fall 2022 Cross Country All-CAA Team and in 2023, he branched out into NCAA accolades. Godish won 2023 CAA Cross Country Runner of the Year, 2023 CAA Cross Country Individual Champion and placed seventh in the 2023 NCAA Northeast All-Region 10K, becoming a NCAA Cross Country Championships qualifier. Now, Godish runs a minute faster in the 5,000 meter, clocking in a personal record of 13:41.22.

Hassman began her freshman year at Northeastern in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which she believes helped her prepare for the competition ahead, she told The News. In her first collegiate track season in 2021, she recorded the sixth-best outdoor 5,000 meter time in Northeastern history at 17:01.21; the next year she broke the university record for the first time. 

By 2024, Hassman had shaved off more than two minutes from her first-year 5,000 meter time, breaking her own school record a third time at 15:41.40 Dec. 11. She is now ranked No. 264 in the world at the event. Hassman’s name is on five university record titles across cross country, indoor track and outdoor track. Her list of accolades and records has continued to grow, and she’s no stranger to breaking the ribbon.

Hassman has set an example on the team for her consistency and dedication to the sport, said John Murray, assistant coach of the women’s cross country team. 

“She can endure a lot of miles and she can endure a lot of training. And that’s why she can endure really challenging things in a race,” Murray said of Hassman.

Hassman has served as captain for the past two years, passing on her expertise and spirit to teammates in her final years.

“I really like to focus on working with others, hearing other people’s opinions and pushing for decisions that benefit our entire group,” Hassman said. 

She has worked hard to instill a bond in the team during her time as a leader. Before every conference race, at the very end of the cross country season, the team has adopted a final tradition. Every runner gets a small gift for one of their teammates and writes them a rap. 

“Whether it’s a funny rap about the person, or encouraging, it’s been a fun tradition we’ve done the past few years,” Hassman said. “[It helps] to get some of the nerves out and also have fun with everyone.” She calls it “Wraps and Raps.”

Those lighthearted moments on the team make the hard days easier, Hassman said.

“When it gets down to the serious races, we’ve been practicing that culture of being super positive and supportive, so it rolls over to those bigger moments when you really need it,” Hassman said. 

She also serves as the Student Athlete Association Council president, and hopes to leave a legacy of student and community engagement through the implementation of a new chapter of Run Your City. The program helps introduce Boston kids to running while offering a way for the team to volunteer in the community.

Hassman and Godish don’t have much of an offseason between cross-country, indoor and outdoor track — the only month they’re not on the line is July. The year-round schedule, paired with gritty and long races, has required both athletes to build a resilient mindset. 

“You can get caught up in the outcome instead of just trying to be in the moment of what you’re doing right now and staying within yourself,” Godish said. “That was something that was pretty difficult for me starting out. And honestly, [it] still is something I’m trying to work on.”

On race days, Hassman keeps her focus on the excitement. 

“Pre-race, [I’m] leaning on the experiences that I’ve had and really just trying to switch the nerves over to more excitement — excitement for the opportunity and not so much the fear of what could happen,” Hassman said.

She has used her studies as a psychology and health science combined major to her advantage. 

“I think the hardest part of this sport is handling your thoughts and handling how you speak to yourself during those really hard moments,” Hassman said. “The negative thoughts or the thoughts that kind of arise are natural, but it’s how you react to them.” 

Murray attributed Hassman’s work ethic and commitment to her team as playing a big part in her success.

“You can work out and control what you can, and that’s your effort. She does that and it’s great leadership through her actions. I’m really proud of her,” Murray said. “She’s got so many accolades and accomplishments, but I’m really proud of her for that. She’s always going to do the best she can. That’s a testament to the kind of person that she is.”

Godish and Hassman have leaned on each other as two of Northeastern’s most prolific athletes. 

“We kind of feed off each other in terms of getting excited for the races, but also he definitely calms my nerves down when I’m with him. Just his quiet presence is pretty calming,” Hassman said of Godish. 

Although they’re running in separate races, the women’s and men’s teams share nearly the same schedule. “It’s always so special sharing those moments with a teammate,” Hassman said. 

In 2023, both Hassman and Godish qualified for the NCAA Championships, the first time Northeastern had ever sent both a female and male athlete to the competition. 

“I feel like being around other groups of people that are working as hard as you to be the best they can is very infectious,” Godish said. “I have definitely met some people I hope to be friends with throughout my life while on the team.” 

Godish also hopes to achieve new personal records this track season, specifically in the 3,000 meter and 5,000 meter. “My coach has said I might try a 10K in the spring. I’m not completely sold on that, but we’ll see if that happens,” Godish said. 

He is the returning CAA indoor track champion in the mile and the 3,000 meter. Godish also hopes to regain the title of Indoor Championships Men’s Most Outstanding Track Athlete, which he carried home in 2023. 

Godish and Hassman are not slowing down any time soon; the two are currently running indoor track, the middle stretch of a three-season year. Students can watch the champion athletes at their home meets at the TRACK at New Balance for the remainder of the season. 

“We’ve got a really good team going into the indoor championships, we won last year [and] we want to win this year. Winning is a ton of fun,” Murray said. “We just want to keep doing what we’ve been doing, right? Keep working hard, having fun, being disciplined, giving our best effort. That’s what’s got us here.”