Hillary Holt to be Inducted into NAIA Hall of Fame
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Former College of Idaho cross country and track national champion Hillary Holt was selected for induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame, announced as part of NAIA Awards Day.
The 2014 C of I graduate becomes the first women's athlete from the Cascade Conference to be selected for induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame and just the third Coyote to be honored – joining R.C. Owens (football, basketball) in 1966 and Marty Holly (men's basketball) in 2002.
Holt will be inducted at the 2021 NAIA Cross Country National Championships in Vancouver, Wash.
Her accomplishments place her in a category that no CCC athlete, nor any C of I athlete in any sport, has come close to achieving. Holt is a 17-time NAIA All-American, a 9-time CCC Champion, a 6-time NAIA National Runner of the Week, a 19-Time CCC Athlete of the Week and earned 12 All-CCC accolades. She was named CCC Cross Country Runner of the Year in 2012 and 2013, CCC Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 2013 and 2014, CCC All-Sports Women's Athlete of the Year in 2013 and 2014, plus honored as Athlete of the Meet at the 2013 and 2014 NAIA Indoor National Championships.
Holt won nine NAIA individual national titles and helped two relay teams top the podium at the national meet – winning races from the 800-meter distance to 3,000-meters. Her individual titles at the 2012 and 2013 NAIA Cross Country National Championships propelled C of I to consecutive national runner-up finishes – a feat the team repeated to close out the 2019 season. She was nearly unbeatable over her final two cross country seasons – winning 10-of-11 races – with her only loss at the 2013 Rim Rock Farm Classic in Kansas at the hands of runners from a Top-5 University of Michigan program, with Holt placing fifth overall.
The 1,500-meters was her signature race – winning four straight CCC titles, claiming three consecutive NAIA Outdoor Track and Field national titles, while winning back-to-back indoor mile crowns. She shocked the running world in 2013 by winning the Invite section of the Oregon Twilight – clocking a time of 4:11.62 that was the fastest ever run by an Idaho racer and established an NAIA all-time record in the event.
She went on to compete at the 2013 and 2014 United States Track and Field National Championships – qualifying for the 1,500-meter final in 2013 – the first C of I athlete to race on such a stage. She also won the silver medal as part of Team USA at the NACAC Under-23 Championships in Canada.
Holt was equally impressive in the classroom, earning first-team CoSIDA College Division Academic All-America honors in 2013 and 2014, while earning four NAIA Scholar-Athlete and six CCC All-Academic Team selections.
Hillary Holt Honor Roll
NAIA National Championships: Outdoor 1,500-meters (2012, 2013, 2014), Cross Country (2013, 2014), Indoor Mile (2013, 2014), Indoor 3,000-meters (2013), Indoor 800-meters (2014), Indoor Distance Medley Relay – 1,600-meter leg (2013, 2014)
Cascade Conference Championships: 1,500-meters (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), 800-meters (2013, 2014), Cross Country (2013, 2014), 4x400-meter relay (2013)
School Records: Indoor 800-meters (2:09.08), Indoor Mile (4:38.96), Indoor 3,000-meters (9:27.25); Outdoor 800-meters (2:06.00), Outdoor 1,500-meters (4:11.62); Cross Country 5,000-meters (16:42), Cross Country 6,000-meters (21:05.95)